Crawfish Pie

So this weekend, we had our annual Jolibois family reunion... my family of origin on my mother's side. Rarely do you get a group of people this large together that all like to talk about food!  But that is indeed one of the most unique things about the people from South Louisiana...a culture that literally grows up in an environment of growing, catching, trapping, fishing, hunting and preparing excellent and well seasoned food. Needless to say, we "passed a good time" by enjoying an abundance of great food and excellent fellowship.

AND... it just so happens to be crawfish season now. Woo Hoo!!!  Anyway, my contribution to this smorgasbord was a couple of savory crawfish pies... a flaky crust containing the spicy goodness of tender crawfish swimming in an "etouffee" of smothered spices, vegetables, and seasonings.  This is not for the faint of heart!  This is a stand up and take notice pie.  While this dish does take a while, there is nothing hard or technically difficult about it at all.  I will walk you through each step so that you can take your bows at your next "bring something special" event.  

Click here for Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Yes, it does look like a long list, but it is mostly seasonings and spices that are already in your kitchen.

• 2 bunches of green onions
• 1 stick (8 Tbsp) butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup celery, chopped
• 3 Tbsp tomato sauce
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 3 cups water
• 1 bunch parsley, chopped
• 3 pounds crawfish tails
• 2 boxes of Pillsbury fold out pie crust

Step-by-step

Prep first by chopping green onions (separating tops and bottoms), bell pepper, garlic, onions, celery. 

In a separate pile, chop parsley leaves and mix with the green onion tops.

1 cup bell pepper

3 cloves garlic

 

1 cup onion

 In a saucepan, melt the butter. 

8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter

Add flour and brown lightly, stirring constantly.

1/2 cup flour

 

Add the garlic, green onion bottoms, onion, green pepper, celery, and tomato sauce.

 

3 Tbsp tomato sauce

 

Cover and simmer about 1 hour, stirring frequently, to keep from sticking.

Add seasonings and water.   

2 tsp salt, 1 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp white pepper, 1/4 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp dry mustard, 1 tsp cayenne, 1/4 tsp black pepper.

3 cups water

 Now simmer for an additional 2 - 3 hours.  If mixture thickens too much, add more water.

Mixture should be creamy and as thick as paste when tails are added.

Add the crawfish tails.  Many recipes call for you to leave the "fat" on the tails, but my personal preference is to rinse them thoroughly first.  This is a personal call for each cook to make. In the area that I live in, you can undoubtedly get fresh crawfish - even live ones.  But in many area, you may certainly purchase the frozen ones.

Washing your crawfish seems to be a hotbed of contention among my readers.  Many feel you should not rinse them.  Let me again reiterate that this is a personal choice.  If you want all the flavor of the fat, don't rinse.  If you are like me and bristle at the smell when you first open that package, then be guest to rinse them. 

If you live in an area where you can not find local, Louisiana crawfish.  You can purchase them online at CajunGrocer.com and they will ship them to you.

 As I said, I prefer them well rinsed...

Add the crawfish tails (or tails and fat if you prefer) to the mixture.

Cook about 15 minutes or until tails are tender.

Add chopped parley and onion tops.

The mixture will still be thick and creamy.

 

I love to use the Pillbury "roll out" pie crust.  For me, this product comes out great each time.  I have used other brands in the past and keep coming back to this one.  If you want to make your own pie crust, you go for it... but this one works great for me.

Pour filling into two pie shells.

Cover with another layer of dough.  Cut slits in the top.  

Bake at about 400 degrees for 35 - 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown without any translucent spots in it.  I like to cover the edges for the last 15 minutes or so to prevent them from over browning.

After removing them from the oven, it is important that you allow the pies to cool for at least 20 minutes or so.  This is important for the filling to set... or else it will run out all over the place... which is not pretty!

This recipe works best for a "make ahead" situation.  You can make the filling a day ahead and fill the pies on the day you wish to serve them.  Or you can fill and freeze ahead of time, baking on the day of serving.  You can also serve the etouffee filling over rice.  The filling freezes well.

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Like this recipe?  Want more?  Please visit my Recipe Index for tons of ideas of things to cook with/for your family!  Here are a few ideas to pique your curiosity:

• Beer Battered Asparagus with Lemon Herbed Dipping Sauce

• Stuffed Peppers

• Hoppin' John Fritters

• Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

• Carrot Souffle - Just like at Picadilly!

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Written Directions

Prep first by chopping green onions (separating tops and bottoms), bell pepper, garlic, onions, celery.  In a separate pile, chop parsley leaves and mix with the green onion tops.  In a saucepan, melt the butter.  Add flour and brown lightly, stirring constantly.  Add the garlic, green onion bottoms, onion, green pepper, celery, and tomato sauce.  Cover and simmer about 1 hour, stirring frequently, to keep from sticking.  Add seasonings and water.  Now simmer for an additional 2 - 3 hours.  If mixture thickens too much, add more water.   Mixture should be creamy and as thick as paste when tails are added.  Add the crawfish tails.  Many recipes call for you to leave the "fat" on the tails, but my personal preference is to rinse them thoroughly first.  

Add the crawfish tails (or tails and fat if you prefer) to the mixture.  Cook about 15 minutes or until tails are tender.  Add chopped parley and onion tops. The mixture will still be thick and creamy.

I love to use the Pillbury "roll out" pie crust.  For me, this product comes out great each time.  I have used other brands in the past and keep coming back to this one.  If you want to make your own pie crust, you go for it... but this one works great for me.  Pour filling into two pie shells.  Cover with another layer of dough.  Cut slits in the top.

Bake at about 400 degrees for 35 - 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown without any translucent spots in it.  I like to cover the edges for the last 15 minutes or so to prevent them from over browning.
After removing them from the oven, it is important that you allow the pies to cool for at least 20 minutes or so.  This is important for the filling to set... or else it will run out all over the place... which is not pretty!

This recipe works best for a "make ahead" situation.  You can make the filling a day ahead and fill the pies on the day you wish to serve them.  Or you can fill and freeze ahead of time, baking on the day of serving.  You can also serve the etouffee filling over rice.  The filling freezes well.