Cajun Stuffed Bell Peppers with crawfish...nothing but delicious flavor! A savory crawfish stuffing made with Louisiana crawfish tails and the trinity tightened up with some breadcrumbs, then stuffed into a sweet bell pepper. Bake them to a golden brown in the oven and you have a Cajun Stuffed Bell Pepper with crawfish that is out of this world.
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Bell Peppers, Crawfish and the Cajun Trinity
Cajun Stuffed Bell Peppers with crawfish was an inevitability in South Louisiana. The climate and soils of South Louisiana are perfect for bell peppers and their abundance shows it. Their shape and mild flavor make them perfect for stuffing with the meats and seafood found in the region. Bell peppers are included along with yellow onions and celery in the traditional foundation of cajun and creole cuisine. So vital to these cuisines that this trio is deemed the Holy Trinity, a significant religious reference from a basically Roman Catholic Cajun culture. Often referred to as the Cajun Trinity or simply the Trinity, many Cajun and Creole recipes begin by cooking the Trinity slowly in some sort of fat. Each of these vegetables is high in liquid content which is released when cooked down, leaving the sugars and natural flavoring behind to build upon. Combined with a roux for thickening, garlic, green onions, herbs and peppers for spice and various regional meats or seafood, you have the basic framework for many Cajun and Creole dishes. The Trinity is often referred to as “seasoning” in Cajun and Creole recipes and is very similar in nature and use to French cuisine’s mirepoix. Cajun Stuffed Bell Peppers start with a foundation of the Cajun Trinity and adds crawfish tails and Herbs and Spices which are smothered in a rich stock before being tightened with breadcrumbs. This savory mixture is stuffed into sweet peppers and roasted to a golden brown.
Here Is What You Need
Bell Peppers for stuffing (any color)
Louisiana crawfish tail meat
The Trinity
- Yellow onions
- Celery
- Bell pepper
Other Ingredients
- Garlic
- Green onions (scallions)
- Butter
- crawfish or chicken stock
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Seasoned breadcrumbs
Here is what else you need
Herb and Spice Blend
- oregano, basil, thyme, bay leaf, Creole seasoning, Kosher salt, ground black pepper
- Optional-cayenne pepper
Equipment
Dutch oven or cast-iron skillet, stockpot to parboil the peppers, baking dish, prep bowls, knives, cutting boards.
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Here Is What You Do
First...you have a beer. Preparing this, or any recipe will go smoother with proper preparation. That includes preparing yourself as well as the ingredients. This is a perfect time to sip a beer or whatever you do to get in the right frame of mind. Pop a top and read the recipe all the way through so you know what you need and what you’ll do with each ingredient. Now that the cook is prepared, let's prepare the ingredients.
Prepare the ingredients
Place the crawfish tails in a bowl. Do not rinse unless they are imported crawfish. See the Hints and Tips section below regarding the crawfish. Finely chop about ⅓ of the crawfish tails and place them in the same bowl. Mix in some Creole seasonings with the tails and set them aside.
Finely chop the Trinity and place it all in a bowl. Chop the garlic and green onions and place them in separate bowls. Measure the butter, breadcrumbs, stock and Worcestershire sauce and place each separately in small prep bowls. Mix the ingredients of the Herb and Spice Blend, place in a small prep bowl and set aside.
Prepare the Peppers
Wash the peppers under cold running water with a soft vegetable brush to remove any kind of wax coating that may have been applied by the grocer to keep the peppers looking good. Slice the peppers lengthwise making a little boat and clean out the seeds and membranes. The peppers will need to be softened before stuffing and baking, so in batches 2 or 3, place them in a stockpot full of boiling water for about 2 minutes (that's after the water comes back to a boil). Remove the peppers and place them immediately into an ice bath for about 5 minutes which will shock the peppers and stop the cooking process. Remove them from the ice bath and place them upside down on a cooling rack to drain.
Make the Stuffing
In a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or cast iron frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat. When the butter is bubbling, add the Trinity and saute until starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Make sure to stir often as the onions being finely chopped will cook quickly.
Add the garlic and about ½ of the Herb and Spice Blend and the Bay leaf. Saute for about 2 minutes, until aromatic.
