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French chef Shinsuke Ishii, who enjoys leisurely brunches on his days off, has described for us how to make an asparagus and salmon crepe.
All you need is a single frying pan — plus a little advance preparation.
In Japan, crepes are often regarded as sweet snacks or desserts. But historically, crepes have their origins as galettes, which were considered a staple food that could substitute for bread in the French region of Brittany in the Middle Ages.
The galette, a thin baked sheet of batter made from buckwheat flour, water, salt and other ingredients, is still enjoyed today as a meal with cheese and eggs.
This article introduces a galette-like crepe without sugar. “It can be enjoyed not only as a dessert, but also for breakfast or lunch,” Ishii said. “I want people to know they can easily make it with familiar ingredients like flour, eggs and milk.”
The fillings include asparagus and fresh onions, which are now in season.
To get the best results from the recipe on this page, use the following tips.
First, make the batter in advance. Combine the ingredients in a bowl, strain the mixture and cover it with plastic wrap before refrigerating overnight.
“Once the ingredients are mixed together, the batter doesn’t spread easily. So be sure to leave it overnight to make it thin and improve its texture,” Ishii says.
If you want to make crepes for breakfast or brunch, it is best to prepare the batter the night before.
Cook the bacon together with the asparagus and onion in a nonstick pan. Setting the cooked ingredients aside, quickly wipe the pan, melt butter in it and spread a thin layer of crepe batter.
Top the crepe with ingredients including an egg, as the recipe directs. When the egg is half cooked, place the entire crepe assembly on a plate. For the finishing touches, add a few bite-sized pieces of salmon and fold the edges of the crepe inward to form an elegant square.
To best enjoy eating your creation, use a knife to cut the crepe into bite-sized pieces and let the egg yolk cover them. The crepe is soft and chewy, with the familiar flavors of cheese and bacon. The texture of the asparagus and the umami of the salmon add further dimensions of flavor.
Asparagus and salmon crepe
Ingredients (2 servings):
2 asparagus spears
60 grams onion
40 grams bacon
50 grams sashimi-quality salmon
1 tsp butter
2 eggs
pizza cheese to taste
For crepe batter
150 grams flour
1 egg
120 cc milk
Directions:
1. Combine flour, egg, milk, a pinch of salt and 120 cc water to make crepe batter in a bowl, then scrape the mixture through a sieve. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
2. Cut the asparagus into diagonal slices, thinly slice the onion, and cut the bacon into strips. Cut salmon into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle with salt and white pepper.
3. Place the bacon, asparagus and onion in a nonstick frying pan and cook over high heat. When they begin to soften and brown, season with two pinches of salt and a dash of black pepper. Remove from the pan and place on a baking sheet.
4. Wipe the pan with a paper towel, turn the heat to high, and melt half of the butter. Pour in a ladleful of the melted batter for the crepes and spread it out thinly, tilting the pan. Reduce heat to medium, arrange half of the bacon and vegetables in a ring shape on the sheet of batter, and crack an egg into the empty space in the center. Sprinkle a little cheese on top, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 2½ minutes.
5. Place the crepe on a plate, fold the edges inward to form a square, and place half of the salmon on top.
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 to make a second crepe.
Salad crepes with leftover batter
The Yomiuri Shimbun Salad crepes
The recipe presented here will yield enough batter to make four to five crepes. Ishii recommends making salad crepes with the leftover batter.
Spread out each freshly cooked crepe and place some fillings on it, such as lettuce, cooked bacon, fresh onions, asparagus and salmon seasoned with salt and pepper. Wrap the crepe around the fillings, and then wrap the crepe itself in waxed paper. Try it as a side dish for an outing.
