Shrimp and Crawfish Croquette with Creamy Salsa Verde

Main Course

Recipe courtesy of New Orleans Con Sabor Latino

Makes about 30 Croquettes

Ingredients: 

Croquettes

  • Olive oil
  • 3 pounds of ham, cooked and diced
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 red bell peppers, diced 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup of parsley, chopped
  • 1/2 cup of cilantro
  • 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon of cumin
  • 1 teaspoon of Creole seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt and ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup of flour
  • 1/2 cup of heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup of thawed frozen crawfish tails or 1/2 cup of cooked small shrimp
  • 1 cup of bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
  • 4 eggs
  • Cooking oil

Creamy Salsa Verde

  • 1/4 cup of cilantro
  • 1/4 cup of parsley
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • 1/3 cup of olive oil
  • 1 squeezed lime
  • Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Ham, Shrimp or Crawfish Croquette

Click image to enlarge

Method: 

Croquettes

Sauté with a little olive oil ham, onions, peppers, garlic, and tomato paste in a pan until onions and peppers are soft. Add chopped parsley, cilantro, spices, salt and pepper, and cream.

Sprinkle in flour. Remove from heat and cool slightly. 

In a food processor mix ham mixture until completely blended. Pour in heavy cream. Transfer to a mixing bowl and fold in the shrimp or crawfish tails.

Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a deep dish bowl; set aside. In another deep dish pan whisk the eggs. Using a large spoon, form ham and crawfish mixture into croquettes. Gently dip each croquette in the egg bath then the bread crumb mixture; place on a baking sheet; refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight or freeze for use a few days later. Prior to serving, fry until golden brown in a deep fryer or a deep cast-iron pot with canola or peanut oil.

Creamy Salsa Verde

In a food processor pulse a handful of cilantro and parsley.

Add garlic clove. Pulse. Add juice of of squeezed lime, Pulse.

Add the olive oil a little bit at a time and lightly mix. Remove sauce from the food processor and add salt and ground black pepper to taste. Serve with the croquettes.

 

Excerpted from New Orleans con Sabor Latino, by Zella Palmer Cuadra. Published by University Press of Mississippi

 

Louisiana Recipes Weekly



 

Every Thursday you'll receive new recipes, events & festivals and more. See archive