Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Cajun Crawfish Bread

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If you are not from the Gulf South part of the United States, it's very possible that you may not be familiar with crawfish... they look like small little lobster impersonators!   We are in the middle of crawfish season right now, so "crawfish boils" can be found at many a social gathering here on the "Third Coast."  Piles of ruby red crawfish, boiled in spices, dumped out into large tubs and onto newspaper lined tables, and folks standing elbow to elbow peeling and eating them as fast as possible.  This is our South! 
http://menumusings.blogspot.com/2013/04/cajun-crawfish-bread.html

That said, there are some occasions where you end up with some leftovers.  So we Southerners generally peel them and put them away in the freezer to make a fabulous dish at another time.  So if you happen to be looking for something fabulous to do with your leftover crawfish tails, consider this Cajun Crawfish Bread as a great appetizer or even a small dinner.  If you don't just "happen" to have crawfish tails left over, don't fret.  You can purchase them cooked and frozen. 

This recipe is a super easy and fast way to prepare an appetizer for those unexpected guests, or perhaps you are shuttling kids between ball games, music and dance lessons, etc.  You just mix, spread, and bake until brown and bubbly and melty!  Mmmm.
Click for Printable Recipe 

Ingredients: (8 servings)
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
    • could also use 1/2 and 1/2 mayo and sour cream mixture
  • 4 Tbsp melted butter
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella
  • 1/4 cup fresh grated Parmigiano reggiano cheese
  • 1/4 cup sliced green onion tops
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 cup crawfish tails, finely chopped
  • kosher salt
  • ground black pepper
  • 1 (16 oz) loaf French bread, cut in half lengthwise
  • I also think it would be fabulous with chopped, drained artichoke hearts mixed in.  Perhaps about 1/4 cup or so.
**Watch a video of Julie cooking this on Good Morning New Orleans!

Step-by-Step:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, melted butter, mozzarella, Parmesan, green onions, and garlic powder.
1/2 cup mayonnaise
4 Tbsp melted butter
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup sliced green onion tops
1 tsp garlic powder
kosher salt to taste
Coarse black pepper to taste
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano reggiano cheese
Fold in the chopped crawfish, and season to taste with salt and pepper if you haven't already done so. 

1 cup cooked crawfish tails, chopped
If you used leftover crawfish from a crawfish boil, you may not need to add additional pepper, etc.. taste first.  If you used frozen crawfish tails from a seafood market or grocery store, you will definitely need some additional seasoning.
combine gently
Spread the crawfish mixture on the French bread, and bake for 18-20 min.
 
Tip - to make clean-up a breeze, consider baking the crawfish bread on parchment paper. 
For the last two minutes, I turned the broiler on high just to get a beautiful brown crispy edge on the bread and really toast up the cheeses in the mixture.   


 Cut into 2-inch pieces, garnish with a few more green onions, and serve while hot and "gooey." 




Tip - To reduce your prep time even further, you can make this mixture ahead of time, and refrigerated until you are ready to spread and bake it.

You may be thinking this recipe is just for grown-ups.  Don't bet on it!!! :)


Written Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, melted butter, mozzarella, Parmesan, green onions, and garlic powder.  This can be made ahead up until you spread the crawfish mixture on the bread and refrigerated until you are ready to bake it. 

Fold in the chopped crawfish, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spread the crawfish mixture on the French bread, and bake for 18-20 min.  For the last two minutes, I turned the broiler on high just to get a beautiful brown crispy edge on the bread and really toast up the cheeses in the mixture.

Cut into 2-inch pieces, garnish with a few more green onions, and serve while hot and "gooey." 





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Want more recipes from my blog?
If I have piqued you curiosity, please feel free to visit my Recipe Index and browse for more recipes to cook for your family.  Here are just a few to get you started:
Sour Cream Banana Nut Bread

Roasted Vegetable Chicken Pot Pie

Cream Cheese Stuffed Pear Dumplings with Praline Sauce

Steamed Asian Dumplings

Carrot Souffle
Hope you have enjoyed!
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7 comments:

  1. Hi Julie,
    I have a crawfish bread recipe too that is very similar, but one big difference is my recipe includes sliced black olives...and I think they send it over the top! This is one of my favorite recipes to make for tailgating! And sometimes I make it as a fancy side bread and omit the crawfish (esp. around the holidays when it's hard to find crawfish). BTW, you are in my hometown!! I am just a few hours north of you now in Bulldog Country where I can make crawfish bread at my alma mater during tailgating season as often as I want! Love your blog! Thanks so much!!

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  2. I have made this several times with shrimp and it has turned out excellent! I use mini baguettes and it makes a wonderful appetizer for parties. Today I'm going to try it with crab meat that I have in the fridge. Hope it turns out just as great :) Thank you for an amazing and versatile recipe.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the tip about using other kinds of seafood. I was wondering if it would still taste good with shrimp. I'm landlocked in the west and have never seen a crawfish in my life.

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  3. Two questions...What can I exchange that mayonaise with and are you from Hattiesburg?? I got this site looking for bayou flatbreads. I live in Kokomo just outside of Hattiesburg.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Michelle - try using sour cream/Greek yogurt. And yes I'm from Hburg. (sorry, your comment was stuck in my spam folder).

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  4. I love your recipe. In the future when referring to our southern coast please use the term Southern Gulf Coast or just Gulf Coast we should never use a term third Coast nor see ourselves as being third to any place in this country.
    Thank you

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so sorry I offended you. I was born and raised in Southern Louisiana and lived my entire adult life in Mississippi on the Gulf Coast. While it was not my intent to offend, I do reserve the right to to affectionately refer to my beloved homeland in a joking manner. Obviously I put in quotation marks as I was using it in a joking manner. And yes, the south rocks. Second to none - least of all not in food!

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