One of the stars of Cajun and Creole cuisines, Crawfish Pie is a savory filling made from succulent, Louisiana crawfish tail meat simmered with Louisiana seasoning and spices in a rich stock, then baked to golden perfection in a pie shell.
Estimated Time 2 hourshours20 minutesminutes
Servings 6Servings
Here's What You Need
Filling
2poundscrawfish tails
½cupbutter
1 ½cupsyellow onion - chopped
1cupgreen pepper - chopped
¼cupcelery - chopped
½bunch green onions - sliced
6clovesgarlic - chopped
¼cupheavy cream
⅛cupdry Vermouth
¼cupflour
1cupCrawfish Stock - substitute chicken stock if necessary
Mix about 1 tablespoon of Creole seasoning into crawfish tails and set aside; chop and measure all other ingredients; set the pie shell out so it gets to room temperature
Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat
Saute trinity until softening and clearing-about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often
Add the garlic and saute until aromatic, about 2-3 minutes
Mix in the Herb and Spice Blend, parsley and green onions and stir for about 2-3 minutes
Add the flour and blend to incorporate, stir for about 2 to 3 minutes
Add the tomato sauce, cream and vermouth (and Worchestershire, if using); simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes
Add the stock. Start with a little to deglaze the Dutch oven. Once all the stock is added, lower the heat and simmer for about 5 -10 minutes
Add the crawfish tails a little at a time and blend in completely before adding more. Once all the crawfish tails are added, simmer for about 5 minutes
Remove the filling from heat and set aside to cool slightly, mout15 to 30 minutes
Place one pie shell in a 9-inch pie pan and trim off the excess crust around the sides
Pour the filling into the pie shell
Place the second pie crust on top of the pie, use the tines of a fork to seal around the edges. Use a sharp knife to cut small slits in the top of the pie to release steam as the pie bakes
Combine 1 egg and about 1 or 2 tablespoons of water to make an egg wash and lightly brush the on top of the pie
Place the pie pan on a baking sheet and bake in the 375-degree farenhiet oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown on top
Notes
Use Louisiana crawfish tail meat, which can be found in the freezer section of grocery stores and seafood markets in Louisiana and across the country. This is a perfect dish to use leftover tail meat from a crawfish boil which gives you the added dimension of the flavor from the crawfish boil.Imported crawfish, usually from China? I have found these to be inconsistent in quality and the “fat” is bitter. If you need to use imported crawfish meat, I recommend rinsing the tails by soaking in a bowl of cold water for a minute or two and then rinsing them in a colander. If you don’t have a local source for Louisiana crawfish tail meat, you can order them online at Cajun Grocers (dot-com) and Tony’s Seafood. I don’t have any affiliation with these businesses, but I have used them both and know they are reliable and have quality products. You can also search Amazon (I do have an affiliate relationship with Amazon and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The price you pay as a consumer does not change, but I may make a small commission based on your purchase).Using a pre-made, store bought pie shell really makes this a very simple dish. If you have a trusted recipe for pie crust that you love, you can certainly use that, but pre-made crusts, like Pillsbury, works extremely well. Other substitutes? You can easily use Chicken Stock in place of the Crawfish Stock. The flavor will still be great, but the color may not be as rich with the chicken stock. The recipe for this article was made with Crawfish Stock and you can see the dark color in the photos. In place of the dry Vermouth, you can substitute any dry white wine or sherry and of course, you could skip it altogether. A suitable substitute for the egg wash is melted butter...just brush a light coat all over the top crust. Can crawfish pie be frozen? Yes, it freezes very well. Make it up to the point that it would go in the oven and then wrap it in plastic wrap and aluminum foil so that it is airtight. If you can fit it in a vacuum sealer bag, that’s even better. The pie will keep up to about 6 months in the freezer (if it’s air-tight). When you are ready to serve it, let it defrost in the refrigerator for about 24 hours, then bake as directed. What about leftovers? Leftover crawfish pie will last 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator if wrapped airtight in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. You can freeze leftover crawfish pie for about 3 to 4 months, if sealed properly. Pro tip: Freeze the leftover pie wrapped in plastic wrap overnight and then place the fully frozen leftover pie in a vacuum sealed bag. This way, the vacuum sealer will not crush the leftover pie.