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Miniature Crab Rice Puffs

A chilled crab and rice mixture served inside miniature cream puff shells.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 16 ingredients
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Why it works: Celery and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,467 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Miniature Crab Rice Puffs

Oven450°F, then 350°F

Ingredients

Directions

Make the filling

  1. Place crab meat, rice, celery, pickles, onion, and eggs in a mixing bowl and toss lightly.

  2. Sprinkle with lemon juice.

  3. Add mayonnaise and chili sauce to moisten.

  4. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

  5. Chill until just before serving time.

Make the cream puffs

  1. Place water, butter, and salt in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat.

  2. When boiling briskly, add flour all at once, stirring vigorously.

  3. Cook until mixture forms a smooth ball that leaves the sides of the pan clean.

  4. Turn the batter into a mixing bowl and beat in eggs one at a time.

  5. Continue beating until the mixture is thick and shiny and breaks off when a spoon is raised.

  6. Drop from the tip of a teaspoon about 1-1/2 inches apart onto a baking sheet.

  7. Bake at 450°F for 8 to 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F and bake 10 to 12 minutes longer.

  8. Remove puffs from the baking sheet and cool on a cooling rack.

Fill and serve

  1. Slice tops of cream puffs.

  2. Fill with crab mixture and replace tops.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1232Calories
82 gProtein
28 gFat
159 gCarbs

Counts 13 of 16 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 13 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Rice1 cup cooked (158g) white206
Chicken100g cooked165
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Shrimp100g cooked99
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Cream1 tbsp (15ml) heavy51
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Celery1 stalk (40g)6
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Meatnot in our table0
Saucenot in our table0
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Celery + lemontop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,467 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).

  2. Rice + chickentop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,769 recipes

    Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).

  3. Celery + oniontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,518 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

  4. Rice + celerytop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,169 recipes

    Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).

  5. Crab + meattop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together448 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine (cocoa, roasted).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Crab meat
Provides the main flavor and tender, flaky filling texture.
Eggs
Bind the filling and set the structure of the puff batter.
Flour
Forms the starch and gluten structure that holds the puffs up.
Butter or margarine
Adds fat and richness to the puff dough, tenderizing it.
Mayonnaise
Adds moisture and richness to bind the crab filling.
Cooked rice
Adds body and moisture to the filling, bulking out the crab.

The step that matters

Beat in the eggs one at a time until the batter is thick and shiny. The batter must be fully cooled slightly and beaten until smooth and glossy so it holds its shape. Adding eggs too fast can break the emulsion, and under-beaten batter will not rise properly in the oven.

Swap the lemon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (crab, meat, rice, chicken, celery, onion, egg):

  1. Avocadofits about as well
  2. Lemonthe original
  3. Coconutfits about as well
  4. Limefits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against crab, meat, rice, chicken, celery, onion, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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