Increase the heat to medium-high and add the stock. When this comes to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until reduced by about half. This should take about 10 minutes.
Next, mix in the crawfish tails, green onions, Worcestershire sauce and the remaining Herb and Spice Blend. Stir well and let this simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes until the liquid has reduced almost completely.
Add the breadcrumbs (starting with about half) and mix well to thoroughly combine all the ingredients. It's a good practice to add the breadcrumbs a little at a time until you get the consistency you want.
Remove the pan from the heat, cover and let it sit for about 10 minutes while the breadcrumbs absorb all the liquid. It should have a moist stuffing-like consistency. If the mixture appears too thick, you can add a little more stock to loosen it up. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Stuff the Peppers
Remove the bay leaf from the stuffing and stuff each bell pepper half with stuffing, making sure to push the filling into all the voids.
Prepare a 9" X 13" baking dish with a light coat of cooking oil or nonstick spray and place the stuffed peppers in the baking dish. Sprinkle the tops of the stuffed peppers lightly with seasoned bread crumbs and place a small tab of butter (about ¼ tablespoon) on top of each one, Pour about ¼ inch of water in the bottom of the baking dish.
Bake in a preheated 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for about 30-35 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
That’s it, all there is to it. Simple as that.
Want to top these with a sauce?
You don't have to top these with anything because they are great on their own, but if you want a sauce, here are a couple of really good ones.
What should you serve with Cajun Stuffed Bell Peppers?
Hints and Tips
What kind of crawfish should I use?
- I recommend only Louisiana crawfish. The freezer case in your grocery store or seafood market will probably offer 1 pound packages of frozen crawfish tail meat. Crawfish tail meat will have some crawfish “fat” on them (well, it's not actually fat-check out this short explanation) and this fat will begin to go rancid within 6 months. Not only are Louisiana crawfish plump and sweet, but they also get to the market much faster than crawfish produced overseas, usually in China. Frozen Louisiana crawfish tails are ready to go right out of the pack, their “fat” will add a sweet depth of flavor, but imported Crawfish need to be rinsed to remove their fat. Without rinsing, these imported crawfish tails will taste a little off. This will be eliminated by rinsing, but they will also not have that sweetness of Louisiana crawfish. A great online source for Louisiana crawfish tail meat is The Cajun Grocer.
Does the color or shape of the pepper matter?
- Bell Peppers, categorized as Sweet Peppers, are very mild in flavor and have no heat whatsoever. This makes them perfect for stuffing as they accent the flavor of the filling but do not take it over. There are over 60 varieties of bell peppers and one pepper bush will produce green, yellow and red fruit depending upon the level of ripeness. The green version is most immature, followed by the yellow and the red being the ripest and sweetest. Honestly, it is almost impossible to tell the difference in the flavor.
- Bell peppers usually come with three-nodes or 4-nodes. As far as flavor, it does not matter, but I recommend you getting the 4-node peppers so that when you slice them in half make sure there are two full nodes in each half. They will easily sit level in the baking dish.
Are Peppers good for you?
- Bell Peppers are a good source of Vitamin A and C, potassium, folic acid and fiber. The red bell pepper does have a much greater source of beta-carotene and Vitamin C than the green pepper.
Can I eat the whole pepper?
- Yes, the pepper can be eaten right along with the stuffing. They can also be eaten raw.
Substitutes?
- You can substitute shrimp or crab for the crawfish. Use other types of pepper for stuffing, such as a poblano. Any color bell pepper can be used.
How long will stuffed peppers last in the refrigerator?
- Leftover stuffed peppers can be kept in the refrigerator for 5 or 6 days if they are wrapped airtight. They may be reheated in a microwave or in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven (covered or wrapped in aluminum foil) until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. This usually takes about 20 minutes.
- Leftover stuffed peppers can also be frozen for up to 6 months, again if they are in an airtight container. You can freeze them individually or in a batch. The best practice is to place the completely cooled stuffed peppers on a baking sheet in the freezer for about 90 minutes until frozen. Then wrap each pepper in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer bag. The best method is to take the individually frozen stuffed pepper and place it in a vacuum-sealed bag. When you are ready to enjoy the peppers, you can defrost them in the refrigerator overnight, or place them in a baking dish (covered or wrapped in aluminum foil) in a cold oven set to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. As the oven heats, the peppers will start to gradually defrost. Bake them until the internal temperature is 165 degrees, which will take 30 to 40 minutes.
