Boudin Balls

These boudin balls are a classic Cajun dish made with a flavorful mixture of pork and rice, then rolled and fried to perfection.

Ingredients

  • boneless pork shoulder (1.75 pounds)
  • chicken livers (6 ounces)
  • yellow onion (1 )
  • celery (2 stalks)
  • poblano pepper (0.5 cup)
  • jalapeno pepper (0.5 cup)
  • garlic (6 cloves)
  • kosher salt (3 tablespoons)
  • ground black pepper (1.5 tablespoons)
  • chili powder (1 teaspoon)
  • cayenne pepper (1 teaspoon)
  • cooked white rice (4 cups)
  • fresh parsley (0.5 cup)
  • green onion (0.5 cup)
  • oil for frying (2 cups)
  • all-purpose flour (1 cup)
  • cayenne pepper (1 pinch)
  • salt and ground black pepper (0 )
  • dry bread crumbs (1 cup)
  • large eggs (2 )

Instructions

  1. Gather the ingredients.
  2. Stir pork shoulder, livers, onion, celery, poblano pepper, jalapeño pepper, garlic, salt, 1 1/2 tablespoons ground black pepper, chili powder, and 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper together in a large pot. Cover the pot with a lid and refrigerate until flavors combine, 2 hours to overnight.
  3. Pour enough water into the pork mixture to cover by 2 inches; bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from heat and pour mixture through a strainer, reserving strained liquid and meat separately.
  4. Transfer drained meat mixture to a cutting board and finely chop.
  5. Stir chopped meat, rice, parsley, and green onion together in a bowl. Gradually add reserved cooking liquid, one ladleful at a time, to meat mixture, stirring until completely incorporated between each addition until mixture has a paste-like consistency. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours to overnight.
  6. Heat oil in a deep fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Roll chilled meat mixture into 1-inch balls.
  7. Make a breading station: Whisk flour, a pinch of cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper together in a shallow bowl. Pour breadcrumbs into another shallow bowl. Beat eggs in another shallow bowl.
  8. Gently press a ball into flour mixture to coat; shake off the excess flour. Dip ball into beaten egg; press ball into breadcrumbs. Place breaded ball onto a plate and repeat the breading process with remaining balls.
  9. Working in batches, cook boudin balls in preheated oil, turning once, until crispy on the outside and hot on the inside, 3 to 4 minutes.

Nutrition

(*Nutrition data is approximate and may vary depending on the brand and type of ingredients used.)

  • kcal: 301
  • fat: 12 g
  • sats: 3 g
  • carbs: 33 g
  • fibre: 2 g
  • protein: 14 g
  • salt: 1.57 g