Crawfish Spring Rolls with Root Vegetables and Crawfish Beurre Blanc
These spring rolls are filled with Louisiana crawfish tails and finely julienned vegetables with sparks of ginger, lime, and cilantro. The beurre blanc that mirrors the serving plates includes the chef’s shortcut to a flavor punch — Bloody Mary mix!
Ingredients
- Crawfish Beurre Blanc
- Dry white wine - 2 cups
- Champagne or Rice Vinegar - 2 tablespoons
- Lemon Juice - 1 tablespoon
- Crawfish Fat - 1 cup, removed from the processed tails and rinsed with water
- Yellow Onion - 1⁄2 medium, peeled and sliced
- Cloves Garlic - 4, peeled and sliced in half
- Bay Leaves - 2
- Parsley stems - 8
- Heavy whipping cream - 3 tablespoons
- Tabasco brand Bloody Mary mix - 1⁄2 cup, or tomato juice
- Unsalted Butter - 1 cup (2 sticks) cut into 1-inch pieces
- Tabasco sauce to taste
- Ground Coriander - 1⁄2 teaspoon
- Salt and white pepper to taste
- Jalapeño Pepper - 1⁄2, minced and seeded
- Fresh Garlic - 2 tablespoons, peeled and minced
- Crawfish Spring Rolls
- Olive Oil - 1⁄4 cup
- Carrot - 1, peeled and julienned
- Leek - 1⁄4 cup, cleaned and julienned
- Celery Root - 1⁄4 cup, peeled and julienned
- Red Bell Pepper - 1⁄2, julienned
- Yellow Bell Pepper - 1⁄2, julienned
- Green Cabbage - 1 cup, finely shredded
- Scallions - 2 tablespoons, thinly sliced
- Fresh Ginger - 1⁄2 teaspoon, peeled and minced
- Lime Zest - 1⁄2 teaspoon, minced
- Garlic - 1 teaspoon, minced
- Cilantro - 1⁄4 teaspoon, finely chopped
- Tabasco Sauce - 5 dashes
- Ground Coriander - 1⁄8 teaspoon
- Salt and white pepper to taste
- Crawfish Tails with Fat - 1 pound
- Egg roll or spring roll wrappers
- Egg Yolk - 1, beaten with 3 tablespoons water and 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Vegetable Oil - 2 quarts, for deep fat frying
- Baby greens for garnish
- Chive sprigs for garnish
Instructions
To make the beurre blanc: In a small saucepan boil the white wine, vinegar, lemon juice, crawfish fat, onion, garlic, bay leaves, and parsley stems until the wine mixture is completely reduced and only 2 tablespoons remain.
Add the heavy whipping cream and Bloody Mary mix and cook over high heat until reduced by half. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the butter, one piece at a time, making sure each piece is incorporated before adding the next one. Add the garlic, salt, Tabasco, coriander, jalapeño, and white pepper. Taste and adjust the seasonings if necessary. Remove the pan from the heat and strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer or chinois into a stainless steel mixing bowl. Set the bowl over barely simmering water set over low heat, and keep warm until ready to use.
To make the spring rolls: In a medium saucepan heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the julienned vegetables briefly, about 3 to 5 minutes or until just tender. Remove the pan from the heat. Add all remaining ingredients, including the crawfish. Taste and adjust the seasoning by adding salt, pepper, and Tabasco. Remove the mixture to a tray and let cool for 15 minutes before proceeding.
Separate the egg or spring roll wrappers and place them on a counter. Place a heaping tablespoon of the crawfish-vegetable mixture on one wrapper toward the edge of the wrapper closest to you. Spread the filling out evenly over the wrapper to within 2 inches of each end. Spread some of the egg mixture on the opposite end. (The egg mixture will act as a sealer.) Fold in the sides and roll up the wrapper to enclose the filling. Press to secure. Repeat for the remaining wrappers and filling.
Preheat the oven to 400 F. In a large saucepan heat the oil to 375 F. Add half the spring rolls and deep-fry, turning constantly over high heat for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove with a long-handled strainer and drain on paper towels. Reheat the oil and deep-fry the remaining spring rolls in the same way. Place the spring rolls on a sheet pan and rewarm in the preheated oven for approximately 3 minutes.
To serve: Ladle 1⁄4 cup of crawfish beurre blanc onto warmed dinner plates. For a decorative touch, position 2 to 3 pieces of exotic baby greens, such as frisee, on the sauce. Remove the spring rolls from the oven and cut each in half on the diagonal. Position the spring rolls on top of one another and garnish with chive sprigs.