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Yeah You Right!
Recipe
Cajun Stuffed Peppers with Crawfish
Here's What You Need
- 4 large bell peppers for stuffing
- 4 tablespoons butter plus some for the tops
- 2 pounds crawfish tails
- 2 cups yellow onions finely chopped, 2 medium
- ½ cup celery finely chopped, about 1 stalk
- ½ cup bell pepper finely chopped, about ½ large pepper
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 cup green onions chopped, about 1 bunch
- 1 cups seasoned breadcrumbs plus some for the tops
- 1 cup crawfish or chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Herb and Spice Blend
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon basil
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Here's What You Do
Prepare the ingredients
- Finely chop about ⅓ of the crawfish tails and combine them with the whole tails. Mix in about 1 tablespoon of Creole seasoning and set aside.
- Finely chop the Trinity, garlic and green onions. Measure the remaining ingredients. Mix the Herb and Spice Blend in a small bowl.
- Slice 4 bell peppers in half and parboil for about 2 minutes, soak in an ice bath for about 5 minutes, then set on a cooling rack, cut side down to drain.
For the stuffing
- In a heavy-bottomed dutch oven or cast iron frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat. When bubbling, add the trinity and saute until starting to brown, about 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic and about ½ of the Herb and Spice Blend and the Bay leaf and saute for a couple of minutes, until aromatic.
- Add the stock and bring to a low simmer until reduced by about ½ (about 10 minutes).
- Mix in the crawfish tails, green onions, Worcestershire sauce and the remaining Herb and Spice Blend. Stir well and let simmer for about 10 minutes until the liquid has reduced.
- Add the bread crumbs and mix well to combine all the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove the pan from the heat and cover. Let this sit so the breadcrumbs absorb all the liquid and it is a moist stuffing-like consistency, about 10 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf and stuff the filling into the bell pepper halves, making sure to push the filling into all the voids.
- Sprinkle seasoned bread crumbs on top and place a small tab of butter (about ¼ tablespoon) on top of each one.
- Lightly coat the bottom of a baking dish with vegetable oil or non-stick cooking spray.
- Place the stuffed peppers in the prepared baking dish, add about ¼ inch of water in the bottom and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
Recipe Notes
Bell Peppers, categorized as Sweet Peppers, are very mild in flavor and have no heat whatsoever, which makes them perfect for stuffing as they accent the flavor of the filling but do not take it over. There are over 60 varieties of bell peppers and one pepper bush will produce green, yellow and red fruit depending upon the level of ripeness-the green version is most immature, followed by the yellow and the red being the ripest and sweetest. Honestly, it is almost impossible to tell the difference in the flavor. Are Peppers good for you?
Bell Peppers are a good source of Vitamin A and C, potassium, folic acid and fiber. The red bell pepper does have a much greater source of beta-carotene and Vitamin C than the green pepper. Can I eat the pepper?
Yes, the pepper can be eaten right along with the stuffing. They can also be eaten raw. Substitutes?
You can substitute shrimp or crab for the crawfish. Use other types of pepper for stuffing, such as a poblano. Any color bell pepper can be used. How long will stuffed peppers last in the refrigerator?
Leftover stuffed peppers can be kept in the refrigerator for 5 or 6 days if they are wrapped airtight. They may be reheated in a microwave or in a 350-degree oven until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. This usually takes about 20 minutes. Can Stuffed Peppers be frozen?
Leftover stuffed peppers can also be frozen for up to 6 months, again if they are in an airtight container. You can freeze them individually or in a batch. The best practice is to place the completely cooled stuffed peppers on a baking sheet in the freezer for about 90 minutes until frozen. Then wrap each pepper in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer bag. The best method is to take the individually frozen stuffed pepper and place it in a vacuum-sealed bag. When you are ready to enjoy the peppers, you can defrost them in the refrigerator overnight, or place them in a baking dish in a cold oven set to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. As the oven heats, the peppers will start to gradually defrost. Bake them until the internal temperature is 165 degrees, which will take 30 to 40 minutes.
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