Description
A luxurious seafood appetizer featuring potted shrimp and white crabmeat blended with crème fraîche, lemon, and fresh herbs, served atop toasted crumpets and enhanced with a fragrant bay and chive brown butter.
Ingredients
Scale
Bay & Chive Brown Butter
- 50g salted butter
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- Black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
- ½ tsp kashmiri chilli powder
- ½ tsp mustard powder
- 100g potted shrimp
Seafood Mixture
- 200g white crabmeat
- 100g thick crème fraîche
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced (plus lemon wedges to serve)
- 15g chives, finely chopped (plus extra to garnish)
- 10g tarragon, roughly chopped (plus a few leaves to garnish)
To Serve
- 6 crumpets
Instructions
- Make the bay and chive brown butter: Melt the salted butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once the butter starts foaming, add the finely chopped shallot, fresh bay leaves, and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper. Cook gently for 5-7 minutes until the shallots are lightly golden and fragrant, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
- Add potted shrimp and spices: Stir in the potted shrimp and allow it to melt into the butter, enhancing the flavor. Then sprinkle in the kashmiri chilli powder and mustard powder. Continue cooking for another 5-6 minutes until the mixture develops a nutty aroma, indicating the spices have infused well. Remove the pan from the heat, discard the bay leaves, and transfer the butter mixture to a clean bowl to cool for 5 minutes.
- Prepare the seafood mixture: In a large mixing bowl, combine the white crabmeat, thick crème fraîche, lemon zest and juice, most of the chopped chives, and roughly chopped tarragon. Gently fold in the cooled potted shrimp butter mixture, ensuring an even distribution without breaking up the crabmeat too much.
- Toast the crumpets: Toast the crumpets until they are golden brown and lightly crisp on the edges, either using a toaster or under a grill. The warm crumpets will provide the perfect base for the creamy seafood topping.
- Assemble and serve: Spoon a few generous spoonfuls of the shrimp and crab mixture onto each toasted crumpet. Garnish with extra chopped chives and a few tarragon leaves for freshness. Serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side to squeeze over the top for a bright, zesty finish.
Notes
- Use fresh bay leaves for the best aromatic flavor in the butter.
- Be careful not to overcook the shallots to avoid bitterness.
- Gently fold the crabmeat mixture to keep the texture delicate.
- To make ahead, prepare the seafood topping and refrigerate; toast crumpets and assemble just before serving.
- This dish pairs wonderfully with crisp white wine or a light citrusy cocktail.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: British
Keywords: potted shrimp, crabmeat, crumpets, brown butter, bay leaves, seafood appetizer, British recipe, crème fraîche, chives, tarragon
