What can you add to a Corn Fritter to make it even more awesome? Louisiana Crawfish tails! Mix some South Louisiana spices and seasonings in a cornmeal batter, add the tails and corn and you have the makings of a great side dish, appetizer, or major snack. Pan-fry to a crispy golden brown and enjoy! And since this recipe is from Sweet Daddy D, you know it's no-angst and delicious.
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Crawfish in a Fritter?
This is a great way to use leftover crawfish tails from your boil. The seasonings and flavor of the crawfish boil add a great flavor dimension. If you don't have leftover tails, use frozen Louisiana crawfish tails. They usually have lots of crawfish fat. Dats how you Cajunize a Corn Fritter!
Corn is the perfect partner in these fritters. Centuries ago during the early days of settlement in Southern Louisiana, corn was a sustaining crop. It wasn’t until much later that rice evolved into its place of dominance in Louisiana agriculture.
Here’s What You Need
Check out the Hints and Tips Section (FAQs) below for more on the crawfish tails and the Corn.
Equipment
Here is some of the equipment I used to prepare this recipe:
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Prep bowls (cambro), Prep Bowls (glass), Measuring Cups (metal), Measuring Cups (glass), Measuring Spoons, Cutting boards, Chef's Knives, Cast-Iron Skillet, Cooling Racks, Instant Read Thermometer (Thermopen by ThermoWorks), Fish Spatula, Slotted Spoon
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Here’s What You Do
First…you have a beer. This is as close to a foolproof recipe as you will ever see if you properly prepare. That includes preparing the cook as well as the ingredients. So, pop the cap off a beer and read the recipe from top to bottom. This is an important part of your mise en place…learn what you'll need, what you'll do with each ingredient, and each piece of equipment. Then simply prepare each ingredient so all you do is assemble the great flavors.
Mise en place
What happens in this step? This is when we make it easy. After reading the recipe all the way through, gather the ingredients, chop and measure so all you have to do is mix them together.
- Combine the Herb and Spice Blend ingredients in a small prep bowl and set aside.
- Sprinkle the crawfish tails with some more Creole seasoning and set them aside.
- Finely chop the shallots and jalapenos (if using) and crack the egg. Place these all into separate small prep bowls.
- Measure all the other ingredients and place them into small prep bowls.
- Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with paper towels and placing a baking rack on top.
- How's your beer?
Mix the Batter
What happens in this step? We mix everything like crazy to make sure the dry ingredients are completely combined and the crawfish tails and corn are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Add the cornmeal, AP flour and the Herb and Spice Blend to a large bowl.
Beat the egg and add it to the buttermilk. Make sure they are thoroughly combined, then add those wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until a smooth batter forms.
Next, add the seasoned crawfish tails, corn, and shallots. If you are using the jalapeno, throw those in now as well. With a spatula or large spoon, blend all the ingredients together. Make sure all the ingredients are evenly distributed and thoroughly combined. Let the batter sit for about 15 minutes until all the ingredients are incorporated completely.
Fry the fritters
What happens in this step? This is when we turn this batter into crispy, tasty fritters!
Place a cast-iron frying pan (or another heavy-bottomed pan suitable for frying) over medium-high heat, then add about a half-inch of vegetable oil. How much and what type of oil? See Hints and Tips (FAQs) below. Heat the oil until it reaches about 350 degrees Fahrenheit. When monitoring the temperature of hot oil, speed and accuracy are essential. I always trust this job to a ThermoPen from ThermoWorks.
Use a ¼ cup measuring to carefully add the batter to the hot oil. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan. As they start to fry, gently flatten the fritters a bit. Fry each fritter for about 2 minutes on each side. Remove them with a fish spatula or slotted spoon to the prepared cooling rack. See the Hints and Tips (FAQs) for more on the size and shape of the fritters.
Here’s a Tip: Lightly coat the inside of the measuring cup with vegetable oil. This helps the batter come out easily when poured into the batter.
