Steffen's Dinners - Recipes and Photos

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A warm salad of sauteed shrimp with bell peppers, mild chilies, lemongrass, cilantro and garlic, served on buckwheat crepes. An interesting, colorful and flavorful starter.

If you like it more spicy, substitute hot chillies for the mild ones.

Baking the pancakes is a bit of work, but the result is definitely worth the effort.

Ingredients

Buckwheat Crepes

• 5 oz / 150g all-purpose flour
• 2 oz / 60g buckwheat flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups / ca. 500ml milk
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• butter and oil for the pan

Shrimp Salad

• 1 red bell pepper, cut in ¼ in / 5mm cubes
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut in ¼ in / 5mm cubes
• 1 poblano (or other mild) chili pepper, cut in ¼ in / 5mm cubes
• 1 tbsp finely grated lemongrass
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• ½ cup chopped cilantro
• juice of 2 limes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• pinch of ground cumin
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp salt (or to taste)
• 24 prawns (4 per serving)
• olive oil

Preparation

Buckwheat Crepes

1. Combine wheat flour, buckwheat flour, eggs, milk and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk together.
2. Stir in olive oil and melted butter. Let stand for at least half an hour.
3. Set non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add a bit of butter and olive oil. Add ca. ¼ cup / 60ml of pancake batter, then tilt the pan to make a round pancake (ca. 4 in / 10cm diameter). Cook from one side until the top begins to set. Flip, cook the other side until golden brown.
4. Repeat previous stop until you have used up all the batter. You will end up with more than 6 crepes, but I find it very hard to make a much smaller amount of batter and the pancakes taste so good even without the salad.
5. Cover the stack of pancakes with aluminum foil, set aside and keep warm. You can also prepare the pancakes well in advance and reheat them before serving.

Shrimp Salad

1. Combine peppers, cilantro, garlic, lemongrass, cumin, black pepper, lime juice and olive oil. Mix well, cover and refrigerate for a few hours. Do not add the salt before refrigerating.
2. Season with salt.
3. Set heavy pan over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp and vegetables in small batches: Add a bit of olive oil to the pan. Add 4 shrimp, cook until almost done (ca. 1 minute). Add 2-3 tbsp of the mixed vegetables. Cook for another minute.
4. For each serving / batch: Place a pancake on a preheated plate, top with the prawns and vegetables. Serve warm.

Yields 6 servings