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Cajun Popcorn (Fried Crawfish Tails)

Source of Recipe

From "Southern Snacks" by Perre Coleman Magness


Recipe Introduction

"This recipe may smack a little of fast-food drive-throughs or cheap themed restaurants, but hey, there is a reason these things make it onto menus. Eminently snackable, crispy, and with a little spice, these babies can be served up in a basket, and laissez les bon temps rouler! Serve on their own or with Rémoulade Sauce or Creamy Creole Dip."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 pound crawfish tail meat, thawed if frozen
â—¦ 2 cups whole buttermilk
â—¦ 2 tablespoons hot sauce (such as Crystal)
â—¦ 1 ½ cups yellow cornmeal
â—¦ â…” cup all-purpose flour
â—¦ 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning (such as Tony Chachere's)
â—¦ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
â—¦ ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ Vegetable oil for frying


Recipe

Rinse the crawfish tails and pat dry with paper towels. Place the crawfish in a large zip-top bag. Pour over the buttermilk and add the hot sauce. Squish everything around to blend and coat the crawfish. Place the bag on a plate to catch any drips, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.

When ready to cook, line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels and place a wire rack on top. Pour the crawfish into a colander and leave to drain for about 15 minutes. Pour 2 inches of oil into a deep, heavy pot and attach a candy thermometer. Heat over medium-high heat to 375° F.

Place the cornmeal, flour, Creole seasoning, salt, and pepper into a large zip-top plastic bag and shake to combine. Drop a handful of the crawfish into the coating and shake to coat each piece thoroughly. Drop the tails into the oil a piece at a time, being sure not to crowd the pan. Fry until the tails are browned and float to the top, about 2 minutes, then remove the pieces to the wire rack. Repeat with the remaining crawfish. You can keep the crawfish warm in a 225° F oven for 15 minutes before serving if needed.

Serves 6 to 8