Crawfish Cakes with Chipotle Tartar Sauce

Ingredients

Tartar sauce:

• 2 dried chipotle peppers
• 1/2 cup prepared mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon chopped green onions
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Salt and pepper

Crawfish Cakes:

• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon oil
• 1 cup shelled crawfish tails
• 2 tablespoons each chopped onion, red pepper and celery
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
• Creole spice
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• Chopped parsley, for garnish

Directions

Make tartar sauce: In a cast-iron skillet over high heat pan roast peppers, toasting them on all sides, until smoky and slightly charred. Chop finely. In a small bowl combine with remaining sauce ingredients. Adjust seasonings, to taste, with salt and pepper.

In a saute pan heat 1 teaspoon oil, add chopped onion, red pepper and celery, and toss and cook 2 minutes until tender. Remove pan from heat and add garlic, crawfish meat, and 1 teaspoon Creole spice or to taste. Transfer to a mixing bowl and set aside to cool. Mix in egg and enough bread crumbs for mixture to bind; adjust seasonings to taste with salt, pepper and Creole spice. Form into 4 equal patties and flatten to 3/4-inch thick. Heat remaining oil in a saute pan and cook cakes on both sides until brown and crispy. Serve garnished with parsley and a dollop of tartar sauce.