Time to show off your crawfish dish expertise

If it’s Mardi Gras season, it must be crawfish time.
The traditional crawfish boils, many coinciding with Good Friday, are drawing near. Ag experts and chefs are hoping for a better crawfish season than in 2024, when prices were high and the season was short.
Adequate rain and a longer harvesting season promises for better prices and better availability in 2025.
Here are some recipes you can use for your next crawfish feast.
CRAWFISH
ETOUFFEE,
BREAUX
BRIDGE STYLE
2 lbs. crawfish
3 large onions, diced
2 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. roux
Water
Crawfish fat
Seasoning
In heavy pot, cover onions and margarine with water and boil about one hour.
Add crawfish, crawfish fat, roux and seasoning, to taste. Cook 15 minutes.
Serve with rice.

CRAWFISH BISQUE
Stuffing for crawfish:
1 lb. crawfish, ground
1½ cups bread crumbs
¼ cup green onion, minced
¼ cup parsley, minced
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
Salt, black pepper, red pepper, to taste
2 eggs
50 clean crawfish backs
Stew:
1 can tomato paste
Oil
½ onion, finely chopped
½ clove garlic, minced
Salt, black pepper, red pepper
2 tsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. prepared roux
Water
For stuffing, mix crawfish, bread crumbs and chopped vegetables. Add two eggs and blend into mixture.
Stuff the crawfish backs with mixture. Have them ready before starting the stew.
For stew, sauté onion and garlic in a little oil. Add tomato paste and cook until dark.
Add seasonings and sugar. Cook a few minutes.
Add roux and a cup of water. Cook until dissolved, stirring often.
Sauté stuffed crawfish in a little oil and add to the stew as they are browned.
Add more water to cover stew and crawfish backs. Bring to boil.
Reduce to low temperature, cover and cook slowly two hours.
Serve with rice.

QUICK
SMOTHERED
CRAWFISH
1 lb. crawfish tails, peeled
Crawfish fat
3 large onions, finely chopped
1 large bell pepper, finely chopped
½ cup canned tomatoes with chili peppers, chopped
1 stick margarine
½ cup green onions, chopped
In heavy pot, sauté onions in margarine over low heat until wilted and starting to brown, stirring constantly.
Add bell pepper, tomatoes and green onions; cook five minutes, stirring constantly.
Add crawfish and fat. Season to taste.
Cover tightly and simmer 20 minutes. Do not add water. Liquid will cook out of crawfish to make gravy.
Serve over hot rice.
Serves 4.

CRAWFISH STEW
3 cups crawfish tails, saving fat
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
1 bell pepper, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can tomato paste
Green onions
Parsley
Salt, black pepper and red pepper
Cooking oil
Cornstarch
Wash crawfish thoroughly. Boil a few minutes.
Pour enough cooking oil into heavy pot to cover onions, bell pepper, garlic and celery. Cook over medium heat until vegetables are golden brown.
Add tomato paste and cook uncovered, stirring constantly. Add crawfish tails and crawfish fat.
Add seasoning to taste and a little water and cornstarch to thicken, if necessary.
Continue to cook over medium heat about 15 minutes.
Add chopped green onions and parsley; cook a few minutes longer.
Serve with rice.

CRAWFISH BREAD
1 stick margarine (halved)
4 cloves garlic
1 small onion
½ bell pepper, chopped fine
1 rib celery, chopped fine
2 French bread loaves
1 lb.. crawfish tails
½ can cream of shrimp soup
½ cup bread crumbs
8 oz. Mozzarella cheese
Creole seasoning
Combine one-half stick butter, two cloves pressed garlic and all veggies. Sauté five to eight minutes.
Mix one-half can of cream of shrimp soup, bread crumbs, cheese and seasonings. Fold in crawfish.
Slice loaf down middle. Spoon mixture into bread, being sure you can pinch sides together. Roll loaves over so seam is on bottom. Cut slits to vent.
Melt other half of butter with two cloves garlic and brush each loaf. Bake 25 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

CRAWFISH
FETTUCCINE
2 medium onions
2 medium bell peppers, chopped
2 sticks butter
3 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. parsley
2 cloves garlic
¾ lb. processed cheese
2 Tbsp. jalapeno peppers, chopped fine
1 large can evaporated milk
1½ lb. crawfish
1 lb. fettuccine noodles
Parmesan cheese
Seasonings to taste
Season crawfish with Cajun seasoning.
Sauté onions and bell pepper in butter. Add flour and cook 15 minutes covered, but stirring often.
Add parsley and cook five to eight minutes. Add cheese, pepper, milk and minced garlic.
Add seasoned crawfish and cook 10 minutes.
Cook pasta. Add sauce mix and pour into casserole dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

FRIED
CRAWFISH
(LIGHT BATTER)
¾ cup cornstarch
½ cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
½ cup water
1 egg, beaten
1 quart corn oil
1 lb. crawfish tails
Stir together cornstarch, flour, baking powder, salt and pepper.
Add water and egg, stir until smooth.
Pour corn oil into large skillet to depth of half full. Heat oil to 375 degrees.
Dip crawfish in batter and fry two to three minutes until golden brown.

CRAWFISH
JAMBALAYA
1 lb. hot sausage
½ cup onion
½ cup green onion
½ cup bell pepper
1 can beef bouillon
1 can French onion soup
1 small can tomato sauce
1 stick butter, cut into tablespoons
1 lb. crawfish tails
2 cups long grain rice
Brown sausage in pan.
Sauté onion, green onion, and bell pepper in separate pan until onions are soft.
Add sausage to onions and sauté together a minute or two.
Add bouillon, onion soup and tomato sauce.
Pour mixture into Dutch oven. Add butter, crawfish tails and rice.
Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees.