FUEL2: CRAWFISH BURGERS

Thursday, January 28, 2016

CRAWFISH BURGERS

Emeril's Crawfish Burgers
Serves 6

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup very finely diced onion
2 tablespoons very finely diced red bell pepper
2 tablespoons very finely diced yellow bell pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt, in all
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, in all
1 1/2 teaspoons Emeril’s Original Essence, in all
2 pounds peeled Louisiana crawfish tails, in all
2 tablespoons chopped green onion tops
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 large eggs, in all
3/4 cup breadcrumbs, in all
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/3 cup flour
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 onion rolls, halved and toasted
Creole tartar sauce, for serving, optional (recipe here)
1/4 cup sliced hamburger pickles
1 small tomato, cored and thinly sliced
1 small yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce

Emeril's Crawfish Burgers

In a sauté pan, over medium heat, heat the olive oil and butter. When the oil is hot, add the onions and both bell peppers.

Season the vegetables with 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/8 teaspoon of the cayenne pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of Emeril’s Original Essence. Sauté until the vegetables are softened and lightly caramelized, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1 pound of the crawfish tails and continue to sauté for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the green onions, parsley and garlic to the pan. Stir to combine, then transfer to a mixing bowl and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes.

In a food processor, purée the remaining pound of crawfish tails until a smooth paste is formed. Add the crawfish purée to the sautéed vegetable and crawfish tail mixture, along with 1 of the eggs, 1/4 cup of the breadcrumbs, the cheese, and the remaining salt, cayenne and Essence.
Mix well and set aside.

In 3 small shallow bowls, place the flour in the first bowl, the egg and heavy cream in the second bowl, and the bread crumbs in the third bowl.

Use a whisk or fork to beat the eggs and combine with heavy cream. Form the crawfish mixture into 6 individual patties, each about 1-inch thick. Dredge the crawfish patties in the flour, then dip them in the egg wash, letting the excess drip off.

Then, dredge the patties in the bread crumbs, coating completely. Set a large 12-inch sauté pan, over medium heat, and add the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, pan-fry the crawfish patties until golden, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Remove and drain briefly on paper towels before serving.

Spread the halves of each roll with the tartar sauce.

Place crawfish burgers between each roll. Top the burgers with the pickles, tomatoes, onions, and lettuce.

Serve with your favorite chips.