What is your spice quotient? Do you swear off the heat or can you take the hottest of the hot? Me….I think I am somewhere in between that range. My husband is the hottest of the hot variety. I do not see how he has any taste buds left. They must have been burned off years ago from all the jalapenos he has eaten. My son is turning out to be a chip off the old block in that regard . He can take spice fairly on the hotter scale. I am a spice wimp compared to them, but I can handle a little bit of heat.
Rattlesnake Eggs are appropriately named because they can bite like a snake! In my experience, some jalapenos are not very hot even with the seeds. As jalapenos cook, they actually lose some of their spice value and can taste a little sweet rather than when they are raw.
Don’t swear off Rattlesnake Eggs if you feel you are a person who can not handle spice at all. If the seeds are completely removed, the spice is removed along with it. Because the spice quotient decreases when cooked, the Rattlesnake Eggs can be quite mild. If fear keeps you from trying these, you can replace the jalapenos with a mild mini sweet pepper.
I have turned these Rattlesnake Eggs into a Keto treat, but you can very easily replace some of the ingredients to make it a non-Keto recipe. I have indicated those opportunities in the recipe.
Ingredients
12 jalapenos, or sweet mini peppers
1 block cream cheese
1 cup of shrimp, peeled and deveined
milk for soaking shrimp
Handful of cilantro, stemmed
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. lime juice
2 cups breadcrumbs (Keto breadcrumbs or regular breadcrumbs from a box)
1 cup pecan flour (you can substitute all-purpose flour or pancake mix)
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
cayenne pepper to taste
4 eggs, beaten
Vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
Warning: When working with jalapenos, wear some disposable gloves. Trust me on this! I can not stress this enough! If you work with jalapenos with naked hands, no matter how much you wash your hands, the jalapeno essence can remain for a while.
- In a medium bowl, cover the shrimp with milk and soak for 20 minutes.
2. In the meantime, use a sharp knife to slice the tops off the jalapenos.
3. Slice a long slit down the length of each jalapeno.
4. (Optional) At this time, use a spoon or knife to remove the seeds and ribs being careful not to break the jalapeno. The jalapeno can stretch, but it will crack in half if you stretch it too much.
5. Rinse the jalapenos and drain them on a paper towel.
6. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the cream cheese, cilantro, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Process until smooth.
7. Drain and rinse the shrimp with water.
8. Add the shrimp to the cream cheese mixture and pulse until combined.
9. Fill the jalapenos with the filling mixture, scraping off the excess at the seam of the jalapeno and top.
10 On a plate, combine the breadcrumbs, pecan flour, 1 Tbsp. chili powder, salt and as much cayenne as you think you can stand. Stir to incorporate.
11. Line up a bowl of beaten egg, the breading and a cookie sheet.
12. Coat the stuffed jalapeno with egg; then, roll it in the breading mixture. Dip the same jalapeno in the egg again and roll it a second time in the breading.
13. Place breaded jalapenos on the cookie sheet.
14. Place oil in a pan and heat until a small drop of the breading sizzles when tested.
15. Fry the Rattlesnake eggs in the hot oil until browned. The pecan flour has a tendency to turn dark brown, so do not be afraid that they are burned They are not. Regular all-purpose flour will become a lighter, golden brown which is a much lighter color than pecan flour.
16. Serve the Rattlesnak Eggs with ranch dressing or your favorite sauce.
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