Cajun Crawfish Patties - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups packed fresh breadcrumbs
1 lb peeled crawfish tail, chopped
2 ounces tasso, chopped (or other smoky ham)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup saltine crumbs
vegetable oil, for panfrying

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350\u00b0.
Scatter the bread crumbs on a rimmed baking sheet and bake about 5 minutes or until dry and golden; dump crumbs into a mixing bowl.
In the container of a food processor; add the crawfish (fat too, if any) and tasso; pulse just enough times to mince the mixture (stop short of pureeing); add crawfish mixture to the mixing bowl with the breadcrumbs.
Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.
Stir in the onions, celery, and bell pepper; saute/stir briefly until the vegetables are soft.
Stir in the lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt, and cayenne and remove from the heat.
Scrape the mixture into the mixing bowl; also add in the egg and combine mixture.
Form mixture into 8-12 patties, no thicker that 1/2 inch.
The mixture will be a little fragile.
Coat the patties with the cracker crumbs by holding each patty in your hand and sprinkling both sides with cracker crumbs.
Refrigerate patties for about 10 minutes.
Warm 1/4 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium heat; fry the patties 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
Drain and serve hot.