Menu Musings of a Modern American Mom: Crawfish Fritters with Spicy Remoulade Sauce

It's no secret that I would rather have appetizers for dinner than anything! These little gems are just perfect for sitting around watching your favorite sporting event on TV! I mean, just look at them! Don't they look like you could just pop one into your mouth this moment?!

Let's address the remoulade sauce first. This tasty condiment originally hailed from France, although variations of it are popular in many European countries. Remoulade is typically an aioli- or mayonnaise-based sauce, similar to the tartar sauce of the more English cultures. Here in the U.S., and especially in the deep South, it is frequently served with seafood (often as the only condiment). The remoulade in Louisiana Creole cooking is a slight pink or reddish color, as it contains a good measure of paprika, and quite piquant and lively on the palate. Popular versions of Louisiana remoulade vary from an elegant French-African Creole, a more rustic Afro-Caribbean Creole, or the Classic Cajun version - each being quite different from the original French version. One thing for sure, is that it is quite addictive once you try it!

Now we can talk about the crawfish fritters. Almost all cultures have fritters of some sort, which are simply a portion of batter containing bits of meat, seafood, fruit, or other ingredients. As a native Louisianian, we are partial to crawfish. These savory fritters are highly seasoned before being fried, and give us crispy, yet delicate bite of deliciousness that pairs perfectly with the remoulade. Yes, I know it's not crawfish season right now... but luckily, you can buy them year round in the frozen seafood section of the supermarket. Hey - I'm not going to discriminate just because of the season!

Ingredients:

It may look like a lot of ingredients, most of these are things you probably already have lurking in your spice cabinet and fridge! Basically, you are just dumping them all together.

Crawfish Fritters -

1 pound crawfish tails, cleaned and rinsed
1 Tbsp Creole seasoning
1 - 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1 Tbsp melted butter (I browned it a bit)
1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2/3* cup all purpose flour

or enough to make it the consistency of a pancake batter. Use more to tighten it up if they don't hold together.

2 eggs
1/2 cup milk

Remoulade Sauce -

1 1/4 cup "lite" mayo
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp prepared horseradish
2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 shallots, minced
2 - 3 tsp minced parsley
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp chopped capers

Step-by-Step:

Lets do the remoulade first. You can SO totally make this ahead of time and let it hang out in the fridge. For that matter, any that you have left over will be the perfect accompaniment to a good fried shrimp poboy! Adjust the heat in the remoulade by the amount of horseradish and cayenne.

Simply add all the ingredients together and stir them together. And that's it. Really.

1 1/4 cup "lite" mayo

1/4 cup Dijon mustard (you could also use a stone ground mustard)

2 Tbsp prepared horseradish

2 Tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp hot sauce

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 shallots, minced

2 - 3 tsp minced parsley

1 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 Tbsp chopped capers

Ta DA!! Here you go! Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Now we are ready to make the crawfish fritters.

I will start by rinsing the crawfish tails. I purchased these frozen. They are already peeled and cooked. But I like to rinse them a few times. I know - some of you will write to me and complain that I shouldn't rinse the fat off. Well I am the one cooking (and eating) this, and this is the way I prefer it. I think they are too "fishy" if they aren't rinsed. But if you prefer them not being rinsed, then by all means, do that. Make the dish to the preference of your guests/family.

1 pound of thawed, cooked, peeled, rinsed crawfish tails.

Washing your crawfish seems to be a hotbed of contention among my readers. Many feel you should not rinse them. Let me again reiterate that this is a personal choice. If you want all the flavor of the fat, don't rinse. If you are like me and bristle at the smell when you first open that package, then be guest to rinse them.

If you live in an area where you can not find local, Louisiana crawfish. You can purchase them online at CajunGrocer.com and they will ship them to you.

1 Tbsp Creole seasoning

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp black pepper

1 - 1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

1 Tbsp melted butter (I browned it a bit in the microwave to give it a nutty flavor)

1/2 tsp table salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2/3* cup all purpose flour (or enough to make it the consistency of a pancake batter)

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

Stir to combine.

Drop by spoonfuls into 375 degrees F oil. I used canola oil. Fry until golden brown, about 2 - 3 minutes perhaps. You may want to press them down slightly or turn them over about halfway through to make sure both sides will brown evenly.

Drain on a paper towel lined plate.

Serve hot with the spicy remoulade sauce.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe... and I hope you'll give it a try! There are tons more where this came from. Hop on over to my Recipe Index for lots of ideas to cook with/for your family.

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