Someone asked me last week to name my favorite food, what's the "one thing you could every day" if I had to. Well, this is not the first time I've been asked this, and my answer has been the same for years...boiled crawfish! Unless the mud bugs are impossible to peel, chances are I'll love them. All sizes, cooking techniques and seasonings are just fine by me, but my favorite way is simple - salt, cayenne and fresh lemon. Not only do the lemons help the crawfish peel more easily, but this fragrant fruit adds a perfect citrusy note.
It's rare that I'm done and there's crawfish left on the table, in fact I usually make myself sick! But, every once and a while the crawfish gods bestow on us a feast so large that I can't even take it down. That's when I don my favorite plastic gloves and start peeling! Cooked crawfish have several applications, but keeping the flavors true to their original makes for a perfect dish. Try cooked crawfish in étouffée, pasta, crawfish pies or any of your favorite applications. Just remember to adjust your seasoning and keep your cook time short to avoid the seafood from getting rubbery.
This weekend I turned leftover crawfish, an over boil, into a dish that will boil YOU over! Fresh lemon, Old Bay seasoning and a twist (panko) breathe new life into day-old bugs.
Ingredients
1 lb crawfish (weighed without peelings)
Butter & olive oil
1 egg
2 TBS mayo
1/4 c panko bread crumbs + up to 1/8 c more
2 tsp Old Bay seasoning
3 TBS chopped green onion
1 lemon, reserve half for garnish
Salt & pepper
Directions
- Melt butter in same pan as olive oil that you are hearing to medium heat
- Meanwhile, mix mayo, seasoning, half of the lemon' juice and bread crumbs (add a little at a time) to beaten egg
- Fold in crawfish and loosely form 2 inch balls
- Raise heat slightly and press cake into skillet, turning when crust forms and cake is golden brown, flip, pressing down again and cooking for another 2-3 minutes
- Top with cream sauce, tartar sauce or your favorite condiment and garnish with fresh lemon wedges
