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Boudin balls

Fried balls of Cajun pork and rice sausage filling

Boudin is a soft Cajun sausage of pork, pork liver, rice and the holy trinity sold hot from the counters of meat markets and petrol stations along Interstate 10 between Lake Charles and Lafayette. Boudin balls take the same filling, roll it in breadcrumbs and fry it, and they are the snack of LSU tailgates and crawfish boils. This recipe uses pork shoulder and pork liver. Chef's tip: chill the rolled balls for 30 minutes before frying so they keep their shape.
Total time
130 min
Difficulty
medium
Serves
8
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Ingredients

Serves8

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What you'll need

Fresh ingredients (8)

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Method

0/5 done
  1. Step 1: Put the 1 ½ lb boneless pork shoulder, 5 ½ oz pork liver, 1 onion, 1 celery stick, 1 green pepper, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper in a pot, cover with water and simmer for 1½ hours, until the pork falls apart.

    90 min
  2. Step 2: Drain, keeping 250 ml of the broth. Mince or pulse the meat and vegetables coarsely in a food processor.

    10 min
  3. Step 3: Mix with the 16 oz cooked long-grain rice, 4 spring onions, 3 tbsp fresh parsley and enough reserved broth to make a moist mixture that holds together. Taste for salt and heat.

    5 min
  4. Step 4: Roll into 4 cm balls, dip in the 2 eggs, then roll in the 5 ½ oz dried breadcrumbs. Chill for 30 minutes.

    40 min
  5. Step 5: Heat the 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil in a deep pan to 350°F and fry the balls in batches for 3–4 minutes until deep golden; the centres must reach 160°F. A common mistake is frying cold-from-the-fridge balls in too-hot oil, which leaves the middle cold. Drain and serve hot.

    15 min

Nutrition per serving

Calories
330 kcal
Protein
17 g
Carbs
28 g
Fat
16 g
Fibre
1 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does boudin balls take?
About 130 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 90 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?
8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
What can I use instead of onion?
2 shallots per onion.
What can I use instead of celery stick?
Fennel, same weight.

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