Baked Crab & Corn Empanadas
Need a new way to use up that summer sweet corn? These Baked Crab and Corn Empanadas are a handheld savory snack that’s bursting with flavor and fun to eat! Baked instead of fried, they’re a lightened up version of a classic Latin American bite.
Servings: 6 empanadas
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup diced onion
- 2 tablespoons diced red bell pepper
- 1-2 tablespoons diced jalapeno pepper {seeds removed for less heat}
- 1 cup Dandy® Sweet Corn kernels removed from the cob
- ½ teaspoon adobo seasoning*
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons cilantro finely chopped
- 1 6 ounce can white lump crab drained
- 3-4 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 6 store bought empanada dough discs thawed*
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking pan with parchment paper or foil. Set aside.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, red bell pepper and jalapeno pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes until they begin to soften.
- Add corn and cook another 3-4 minutes until the corn begins to brown in spots.
- Sprinkle adobo seasoning over mixture and stir to combine. Squeeze fresh lime juice into mixture, scraping the bottom of the pan to get any browned bits.
- Remove from heat and add cilantro, crab meat and mayonnaise, folding it together gently until mostly uniform {be careful not to break up the crab too much.} Set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, make an egg wash for the empanadas by whisking together egg and water.
- Place the thawed empanada dough discs on a clean surface. Scoop about ¼ cup of the crab mixture into the center of each circle. Brush a bit of egg wash around the edge of the dough -- this will be the "glue" that seals it.
- Fold the dough over the filling to form a semi-circle, pressing down to adhere the edges. Using the tines of a fork, crimp the edges of the empanada. Place onto prepaped baking pan and brush with egg wash. Repeat with the rest of the filling -- you should get 6 good-sized empanadas. {Simply double the filling mixture for a dozen.}
- Bake the empanadas for 12-14 minutes, until they turn golden brown and have puffed up. {They'll also have some bubbly air pockets that form on the surface.}
- Let cool slighly before serving with your favorite salsa, dip or aioli.
Notes
*Adobo seasoning can usually be found among the ethnic spices in the regular spice aisle, but if you can't find it you can simply use a blend of salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, ground bay, turmeric and oregano or you favorite spice blend that goes well with Mexican flavors.
**If you can't find frozen empanada dough discs, you can either make your own with a recipe like this: https://www.laylita.com/recipes/how-to-make-empanada-dough/ OR you may also use store-bought frozen pie dough cut into approximately 5 inch circles. The texture will be different than traditional empanadas, but they're still good!
**If you can't find frozen empanada dough discs, you can either make your own with a recipe like this: https://www.laylita.com/recipes/how-to-make-empanada-dough/ OR you may also use store-bought frozen pie dough cut into approximately 5 inch circles. The texture will be different than traditional empanadas, but they're still good!