Cindy's Shrimp and Crab Croquettes

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup long-grain rice (recommended: Zatarain's)
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound fresh shrimp, peeled, deveined and finely chopped
• 8 ounces crabmeat
• 1 cup finely chopped green onions
• 1/2 cup finely chopped seeded jalapenos
• 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Essence, recipe follows
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• Vegetable oil or peanut oil for frying
• White saltine cracker crumbs
• Garlic Aioli, recipe follows

Directions

Bring 2 cups salted water to a boil in a medium pot. Add the rice, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until done, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove pot from the heat and add the butter to the warm rice and stir to incorporate. Next, add the shrimp, crab, onions, jalapenos, lemon juice, salt, pepper and Essence and stir to combine. Stir in flour and eggs. Be careful not to break up the crabmeat when mixing the ingredients. Transfer the mixture to a storage container and refrigerate for 2 hours.

In a large heavy-bottomed sauce pan, pour enough oil to fill the pan about a 1/3 of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 360 degrees F. (If you don't have a thermometer, a cube of bread will brown in about 3 minutes.)

Remove the croquette mixture from refrigerator and shape into 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch thick patties and coat with white cracker crumbs. Use an ice cream scoop to keep portion sizes the same.

Fry the croquettes until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels and season with salt. Serve with Garlic Aioli.

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

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking," by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch

Published by William Morrow, 1993.

Garlic Aioli:

• 4 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (recommended: Grey Poupon) or Creole mustard
• 10 cloves garlic
• 1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Combine the egg yolks, mustard and garlic cloves in a food processor. While processing, add 1 cup of the olive oil in a fine stream to make an emulsion. Add lemon juice, salt, black pepper and cayenne, and then the remaining oil. Process until thick and smooth.

Cook's note: You can make this ahead of time and refrigerate until needed.

*RAW EGG WARNING

The American Egg Board states: "There have been warnings against consuming raw or lightly cooked eggs on the grounds that the egg may be contaminated with Salmonella, a bacteria responsible for a type of foodborne illness. Healthy people need to remember that there is a very small risk and treat eggs and other raw animal foods accordingly. Use only properly refrigerated, clean, sound-shelled, fresh, grade AA or A eggs. Avoid mixing yolks and whites with the shell."