Cajun Boudin Balls With Remoulade Sauce
Cajun Boudin Balls are a spicy appetizer of pork and rice, then baked to golden, crunchy perfection on the outside with an intensely flavorful, moist interior. Served beside a cool and creamy remoulade sauce, these balls will be a Mardi Gras favorite!
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Marinating: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours
- Yield: 40 balls 1x
- Category: Starters - Appetizers
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Cajun
Ingredients
For the boudin:
- 1 ¾ pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 6 ounces chicken livers, trimmed
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 3 large jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
- 2 large poblano peppers, seeded and diced
- 8 large garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 6 scallions, white and green parts, roughly chopped
- 5 cups cooked white rice
- ½ cup minced fresh parsley
- 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
- ½ cup fish fry coating (I used Louisianna Fish Fry)
- 1 cup flour
- 2 large eggs, beaten with 1 teaspoon water
For the remoulade:
- 1 ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons Creole mustard
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
- ½ tablespoon pickle juice
- 2 teaspoons Creole or Cajun seasoning
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce (I used Crystal)
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
Instructions
Start the boudin.
In a large stock pot, combine the pork cubes, livers, onion, celery, jalapeno, poblano, garlic, 1 ½ tablespoons Cajun seasoning, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper. Cover and chill for 2 hours to allow the flavors to marry.
Add enough water to the pot so that the mixture is covered by 2-inches.
Bring the pot to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about 1 ½-2 hours or until the meat is very tender.
Use a slotted spoon to carefully remove the meat and vegetables to a bowl. Reserve the liquid.
Working in batches, add the cooked pork and vegetables, and fresh scallions to a food processor and process until finely chopped. Be careful not to over process and the mixture turns pasty.
Spoon the chopped meat mixture into a large bowl and continue until all of the meat and vegetables are processed.
Add the rice and parsley to the bowl with the meat mixture. Toss to combine.
Gradually add the reserved cooking liquid, ½ cup at a time, stirring until the liquid is fully incorporated.
Continue to add liquid, ½ cup at a time, until a paste-like consistency has been reached.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours or up to overnight.
Make the remoulade sauce.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, paprika, horseradish, pickle juice, Cajun seasoning, hot sauce, and parsley until well combined. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until needed.
Make the boudin balls.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Place 2 wire racks over 2 foil-lined baking sheets. Liberally spray both wire racks with cooking spray and set aside.
Mix the bread crumbs and fish fry coating together in a shallow dish.
Pour the flour into the bottom of another shallow dish, and the beaten egg mixture into a third shallow dish. Set the dishes aside.
Roll the chilled meat mixture into 1½-inch balls. I used a cookie scoop to portion out the meat.
Roll the boudin ball in the flour, then the egg wash, and then the breadcrumb mixture.
Place the breaded boudin ball on the prepared baking rack. Continue rolling and breading the boudin balls.
Spray the balls liberally with cooking spray.
Bake the boudin balls, one sheet at a time, in the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes or until they’re golden brown and crunchy on the outside.
Serve hot with chilled remoulade sauce on the side.