Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for crab and leek tarts with chicory salad

These are smashing little tarts: packed with flavour, they take minutes to make and, if you use tinned crab, are economical, too (feel free to use fresh, though). They’re smart enough to serve to friends, but also easy enough to make a batch on Sunday to do for dinner and a couple of midweek lunches. The chicory and fennel salad is made on repeat in our home; as soon as it’s sliced, pop the fennel in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes – it’ll crisp up beautifully and stand up to the dressing.
Prep 15 min
Cook 45 min
Serves 3-4
60ml extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated2 leeks, trimmed and finely slicedFlaky sea salt
1 tsp hot smoked paprika
Juice of 1½ lemons, plus grated zest of ½ lemon80g cream cheese
290g shredded crab (ie 2 x 145g tins) 320g ready-rolled puff pastry
10g parmesan, grated1 bulb fennel
2 red chicory, leaves separated2 green chicory, leaves separated
Put half the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the garlic, leeks and a pinch of sea salt, and cook, stirring frequently, for five minutes to soften. Add the paprika, stir-fry for 30 seconds, then take off the heat.
Stir in the lemon zest and juice, cream cheese and crab, then taste and adjust the salt as needed.
Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Cut the pastry into six or eight rectangles (depending on how many you’re feeding), and pop them on a lined baking tray (I use the paper that the pastry comes wrapped in) with a bit of space between them. Divide the crab mixture equally between the tarts, leaving a 1cm border all around the edge, then scatter the parmesan on top.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and crisp, but check after 20 or so minutes, because these tarts do cook quite quickly.
Meanwhile, trim and finely slice the fennel, then put the slices in a bowl of cold water. Whisk the lemon juice, the remaining two tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and a teaspoon and a half of sea salt in a small bowl.
Once the tarts are cooked, drain the fennel, pat it dry, then put it in a large bowl with the chicory leaves. Pour the dressing over the top, toss to coat, then taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Serve the salad alongside the hot tarts.