Veracruz-Style Fried Masa Cups with Pickled Seafood

About this recipe

Puff pastry cases baked until golden and flaky, filled with prawns and crab cooked Veracruz-style with tomato, garlic, pickled jalapeño and coriander. A savoury bakery bite, perfect as a snack or for a party.

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface and cut out 32 rounds of about 8 cm. Cut a 5 cm circle out of the centre of half of them to make rings.

   
2. 2

   Place the whole rounds on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Brush them with beaten egg, set a ring on top of each one and brush the rings too, without letting the egg drip down the edges, as that stops the pastry rising.

   
3. 3

   Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the vol-au-vents have risen and are deep golden. Leave to cool on a rack and, if needed, carefully scoop out a little pastry from the centre to leave them hollow.

   
4. 4

   For the filling, heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the chopped onion and garlic for 3 minutes, add the chopped tomato and cook for 8-10 minutes, until reduced and thick.

   
5. 5

   Add the chopped cooked prawns, the flaked crab and the chopped pickled jalapeños. Cook for 3-4 minutes, season with salt and pepper and finish with the chopped coriander. The filling should be juicy but not runny.

   
6. 6

   Fill the vol-au-vents with the warm mixture just before serving, so the pastry stays crisp.

   

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