10 minute recipe: buckwheat pancakes with smoked salmon

Traditionally served in Brittany in ‘galettes de sarrasin’, buckwheat is naturally gluten-free and has a deliciously sweet, nutty flavour.

Packed with a good combo of carbohydrate to replenish depleted glycogen stores, protein to kick-start muscle repair and plenty of minerals to replace electrolytes lost through sweat, these pancakes are ideal post long workout. The mix is best prepared in advance, so you’ll be able to cook and eat within the 15min ‘magic recovery window’. Try this recipe with other savoury fillings, such as slices of ham, goats’ cheese, caramelised onions or eggs, or as a sweet snack; bananas and agave syrup is a reliable favourite!

Serves 4 (makes 6-8 pancakes)

Prep time: 5mins

Cooking time: 5mins

Equipment: Electric whisk, a large bowl, a pancake pan or large, flat, non-stick frying
pan and a palette knife

Ingredients

For the pancakes

100g buckwheat flour

50g plain flour, wholemeal or white (plain wheat flour improves the pancakes’ texture. But if you want to make them gluten-free, use 150g buckwheat flour instead)

1 egg

100ml semi-skimmed milk

200ml water

30g melted butter plus extra butter to cook

Pinch of salt

For the filling

8-10 large slices of smoked salmon

200ml pot of good-quality crème fraîche

Juice of one lemon

Freshly ground black pepper

1. Mix the buckwheat and plain flour together, add a pinch of salt and make a small well in the centre for the egg. Break the egg into the mixture and then add the milk and half the water.
2. Beat together with an electric hand whisk until the mixture is nice and smooth. Mix in the rest of the water and the melted butter. The mixture should be the consistency of thin cream. If possible, leave the mixture to rest for a few hours or overnight; loosen it up a little with a splash of cold water just before you use it again.
3. Heat a pan over a medium heat. Add a knob of butter and melt it to cover the base of the pan. Lift the pan off the heat, add a small ladleful of the batter and quickly swirl it around so that you have a very thin layer covering the whole pan. Cook for 2mins over a medium heat, or until the pancake comes away easily from the pan when you shake it. Then toss the pancake over and cook for 1 or 2mins on the other side.
4. Flip the pancake back over and then pop a slice of smoked salmon and a dessert spoon of crème fraîche onto one half of the pancake. Add a little lemon juice and a few grinds of black pepper. Fold the plain half of the pancake over the filling and then fold in half again and cook on a very gentle heat for a minute or two until the salmon has heated through. Serve with a sprig of parsley, lemon wedges and a little extra crème fraîche.

NUTRITION PER BAR

Energy 197kcal, Protein 9g, Carbohydrate 15g (sugars 0.5g), Fat 12g (saturates 2.6g), Salt 0.5g & Fibre 1.4g

Wholegrains and seeds supply us with complex carbs for energy, as well as proteins, vitamins and minerals. Buckwheat in particular is rich in iron, zinc and selenium, and also contains several noted antioxidants. Wholegrains benefit cardiovascular health, as well as helping to effectively balance the diet. But in order to benefit the body most, they need to be in the wholegrain, natural state, so unrefined and unprocessed.

Buckwheat is most commonly sold and consumed as whole ‘groats’ (for porridge), flour (for breads and pancakes) and as delicious Soba noodles. But its most nutritious form is as ‘buckwheat sprouts’, which are mainly used as components in health foods. This sprouting process includes fermentation with lactic acid bacteria, which produces a number of interesting health benefits.

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The 220 Triathlon team is made up of vastly experienced athletes, sports journalists, kit reviewers and coaches. In short, what we don't know about multisport frankly isn't worth knowing! Saying that, we love expanding our sporting knowledge and increasing our expertise in this phenomenal sport.