Crab Samosas

These lovely little triangles of crispy filo filled with spicy crab and sweet potato make a delicious canapé as well as a starter. They are fairly healthy too as they are oven baked rather than fried. They fit perfectly into the Canapease collection as they can be prepared and kept in the fridge until required or frozen for up to a month. A great recipe for easy entertaining.

Ingredients - makes 18 canapés

100g white and brown crab meat (Seafood and Eat It 50/50 tub)

30g onion, chopped

1 tsp grated ginger

0.25 tsp ground cumin

0.5 tsp ground turmeric

1 tbsp vegetable oil

50g sweet potato

1 tsp lemon juice

1 salad onion, chopped

0.5 red chilli, finely chopped

1 tbs chopped coriander

1 tsp mustard seeds

Fresh filo pastry 3-4 sheets

Mild flavoured oil (rapeseed or ground nut work well)

Method

Warm the vegetable oil in a pan and soften the onion for a few minutes.

Add the grated ginger and the cumin and turmeric and cook for a couple of minutes longer. Cool.

Peel cut the sweet potato into small cubes (about 75mm x 75mm). Cook, with a splash of water, in a microwave for 90 seconds. Or cook on the stove in a little water until just tender. Cool.

Mix the crab, onion mixture, sweet potato, lemon juice, salad onion, chilli, coriander and mustard seeds gently together.

Cut each filo sheet into strips, approximately 6cms wide. (I cut 5 from each sheet). Keep the filo covered with either a damp tea towel or cling film when not working with it as it dries out very quickly.

Brush a strip of filo with the oil. Put a generous teaspoonful of crab on the square and start to fold up making triangles all the time to the top and enclosing the filling. Brush with more oil and place on baking sheet until ready to cook or freeze.

Store covered in the fridge until required or freeze.

To cook from chilled: Heat oven to 190° and cook the samosas for 15 minutes until golden brown. Serve alone or with some mango chutney.

To cook from frozen: Heat oven to 190° and cook the frozen samosas on a baking sheet for about 20 minutes or until golden and piping hot.

For a get ahead starter, simply make 2 or 3 samosas per person or make 1 or 2 larger ones and serve with a salad on the side and a dollop of mango chutney.