That's it, as easy as that.
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Hints and Tips (FAQs)
My fritters are pretty much round and about 3 to 3 ½ inches in diameter. However, you can make them in any size or shape you like. Maybe a round ball or like a "drop" biscuit? If they are pretty thick, you may need to adjust the cooking time.
I highly recommend using only Louisiana Crawfish tails. These tails should have a little crawfish fat (which isn't really fat at all) that gives it a special flavor. Avoid imported crawfish tails which can have a bitter flavor. The crawfish "fat" will go rancid within a few months and I believe the imported crawfish tails (usually from China) just take too long to get to market. Frozen or leftover tails from a crawfish boil are perfect for this recipe. Keep in mind that leftover tails will have the flavor of the boil, which is a good thing, but just be careful with the amount of spice you add to the fritters.
Yes, that's what I use. You don't even need to defrost it first. Of course, fresh corn and canned corn will work well also, If using canned corn, make sure to drain the liquid before use. If you use fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob into a large bowl, then turn the knife over and run the backside (unsharpened side) down the stripped corn cob to squeeze out sweet corn milk.
Vegetable Oil covers a range of oils. I generally use Crisco Vegetable Oil, but peanut oil, canola or sunflower oils can be used instead.
No, but they are pretty similar. Hush Puppies are made primarily with cornmeal mixed with other ingredients while Fritters add AP flour to cornmeal. Fritters are often flat like a husky pancake, but can be round or football-shaped like a traditional hush puppy.
The egg and buttermilk help bind the ingredients into a somewhat sticky batter. Make sure that you have enough oil in the frying pan so the fritters don't rest on the bottom. Also, properly preheat the oil and don’t overcrowd the skillet, which causes the oil temperature to drop rapidly when you add the batter. Also, check that the oil returns to the proper temperature between batches.
Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container. Fritters may be kept in the fridge for 3 to 5 days or frozen for up to 4 months. It’s best to wrap them individually in plastic wrap, then place them in an airtight container before freezing.
Allow the fritters to defrost in the fridge overnight. For best results, reheat them in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes or until they are warmed completely through. They can be reheated in the microwave but will not be as crispy.
Dipping Options!
Here are other few popular crawfish recipes from Sweet Daddy D:
Check out these other recipes from Sweet Daddy D's Southern Louisiana!
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Recipe
Crawfish and Corn Fritters
Here's What You Need
- 1 cup Louisiana crawfish tails
- 1 ¼ cup self-rising cornmeal
- ½ cup AP flour
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 cup corn
- ½ cup shallots
- 1 tablespoon jalapeno chopped optional
- ½ cup vegetable oil
Herb and Spice Blend
- 1 tablespoon Creole seasonings plus some for the tails
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne optional
Here's What You Do
Preparation
- Place crawfish tails in a bowl and sprinkle with Creole seasonings, set aside.
- Chop the shallots and jalapeno (if using), measure the remaining ingredients, set aside.
Make the Batter
- Add the cornmeal, AP flour and spices; mix completely
- Mix egg and buttermilk together and add to the dry ingredients; stir to combine thoroughly.
- Add crawfish, corn, shallots, jalapeno (optional), stir to distribute evenly and combine thoroughly.
- Let the fritter mixture sit in the bowl for about 15 minutes after mixing.
Fry the fritters
- Place a cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
- Heat about ½ inch of the oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In batches of about 4, use a ¼ cup measuring cup to add the fritter mixture to hot oil. See Notes
- Gently flatten fritter with spatula before flipping.
- Fry about 2 minutes on each side.
- Remove the fritters to a rack over a paper towel-lined baking sheet.
- Make sure oil returns to temperature before adding next batch.
Recipe Notes
Allow them to defrost in the fridge overnight. For best results, reheat them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes or until they are warmed completely through. They can be reheated in the microwave but will not be as crispy. Â
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