Krokiety
Polish breaded fried savoury crepes: thin pancakes rolled around a filling of mushroom-and-cabbage or seasoned meat, then breadcrumbed and pan-fried until crisp. Served with a bowl of clear barszcz (beetroot broth) or as a snack on their own with mustard. The Christmas Eve and milk-bar standard.
Overview
Make thin crepes from a simple flour-egg-milk batter. Make a filling: traditional Christmas Eve is sauerkraut and dried wild mushroom; the everyday version is seasoned minced meat with onion. Each crepe gets a strip of filling, rolls into a tight log with the ends tucked in, dips in beaten egg and breadcrumbs, and pan-fries in butter or shallow oil until golden and crisp. Cut on the diagonal to show the spiral inside.
Ingredients
Crepes
- 200 g plain flour
- 3 eggs (large)
- 400 ml whole milk
- 100 ml sparkling water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons melted butter (plus more for the pan)
Mushroom-and-cabbage filling (Christmas Eve version)
- 25 g dried porcini mushrooms (soaked in 200 ml hot water 30 minutes)
- 250 g sauerkraut (rinsed, drained, squeezed dry, chopped)
- 1 onion (medium, finely chopped)
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons soured cream
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
- salt
- pepper
Breading
- 2 eggs (large, beaten)
- 200 g fine dried breadcrumbs (panko works too)
- 50 g plain flour (for an initial light dredge)
For frying
- 4 tablespoons sunflower oil (plus a knob of butter)
To serve
- Polish mustard (or barszcz czerwony, clear beetroot broth)
Method
Stage 1 - Crepe batter
- Whisk the flour and salt in a bowl.
- Make a well; crack in the eggs; whisk in, gradually drawing in flour from the sides.
- Whisk in the milk in a slow stream until smooth.
- Whisk in the sparkling water and melted butter.
- Rest the batter 15 minutes (lets the flour hydrate; crepes are more tender).
Stage 2 - Make the crepes
- Heat a 22 cm non-stick pan on medium; rub with a buttered piece of kitchen paper.
- Pour in a small ladle of batter (about 60 ml); swirl quickly to coat the base in a thin layer.
- Cook 60-90 seconds until set on top and golden underneath; flip; cook 20 seconds more.
- Stack on a plate. Repeat for 8 crepes total.
Stage 3 - Filling
- Strain the mushroom soaking liquid (through a fine sieve to catch grit); reserve.
- Finely chop the soaked mushrooms.
- Melt the 30 g butter in a wide pan; cook the onion 8 minutes until soft.
- Add the chopped mushrooms; cook 2 minutes.
- Add the sauerkraut, bay leaf, caraway and 100 ml of the mushroom soaking liquid.
- Cook on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced and the mixture is moist but not wet.
- Off heat, fish out the bay leaf; stir in the soured cream; season with salt and pepper.
- Cool completely.
Stage 4 - Roll
- Lay a crepe on a board, paler side up.
- Spoon a sausage of filling (about 3 tablespoons) along the lower third.
- Fold the bottom edge over the filling; fold both sides in (like a burrito); roll up tightly into a log.
- Set seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining crepes and filling.
Stage 5 - Bread
- Set up three plates: flour, beaten egg, breadcrumbs.
- Lightly dust each roll in flour (shake off excess).
- Roll in egg; let drip; coat completely in breadcrumbs, pressing gently.
- Set aside on a tray. Chill 10 minutes (helps the coating stay on).
Stage 6 - Fry
- Heat the oil and butter in a wide frying pan on medium heat.
- Lay in the krokiety, seam-side down first.
- Fry 2-3 minutes a side until deep golden and crisp on all sides.
- Drain briefly on kitchen paper.
- Slice each krokiet on the diagonal to show the filling spiral.
Notes
- Sparkling water in the batter: A Polish trick for tender crepes. The bubbles help keep them light; you can replace with milk if you don't have it.
- Cool the filling completely: Warm filling steams the inside of the rolled crepe and makes the breading slide off during frying.
- Chill before frying: 10 minutes in the fridge firms the egg-breadcrumb coat so it holds together in the pan.
Variations
Meat filling (everyday): Brown 400 g minced pork-and-beef with an onion; add 1 teaspoon marjoram, salt and pepper. Use in place of the mushroom-cabbage filling. Baked version (lighter): Brush the breaded krokiety with melted butter and bake at 200°C for 20-25 minutes, turning halfway. Less crisp than fried, but no oil splatter.
Serving
Serve with: A cup of clear barszcz czerwony (beetroot broth) for Christmas Eve, or Polish mustard for everyday. A pickled cucumber on the side.
Storage
- Cooked keep 2 days refrigerated; reheat in a 180°C oven for 10 minutes to re-crisp (microwave makes them soggy).
- Breaded uncooked freeze 2 months on a tray, then bagged; fry from frozen on slightly lower heat.
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