Description
Succulent Mini Crawfish Cakes with Red Pepper Remoulade bring Louisiana’s coastal charm to your table. Crispy golden bites packed with zesty seafood flavor promise a delightful southern culinary experience you’ll savor to the last crumb.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 (16-ounces/454 grams) package crawfish tails, chopped
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
- 2/3 cup cornmeal
Vegetables and Aromatics:
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
Seasoning and Binding Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Creole mustard
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil (for frying)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Sauté the aromatic vegetables in melted butter over medium heat until the onions turn translucent and the bell peppers soften, releasing their vibrant flavors and creating a fragrant base for the crawfish cakes.
- Whisk together the zesty blend of lemon juice, fresh herbs, creamy condiments, and seasonings in a spacious mixing bowl, creating a harmonious flavor profile that will elevate the crawfish mixture.
- Gently fold the cooked vegetables, tender crawfish meat, crunchy breadcrumbs, and cornmeal into the seasoned mixture, ensuring all ingredients are evenly distributed without overmixing.
- Shape the mixture into delicate small patties, pressing them lightly to maintain a loose, tender texture that will crisp beautifully when cooked.
- Heat vegetable oil in a skillet until it shimmers, then carefully place the crawfish cakes into the hot oil, cooking them in batches to prevent overcrowding.
- Fry the cakes until they develop a golden-brown, crispy exterior, flipping once to ensure even cooking and a perfectly crunchy texture on both sides.
- Transfer the cooked cakes to a wire rack, allowing excess oil to drain and maintaining their crisp exterior while keeping the interior moist and flavorful.
Notes
- When sautéing vegetables, ensure they’re finely chopped for better integration into the crawfish cake mixture and even cooking.
- Use fresh crawfish for maximum flavor, but frozen works perfectly if fresh isn’t available – just drain thoroughly to prevent soggy cakes.
- Add extra panko breadcrumbs if mixture seems too wet, which helps bind ingredients and creates a crispier exterior.
- For gluten-free option, replace panko with gluten-free breadcrumbs or ground almond meal to maintain texture and binding properties.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Cajun/Creole
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 150 mg