Oh Crepe! Gluten Free Crepes with Crab Salad, Avocado Mayo, and Flavored Oils

I’m baaaack! Hello everyone! Hopefully there will still be one or two of you checking in after my long hiatus from blogging. I’ve missed you all! How’s your summer going? I’m in denial that it’s August. I saw Halloween stuff at the store today. Uh, I’m still thinking about what to do next week let alone two months from now!

Anywhoooo, here’s a fantastic recipe for you all to try. It’s gluten free, but you gluten eaters will love it, too. While I was in Illinois this summer, my sister treated me to brunch at a lovely place called Egg Harbor. I fell in love with Egg Harbor. I know that comes as no surprise to you as you all know how I covet eggs. Needless to say, I want to scoop the entire place up from its foundation and move it out here to Oregon.

I ordered their lovely, lovely, lovely lobster salad crepes. Talk about heaven on a plate! It consisted of a large crepe stuffed with lobster salad, smothered in hollandaise sauce, topped with asparagus, and popped under the broiler. I think I may have moaned when I ate it. I’m pretty sure I did. Do you ever moan when you eat something delectible? Behave, now.

I’ve been thinking about those crepes for weeks now, and wanted to figure out a gluten free version. Praise be to eggs, I think I’ve done it! While I adore the wonderful recipe that I enjoyed at Egg Harbor, I’ve come up with another crepe dish that is just so spectacular that I can’t wait to share it with you. In fact, just come on over and I'll make some for everybody. They are that good! Mine uses crab because I can easily get it here, but shrimp or lobster would be awesome, too. Plus, it doesn’t require any broiler time, which is important while the weather is still saying “summer”!

Okay, let’s get going. Oh, one more thing, this is the first time I’ve made crepes. They are EASY to do! I was thinking they would give me fits, but I had no problems. In fact, I think these are way easier than pancakes. I’m sure that a professional chef would crank out some really awesome crepes, but I stand behind these puppies.

Gluten-Free Crepes

1 heaping cup gluten free all purpose flour blend (I used Bob’s Red Mill) You gluten eaters could use regular flour.
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1-1/3 cup milk
1 Tbls butter, melted

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs with a whisk. Whisk in the milk. Sift flour and salt. Slowly add the flour to the egg/milk mixture. Beat until smooth. Stir in melted butter. Pour about ¼ cup of batter into a lightly greased skillet and immediately swirl the pan around so the batter covers the entire bottom of the pan. I used an 8” non-stick pan over medium heat (#7-8 on my stove). Flip once the edges start to look cooked and the top begins to bubble. See the edges here?This is what they look like flipped.Make one at a time, and stack on a plate separating each crepe with parchment paper. Makes 12 crepes, this recipe only needs 4. Freeze the rest for another day!

Crab Salad
1 generous cup cooked crab (Note: Gluten Free eaters ... don’t eat the imitation stuff; it has wheat in it!)
2 tablespoons mayo
¼ cup sliced celery

Mix together in a bowl. Done.

Avocado Mayo
1 avocado, peeled and pitted
½ cup olive oil
Juice of ½ a lemon
Pinch of Sea Salt
2 Tablespoons mayo (Optional)
Red Pepper – couple shakes

Mix in a food processor. Try not to eat all of it in one sitting. Seriously.

Optional Oils: Note: I wanted a punch of heat in my dish, so I used these oils liberally. You could easily omit these, and dollop some more of the Avocado Mayo on top.
Chili Oil: In a blender, puree ½ cup olive oil, 1 T chili powder, ½ teaspoon red pepper, couple grinds of salt and pepper.

Chive Oil: In a blender, puree a large handful of chives, ½ cup olive oil, and a couple grinds of salt. Strain and serve.

Assembly:

Lay one crepe out flat on a plate. Spread with the yummy avocado mayo. Spoon some crab salad down the middle of the crepe.Roll up and plate seam-side down.

Top with chili oil and chive oil. Serve with a crunchy side salad. I paired mine with a tomato, cucumber, and green onion toss. YUM!Mmm, mmm, mmm! Just look at how gorgeous this is!

These crepes are sooo good. The texture is chewy yet light. They have the perfect flexibility required for rolling, and didn’t get soggy AT ALL when filled. You know what the real surprise was in this? The Avocado Mayo! Oh my gosh, folks, this stuff is unbelievably AWESOME! I'll be using this on all sandwiches in the future.

If you prefer a sweet crepe, like my kidlins, go ahead and add a scant teaspoon of sugar to the batter. Fill with Nutella and sliced bananas, or with whipped cream and berries! Sprinkle with some powdered sugar, and prepare for an onslaught of yummy noises!
So, what type of crepe eater will you be ... sweet or savory? Either way, this recipe will make it happen for you ... in a good way!