Crawfish bread is loaded with a mixture of cheeses, crawfish and Cajun spices on French bread then baked until bubbly and gooey, great for game day or Mardi Gras. It's a Louisiana classic appetizer.
Louisiana Crawfish Bread
It's crawfish time, my friends! When crawfish season rolls around, I instantly think of making Crawfish Etouffee, but here's a dish you may want to consider as well - Crawfish Bread!
What is Crawfish Bread?
Crawfish bread is a popular Louisiana-style snack or appetizer made from a loaf of bread or bread roll stuffed with a mixture of crawfish meat, cheese, and seasonings.
The crawfish meat is mixed with sautéed onions, bell peppers, and celery, along with melted cheese and Cajun or Creole spices, like cayenne pepper and paprika. Stuff it all into a hollowed-out bread loaf, then bake until the bread is crispy and the filling is hot and bubbly.
The dish is a favorite at Louisiana festivals, particularly during crawfish season, which runs from late winter to early summer.
It's incredibly satisfying, and perfect for serving at parties, game day gatherings, or during your next Mardi Gras party.
Let's talk about how to make crawfish bread, shall we?
Crawfish Bread Ingredients
- French Bread. You can use other crusty bread as a substitute.
- Butter.
- Vegetables. Onion, celery, red bell pepper, garlic. Use jalapeno peppers, serranos, or other hotter peppers for a spicier version.
- Cooked Crawfish Tails. I prefer Louisiana crawfish tails.
- Cajun Seasoning. Try my homemade Cajun seasoning recipe. So good!
- Cheeses. Cream cheese, shredded Parmesan cheese, and shredded cheddar cheese. You can use other melty cheeses as well. I like this recipe with pepper jack or mozzarella cheese. Go with your favorite combo.
- For Garnish. Chopped fresh parsley, red chili flakes or paprika
How to Make Crawfish Bread - the Recipe Method
Oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Prep the French Bread. Slice the French bread loaf in half lengthwise. Scoop out some of the bread to make room for the filling, if desired. I like to make extra room for all the decadent stuffing. Set them onto a baking sheet.
Cook the Vegetables. Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper. Cook for 5 minutes to soften. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. This is your flavor base.
Warm the Crawfish Meat. Add the crawfish tails and Cajun seasoning. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring a bit.
Melt the Cream Cheese. Stir in the cream cheese until melted through and incorporated, about 2 minutes.
Mix the Stuffing. Transfer the pan ingredients to a mixing bowl. Stir in the mayo, mustard, and shredded cheeses. Mix until well combined.
Stuff the Bread and Bake. Spread the cheesy crawfish mixture over the pieces of French bread and bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
Final Toast. Increase oven heat to “broil” then broil the crawfish bread until the bread is toasty and the topping is browned and bubbly.
Serve! Remove from heat, cool enough to slice, then serve.
Boom! Done! Your crawfish bread is ready to serve. Doesn't it look amazing? It tastes even better, so gooey and cheesy. This will seriously hit the spot.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Save the soft bread removed from the French bread loaf. You can use it to make croutons or as a thickener for making sauces.
- Swap in cooked shrimp for the crawfish if you have a hard time finding crawfish near you.
Storage
This recipe will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. Wrap it gently in plastic wrap first, then cover and refrigerate. Warm it in the oven to enjoy again.
You can also freeze it for a month wrapped in plastic.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy your new crawfish bread recipe. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you.
Ingredients Used For This Recipe
- Buy Crawfish Tails (affiliate link, my friends!) - Here is a selection of choices from a variety of sellers from Amazon.
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Crawfish Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 loaf French bread
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 stalk celery chopped
- 1 medium bell pepper chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound cooked crawfish tails roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- ½ cup mayo
- 1 teaspoon Creole mustard or use spicy brown mustard
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese or use other melty cheese
- For garnish: chopped fresh parsley, red chili flakes or paprika
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Slice the French bread loaf in half lengthwise. Scoop out some of the bread to make room for the filling, if desired. Set onto a baking sheet.
- Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper. Cook for 5 minutes to soften.
- Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Add the crawfish tails and Cajun seasoning. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring a bit.
- Stir in the cream cheese until melted through and incorporated, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer the pan ingredients to a mixing bowl. Stir in the mayo, mustard, and shredded cheeses. Mix until well combined.
- Spread the cheese mixture over the pieces of French bread and bake for 12 minutes.
- Increase oven heat to “broil” then broil the crawfish bread until the bread is toasty and the topping is browned and bubbly.
- Remove from heat, cool enough to slice, then serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Dan says
Can the crawfish mixture be made ahead of time and assembled the next day and baked?
Mike Hultquist says
Dan, yes, absolutely. Just keep the mix in a sealed container in the fridge, then soften and assemble when ready! Let me know how it goes. Enjoy!
Que says
Such an easy and delicious recipe! Made it tonight and it was devoured quickly! Thank you.
Mike Hultquist says
Excellent! Glad you enjoyed it, Que!