Here’s a fun appetizer to make in advance: hearty crepes and canned tuna appetizer roll ups… perfect for your next garden party!
Well here’s a funny little thing: tuna appetizer roll ups!
I guess this is one of the very first moments I started to think about food and flavors.
It was while attending a wedding drink of a family member in Bruges I guess about 27 years ago (I must have been about 8 around that time I think) and waitresses were walking by carrying trays of appetizers.
And one of the appetizer roll ups was one that constisted of hearty crepes and a mayo and tuna filling.
Easy Appetizer Roll Ups with Creamy Tuna & Crepes
I can still remember that taste perfectly well. Even to this day.
That flavor combination made a huge impression on me so much back then. So this tuna and crepe appetizer idea stayed in the back of my mind for all that time.
Well I finally dusted it off and went to work!
Do you love canned tuna recipes?
Then also check another favorite of mine: chunky pasta sauce with tomatoes and tuna!
Enjoy!
Easy Appetizer Roll Ups Recipe
Here's a fun appetizer to make ahead: hearty crepes and canned tuna appetizer roll ups... perfect for your next garden party!
- 1 medium egg
- ⅓ cup whole milk (80 ml)
- 2 oz self-raising flour (55 g), sifted
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 7 oz canned tuna (200 g), drained weight
- 3 tbsp cream cheese
- 2 handfuls fresh dill chopped
- vegetable oil
- pepper
- salt
- Add the sifted flour, caster sugar, a pinch of salt, milk and egg to a large mixing bowl.
- Stir into a runny batter. Pour a drop of oil in a non-stick pan and place it over medium-high heat. Then add a generous spoonful of the crepe batter to the hot pan.
- Lightly turn the pan a little to spread the batter over the surface evenly. Then let the crepe bake for some minutes until the edges start to brown. Carefully lift the crepe a little and see if it is golden enough. Then flip it over and bake it on its uncooked side.
- Once baked, transfer the crepe to a clean plate and cover with tinfoil. Add another drop of oil to the hot pan and another batch of crepe batter. Do this until there is no batter left anymore. You should end up with 4 thin crepes. Place them in a neat stack on top of each other and let them cool down fully. In the meantime transfer the drained tuna to a mixing bowl and add the cream cheese.
- Stir and add half of the chopped dill. Season with a little pinch of pepper and salt.
- Stir. Once the crepes are cooled, spread them with the tuna mixture.
Sprinkle with the rest of the chopped dill and extra pepper or salt to taste. Then roll the crepes up.
- Roll them tightly in some cling film and let the crepes cull in the fridge for an hour.
Then remove the cling film, slice the crepes up. Place them on a clean serving plate.
Appetizers
I always have the ingredients I need for this roll up recipe in my fridge and pantry.
That’s why I end up making this appetizer very often! Never heard anybody complain about it, they all liked it! I know it is quite an odd combo but somehow the flavors really work.
I once used store bought crepes but those in combination with the cream cheese and tuna were just too sweet for me but maybe you would like it! It saves you at least quite some time to prepare the crepes at home.
Anyway it’s entirely up to you.
Making Crepes
Making crepes is actually fairly easy though. It takes me usually about 25 to 30 minutes to make the crepe batter and bake the crepes. Piece of cake.
Have you made crepes before?
Do you know how to make crepes. Here’s a full step by step recipe about how to make crepes (the sweet ones) with plenty of explanation.
Do give it a try some day!
Canned Fish
Can you use other types of canned fish for this appetizer recipe?
Sure no problem. I can imagine that salmon would be great as well. I made a similar recipe a while ago with crepes and smoked salmon, also a very tasty combination.
Check the recipe below!
Finger Food
I love to serve finger food when I’m having people over for dinner.
Besides these tuna roll up my deviled eggs with buffalo shrimp are also a very popular appetizer treat! I love preparing appetizers, especially the ones that I can easily make in advance.
When my guests arrive all I need to do then is just put the finger food on my coffee table and let everyone pick his own choice.
Dipping sauces are also a great appetizer.
Make Ahead
People seem to adore guacamole the most in my experience (and so do I). Did you know that guacamole can turn brown when you mash it up in advance? Believe me, that looks quite unappetizing.
But there’s a little trick that I heard about a while ago: burry the avocado seed in the freshly prepared guacamole and it will keep its color.
Why?
I’m not a scientist but apparently there a special type of chemistry going on between the avocado meat and the seed. Google it, I’m not joking.
Avocado
Prepping appetizers is great fun.
I love to wow people with my little bites before the main course. I lately serve another little snack: hard-boiled quail eggs wrapped in a fresh basil leaf. Most people think it is mozzarella but they are always surprised when I tell them that it’s a quail egg.
Quail eggs are very cheap here, one buck for about 12 to 18 eggs depending on what supermarket you buy them.
Smoked Salmon Appetizer Roll Ups
My mom used to make smoked salmon appetizer roll ups at times as an appetizer.
She wouldn’t use crepes like I do here but slices of brioche bread. Chop off the crusts and place the slices in a slightly overlapping pattern, flatten in with a rolling pin, spread the bread with cream cheese and the salmon and roll the whole lot up.
I made some crepes for my version.
You can use the same ingredients for your 4 crepes like in the recipe above!
Enjoy!
Smoked Salmon Appetizer Roll Ups Recipe
- 4 thin crepes
- 8 thin slices smoked salmon
- 4 tbsp cream cheese
- 2 tsp fresh oregano chopped
- pepper
- salt
1) Spread the crepes evenly with the cream cheese. Top with the slices of smoked salmon and sprinkle with the freshly chopped oregano and some pepper and salt.
2) Then roll the crepes up tightly. Top with the slices of smoked salmon and sprinkle with the freshly chopped oregano and some pepper and salt.
3) Chill the salmon wraps in the fridge for 30 minutes. Then remove the cling film and slice the rolls up into neat little bite-size pinwheels. You should end up with 15 pinwheels per crepe. Secure the pinwheels with a toothpick. Serve immediately.
