Crawfish Beignets

Chef Amanda Vasquez from Ida Claire makes crawfish beignets with smoked mustard remoulade.

Crawfish Beignets                                 

2 cups All Purpose Flour
1 TBSP Smoked Paprika
2 tsp Kosher Salt
2 tsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 pound Unsalted Butter
½ cup  Black Pepper Gravy (see recipe)
½ cup Roasted Corn
2 each Large Eggs, whole
1 pound Crawfish Tail Meat

Combine spices and flour together. Melt butter in a sauce pot over medium heat. Whisk flour into butter until mixture gets thick and pasty.  Continue cooking over medium heat. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the black pepper gravy and roasted corn. Remove mixture from heat and rapidly stir in eggs until mixture pulls away from the side of the pot. Stir in crawfish.

Using a 2 ounce scoop, drop into a high sided pot ½ full with vegetable/corn/peanut/or soybean oil; heated to 350F and cook for five minutes or until golden brown.  Carefully remove from fryer using a metal slotted spoon and drain on paper towels for several seconds. Serve alongside Mustard Remoulade.

Mustard Remoulade

1 cup Mayonnaise
1 cup Stoneground Mustard
2 TBSP Yellow Mustard
2 TBSP Dijon Mustard
½ cup Ketchup
4 TBSP Sweet Relish
1 tsp Granulated Garlic
2 tsp Lemon Juice
2 tsp Tobasco
3 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 TBSP Cracked Black Pepper

Combine all ingredients together with a whisk. Set aside to serve with Crawfish Beignets.

Black Pepper Gravy

¼ cup Unsalted Butter
5 TBSP All Purpose Flour
2 ½ cups Whole Milk
¾ tsp Kosher Salt
1 ½ TBSP Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Melt butter over medium heat in a sauce pot. Once melted, using a whisk, incorporate flour and cook for two to three minutes until product simmers. Slowly drizzle in whole milk and whisk continuously until mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Be careful not to burn or scald to the bottom of the pan. Once thickened, remove from heat and stir in salt and pepper to incorporate. Set aside to use for the Crawfish Beignets.

LINK: www.ida-claire.com