Midwest Fish-Stuffed Crepes

Submitted by: Twin2
Last Updated: 11/17/2005

From Farm Journal's "Homemade Bread" book circa 1969:
"Most farm women keep a few cans of salmon and tuna on hand in their cupboards. But not many have discovered teaming the fish with thin pancakes to make exciting, hearty main dishes. When taste-testers voted on Midwest Fish-stuffed Crepes, made by a recipe contributed by a Kansas rancher's wife, they described it with one word - excellent. You'll want to try this recipe. It produces a substantial fish dish that meat-and-potato farmers praise. That's a tribute to its tastiness."

Crunchy texture of celery and water chestnuts in creamy sauce pleases.

• 1 (7 3/4 oz.) can salmon, drained
• 1 (7 oz.) can tuna, drained
• 1 (5 oz.) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 Tablespoon finely chopped onion
• 5 Tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 6 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 16 Basic French Crepes

Combine salmon, tuna, water chestnuts and celery in a bowl.

Cook onion in butter until soft (do not brown). Blend in flour, salt and pepper. Slowly add milk stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and stir 2 Tablespoons cheese and lemon juice into the sauce.

Stir 1 cup of the sauce into salmon-tuna mixture. Put a generous spoonful of mixture on center of each crepe. Roll up; place seam side down on oven-proof platter or in a 13x9x2" pan. Spread remaining sauce over crepes. Sprinkle with remaining 4 Tablespoons cheese.

Bake in moderate oven (350 degrees) about 30 minutes. Serve hot. Makes 8 servings.

For the Basic French Crepes:

1 cup milk
3 eggs, well beaten
3/4 cup sifted all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Beat milk into well-beaten eggs. Sift together flour, sugar and salt into milk mixture. Beat with rotary beater or electric mixer until batter is smooth.

Pour about 2 Tablespoons batter into a lightly buttered 8" skillet** preheated over medium heat. Begin at once to rotate pan to spread the batter evenly over the bottom. Turn once; bake until light golden brown on both sides. Repeat, buttering skillet for each baking. Makes 16 crepes.

**I always used my grams little cast iron skillet. Years ago, I didn't have a kitchen full of gadgets! Worked fine. Also, I usually double the amount of the sauce and add quite a bit of cheese on the top. My family like gravy and lots of cheese!