Crab Meatballs in Sauce Étouffée Over Linguine

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Tired of the same old spaghetti and meatballs? Well, how about this Louisiana version! There are very few Cajun and Creole cooks who won’t have a family recipe for crawfish étouffée. Meatballs made from the wonderful lump crabmeat and cooked in the étouffée are the perfect toppings over linguine for a new twist on an old spaghetti favorite.

Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Yields: 8 Servings

Ingredients for Crawfish Étouffée:

2 pounds crawfish tails, cleaned

¼ pound butter

1 cup diced onions

½ cup diced celery

½ cup diced green bell peppers

½ cup diced red bell peppers

½ cup diced tomatoes

2 tbsps minced garlic

2 bay leaves

1 cup flour

½ cup tomato sauce

2 quarts crawfish stock, shellfish stock or water

Method for Crawfish Étouffée:

In a 2-gallon saucepot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, bell peppers, tomatoes, minced garlic, and bay leaves. Sauté 3–5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted, stirring occasionally. Whisk in flour, stirring constantly until a white roux is achieved. Blend crawfish tails and tomato sauce into the mixture then cook for 5 minutes, stirring to prevent the tomato sauce from scorching. Slowly stir in stock or water until a sauce-like consistency is achieved. Add more stock as necessary to retain desired consistency. Bring to a rolling boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Prepare meatballs while étouffée is cooking.

Ingredients for Crab Meatballs:

1 pound lump crabmeat

3 tbsps butter

½ cup diced onions

½ cup diced celery

½ cup diced red bell peppers

¼ cup minced garlic

¼ cup thinly sliced green onions

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 egg

2 tbsps minced parsley

2 tsps Worcestershire sauce

2 tsps lemon juice

2 tbsps Old Bay® seasoning

1 tsp Creole mustard

1½ cups Italian bread crumbs, divided

Salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Louisiana hot sauce to taste

¼ cup vegetable oil

Method for Crab Meatballs:

Pick through crabmeat to remove any shell or cartilage. In a sauté pan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, bell peppers, and garlic. Sauté 3–5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Remove and cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl, combine sautéed vegetables and all remaining ingredients except crabmeat, ½ cup bread crumbs, and oil. Use hands to gently fold in crabmeat, continually checking for shell or cartilage. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Gently form crab mixture into golf ball-sized meatballs. Place on a baking sheet and set aside.

Ingredients for Assembly:

Crab Meatballs (see recipe above)

Crawfish Étouffée (see recipe above)

1 pound linguine pasta, cooked

1-ounce sherry

1 cup sliced green onions

½ cup chopped parsley

salt and cayenne pepper to taste

granulated garlic to taste

Method for Assembly:

When crawfish étouffée is done, carefully drop meatballs into the sauce evenly. NOTE: Do not stir during the first 10 minutes of cooking to prevent meatballs from falling apart. Add sherry, green onions, and parsley. Cook for 10 additional minutes then season to taste with salt, cayenne pepper, and granulated garlic. Serve over cooked linguine.

Click here to report a typo.

Copyright 2022 WAFB. All rights reserved.