Shrimp & Crab Croquettes

Bring 2 cups salted water to a boil in a medium pot. Add the rice, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until done, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove pot from the heat and add the butter to the warm rice and stir to incorporate. Next, add the shrimp, crab, onions, jalapenos, lemon juice, salt, pepper and Essence and stir to combine. Stir in flour and eggs. Be careful not to break up the crabmeat when mixing the ingredients. Transfer the mixture to a storage container and refrigerate for 2 hours.

In a large heavy-bottomed sauce pan, pour enough oil to fill the pan about a ⅓ of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 360 degrees F. (If you don’t have a thermometer, a cube of bread will brown in about 3 minutes.)

Remove the croquette mixture from refrigerator and shape into ½-inch to ¾-inch thick patties and coat with white cracker crumbs. Use an ice cream scoop to keep portion sizes the same.

Fry the croquettes until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels and season with salt. Serve with Garlic Aioli.

Aioli:Combine the egg yolks, mustard and garlic cloves in a food processor. While processing, add 1 cup of the olive oil in a fine stream to make an emulsion. Add lemon juice, salt, black pepper and cayenne, and then the remaining oil. Process until thick and smooth.