Fried Crawfish Etouffee Balls

Fried Crawfish Etouffee Balls 2 cups Quick Crawfish Etouffee, recipe follows 2 1/4 cups plain bread crumbs, divided 2 cups cooked and cooled jasmine rice 1/2 cup chopped green onion 2 teaspoons hot sauce 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 4 large eggs, divided 1 cup whole milk 2 cups all purpose flour peanut oil 1 (0.4-oz) packet Buttermilk Ranch Hidden Valley Ranch Mix 0.4-ounce 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk 1/3 cup mayonnaise 1/2 to 1 chipotle pepper, minced In a large bowl, combine Crawfish Etouffee, 1/4 cups bread crumbs, rice, green onion, hot sauce, salt, cayenne, and 2 beaten eggs. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 eggs and milk. Place flour in a second bowl and remaining bread crumbs in a third bowl. Scoop etouffee mixture into balls the size of a golf ball. Roll each ball in flour, then egg mixture, and finally the bread crumbs. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, at least 2-3 hours and up to 24 hours. Pour oil to a depth of 4 inches in a Dutch oven. Heat oil over medium heat until oil temperature reaches 350 degrees. Fry balls in batches for about 3 minutes, until they are golden brown. (Note: I only had about 1 1/2 inches of peanut oil in my Dutch oven, so I cooked them for about 3 minutes, flipped them over and cooked an additional 2-3 minutes and they turned out fine.) To make Chipotle Ranch: In a medium bowl, combine ranch mix, buttermilk, and mayo and whisk until smooth. Stir in chipotle. Quick Crawfish Etouffee ½ cup butter 1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour ¾ cup finely chopped onion ¾ cup finely chopped celery ¾ cup finely chopped green bell pepper 1 pound crawfish tail meat, defrosted if frozen and drained of most of the liquid ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground black pepper ½ teaspoon Creole seasoning, such as Tony Shachere's Melt butter over medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Stir in flour and cook until mixture turns the color of peanut butter, about 10 minutes. Be careful not to burn the roux. Turn heat down if you detect even the faintest scent of burning or feel it is browning too fast. Add onion, celery, and green pepper. Cook until softened, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in crawfish, salt, pepper, and Creole seasoning. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Let cool completely before making balls.