Fried Crawfish Etouffee Balls
Author: 
Yields: 10
 
Ingredients
Quick Crawfish Etouffee
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup finely chopped onion
  • ¾ cup finely chopped celery
  • ¾ cup finely chopped green bell pepper
  • 1 pound crawfish tail meat
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon Creole seasoning, such as Tony Chachere’s
Fried Crawfish Etouffee Balls
  • 2 cups Quick Crawfish Étouffée, recipe precedes
  • 2¼ cups plain bread crumbs, divided
  • 2 cups cooked and cooled jasmine rice
  • ½ cup chopped green onion
  • 2 teaspoons hot sauce
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 4 large eggs, divided
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 (16-ounce) bottle ranch dressing
  • 4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ teaspoon seasoned salt, such as Lawry’s
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Peanut oil, for frying
Instructions
FOR QUICK CRAWFISH ETOUFFEE
  1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, and cook about 10 minutes or until mixture is the color of peanut butter.
  2. Add onion, celery, and bell pepper; cook about 6 minutes or until softened. Stir in crawfish, salt, pepper, and Creole seasoning. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook for 15 minutes. Let cool completely before making balls. Etouffee can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 6 months.
FOR FRIED CRAWFISH ETOUFFEE BALLS
  1. In a large bowl, stir together Quick Crawfish Etouffee, ¼ cup bread crumbs, rice, green onion, hot sauce, salt, cayenne, and 2 beaten eggs. Chill for 30 minutes.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining 2 eggs and milk. Place flour in a separate medium bowl. Place remaining 2 cups bread crumbs in a third medium bowl.
  3. Scoop étouffée mixture into golf-ball-size rounds. Roll each ball in flour, then egg mixture, then bread crumbs. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm or up to 24 hours (see note).
  4. In the work bowl of a food processor, combine ranch dressing, chipotles in adobo, garlic, seasoned salt, and pepper. Pulse until combined. Set aside.
  5. In a large pot or Dutch oven, pour oil to a depth of 4 inches. Heat over medium heat until a deep-fry or candy thermometer reads 350º. Fry balls in batches for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Serve hot with ranch dressing mixture.
Notes
Balls may be frozen at this point in step 3. Place balls on a baking sheet, and freeze until completely solid. Transfer to a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag, and freeze for up to 6 months. Let thaw in refrigerator overnight before frying.
Recipe by Louisiana Cookin' at https://louisianacookin.com/fried-crawfish-etouffee-balls/