Alex Luck//Hearst Owned

Our mini chili crab doughnut recipe is your festive canapé hero - savory, spicy and seriously addictive

Name: Our mini chili crab doughnut recipe is your festive canapé hero - savory, spicy and seriously addictive
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 16
Ingredients: 100 mL whole milk; 25 g unsalted butter; 200 g strong white flour; 7g sachet fast action dried yeast; 2 tbsp. caster sugar; 1 medium egg; Vegetable oil, to grease and to deep-fry; 200 g cooked white crab meat; 75 g mayonnaise; 1 small red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped; Finely grated zest and juice 1/2 lemon; 2 tbsp. finely chopped chives

These are small bits with big flavors - perfect for your next Christmas gathering. If you can’t get fresh crab meat, tinned works, too, just drain it thoroughly.

By The GH Kitchen TeamPublished: 01 December 2020

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This is the perfect treat to serve your guests to prevent them getting too peckish before the main event! Try our mini doughnuts for the perfect canapé to satiate hunger on Christmas Day.

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Yields:

Prep Time:

30 mins

Cook Time:

20 mins

Total Time:

50 mins

Cal/Serv:

143

Ingredients

For the doughnuts

100 ml whole milk
25 g unsalted butter
200 g strong white flour
7g sachet fast action dried yeast
2 Tbsp. caster sugar
1 medium egg
Vegetable oil, to grease and to deep-fry

For the filling

200 g cooked white crab meat
75 g mayonnaise
1 small red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Finely grated zest and juice 1/2 lemon
2 Tbsp. finely chopped chives

Directions

1. Step 1 For the doughnuts, heat milk and butter in a small pan over low heat to melt butter. Cool until just warm.
2. Step 2 In the bowl of a freestanding mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix flour, yeast, sugar, egg, cooled milk mixture and ½tsp fine salt. Knead on low-medium speed for 8-10min, until springy (the dough should be glossy and slightly sticky). Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place for 1hr, until doubled in size.
3. Step 3Meanwhile, make the filling. Mix all the ingredients except the chives, together with plenty of seasoning. Cover and chill until needed.
4. Step 4Once dough has risen, grease a large baking sheet. Divide dough into 16 equal pieces, roll into balls and space apart on the greased sheet. Loosely cover with clingfilm and leave to rise again for 30min, until puffed.
5. Step 5Fill a large, heavy-based, deep pan with oil so that it’s 5cm deep. Heat oil to 160°C. Add 8 doughnuts at a time and cook for 2min per side, until golden and puffed. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to kitchen paper to drain. Cook remaining doughnuts, monitoring oil temperature.
6. Step 6When ready to serve, cut into the top of each doughnut, almost all the way down. Spoon in the crab filling and garnish with chives.

Get ahead

Cook doughnuts up to 4hr ahead. Cool, cover and store at room temperature, unfilled. Make filling up to 4hr ahead, cover and chill. To serve, reheat doughnuts in an oven preheated to 190°C (170°C fan) mark 5 for 5min before completing recipe. Alternatively, make dough to end of step 2 a day ahead; knock back once risen, cover and chill overnight. Complete recipe to serve.

GH TIP:

For a vegetarian version, switch the crab for mashed boiled eggs.