Here’s another recipe in the series Constellation Cuisine. Trilo bites – a delicacy from the Settled Systems – are presented in the game as small, fried trilobites served with whipped butter. Interestingly, large trilobite specimens can be hunted in the game on the planet Kreet and harvested for crafting materials.
Recreating this recipe wasn’t easy—mainly because trilobites are a class of extinct marine arthropods in the real world… So we decided to approach this recipe from two angles. Firstly, from a content perspective—since they are essentially “sea bugs,” it made sense to somehow reference seafood while also achieving a crispy exterior resembling a shell. Secondly, in terms of visuals, we had to shape them to look similar to trilobites. So we opted for crispy dumplings deep-fried in oil, using cricket flour as an optional ingredient (you can buy it online), along with soy flour for a double dose of protein and sweet paprika for color. The filling is made from surimi, or “imitation crab,” as it’s a quicker and easier option, but you can also add real crab meat or ground shrimp. To enhance the flavor, we added cream cheese with a bit of greens. In the game, trilo bites are served with whipped butter, which is light and fluffy; we added a bit of lemon juice to ours, which pairs well with the seafood flavor of the dumplings. However, this adds extra fat, especially when frying the dumplings in oil, so you can also replace it with a lighter option like yogurt to boost the protein content—it will still be tasty!
So, are you brave enough to try this unique culinary fusion? 😉
[Sponsored post in collaboration with Bethesda Poland]
VIDEO RECIPE
only Polish captions for now
TRILO BITES
Starfield
PREPARATION TIME: approx. 1h
COST: medium
SERVINGS: 2 portions
LEVEL: easy
YOU WILL NEED
saucepan
knife
cutting board
bowl
whisk
rolling pin
INGREDIENTS:
DOUGH
120 g wheat flour
50 g soy flour (optional, can be replaced with more wheat flour)
2 tablespoons cricket flour (optional)*
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup hot water
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
FILLING
70 g cream cheese
100 g surimi
a handful of green onions, chopped
a handful of parsley, chopped
a pinch of chili flakes
WHIPPED BUTTER
¼ cup butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons milk, at room temperature
a pinch of salt
a few drops of lemon juice
FOR FRYING
canola/rapeseed oil
PREPARATION
DOUGH
- Mix the wheat and soy flours (if you don’t have the latter, replace it with an appropriate amount of wheat flour).
- Optionally add cricket flour (* note – as people allergic to mollusks, crustaceans, or mites may have an allergic reaction to crickets).
- Pour hot water over the flours, first mix with a fork, then knead with your hands into a smooth, uniform dough. Sprinkle a bit of regular flour during this process so the dough doesn’t stick to your hands.
- Then set aside the dough ball for 30 minutes to rest, covering with an upside-down bowl.
FILLING
- Mix cream cheese, surimi, chopped green onions, parsley, and chili flakes in a bowl.
- Make small balls (approx. 1 inch diameter) out of this mixture and set aside.
WHIPPED BUTTER
- Beat room temperature butter, milk, salt, and lemon juice in a bowl until smooth and light.
- Set aside.
DUMPLING FORMATION AND FRYING
- Divide the rested dough into smaller pieces and roll out thin (approx. 2 mm thickness).
- Place a filling ball in the center of each piece of dough, then seal the edges by folding in half and pressing firmly.
- Heat canola oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Check the temperature by submerging a pea-sized ball of dough – if it sizzles immediately and get browned in about 1 min, oil is ready!
- Fry the dumplings in small batches for 1-2 minutes each side, until crispy and golden.
- Remove and drain excess oil on paper towels.
SERVING
- Serve hot Trilo Bites with whipped butter.
- Enjoy!
