Crawfish Boulettes with Creole Tartar Sauce

1/2 cup chopped onions

1/4 cup chopped bell peppers

1/4 cup chopped celery

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 pound peeled crawfish tails or 1 pound cooked and peeled shrimp

5 slices stale bread, broken into small pieces

1 egg, beaten

3 tablespoons chopped green onions

2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1 1/2 cups dried fine bread crumbs

1 tablespoon Emeril's Bayou Blast, plus more for seasoning, recipe follows

Solid vegetable shortening or vegetable oil for deep-frying

Creole Tartar Sauce, recipe follows

In a food processor with a metal blade, combine the onions, peppers, celery, garlic, crawfish tails, bread pieces and egg together. Pulse the mixture a few times to finely chop the mixture. Do not puree. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and stir in the green onions and parsley. Season the mixture with salt, pepper, and cayenne.

 

Fill a large, heavy stockpot or saucepan with shortening or oil to a depth of 3 inches. Preheat oil to 360 degrees F.

 

Shape the mixture into small balls, about 1 tablespoon each. Season the bread crumbs with the 1 tablespoon of Bayou Blast. Roll the balls into the seasoned bread crumbs. Fry the boulettes until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from the oil and drain on a paper-lined plate. Season with additional Bayou Blast. Serve hot with Creole Tartar Sauce.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

 

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

 

Yield: 2/3 cup

Creole Tartar Sauce:

1 egg*

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves

1 tablespoon chopped green onions

1 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon Creole or whole-grain mustard

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Put the egg, garlic, lemon juice, parsley, and green onions in a food processor and puree for 15 seconds. With the processor running, pour the oil through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream. Add the cayenne, mustard, and salt and pulse once or twice to blend.

Cover and let sit for 1 hour in the refrigerator before using. Best if used within 24 hours.