Louisiana Style Crawfish Toast

Louisiana cuisine is so good. When is the last time you enjoyed some authentic Louisiana cuisine? This Louisiana style crawfish toast is pure and simple Southern comfort food. It matches crawfish meat with Cajun seasoning, garlic, parsley, cheese, and bread. The resulting Louisiana style sandwich is pure heaven in each and every bite!

Although fresh crawfish is best, followed by frozen crawfish, not everyone who wants to make this recipe lives somewhere that’s available. At an absolute pinch you could use canned crawfish.

However, in that instance, I’d recommend crab or lobster instead. Freshness is key so just pick whatever you can get locally, and remember – the fresher the better!

How to Make Crawfish Toast like a Louisianan 

Crawfish boil is a seasonal favorite in Louisiana but honestly anything crawfish-based is popular. These little sea critters can be prepared in a wide variety of ways. Crawfish toast (also known locally as crawfish bread) is a winning dish.

Crawfish toast is to a Louisiana summer what turkey and stuffing is to Thanksgiving all over the country. Some dishes are just special!

Crawfish tails are in season between March and May, so this is a nice springtime dish to make when the weather is on the upturn and the sun is shining longer into the evenings.

Many Cajun dishes begin with the ‘holy trinity’ of celery, bell peppers and onion, but this one is a little different because I used parsley, garlic and Cajun seasoning instead.

Once you have gathered and prepared all your ingredients, including cleaning the crawfish tail meat if using fresh (or thawing it if using frozen) you can go ahead and make this easy Louisiana crawfish tail bread.

Cook the garlic in butter, then add the crawfish, Cajun seasoning and tomatoes. Mix in the mayonnaise, parsley and cheese, then you can spread this mixture over the baguette. I recommend you taste it first to make sure it’s well seasoned and tastes good.

Now you just need to bake the Louisiana crawfish toast in the oven until golden and crisp. Add a little more cheese and bake again to melt it. You can then bite into this delicious, hot, succulent crawfish toast!

Ingredients for Louisiana Style Crawfish Toast:

• Garlic cloves
• Unsalted butter
• Chopped fresh parsley
• loaf (French-style bread)
• Swiss cheese
• Colby Jack cheese
• Mayonnaise
• Cajun seasoning
• Cherry tomatoes
• Crawfish tail meat

How to make Louisiana Style Crawfish Toast:

STEP 1:

Peel, clean, devein, and rinse the crawfish meat.

Cut the baguette in half and cut through each half lengthwise.

Put them cut side facing up on a baking sheet.

Melt the butter in a skillet over a moderate heat.

Sauté the minced garlic in the butter for a few minutes until fragrant.

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STEP 2:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

STEP 3:

Add the crawfish, tomatoes and Cajun seasoning to the skillet.

Cook, stirring, for 1 minute then take the pan off the heat.

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STEP 4:

Mix the mayonnaise with the Swiss cheese and parsley in a bowl.

STEP 5:

Add the crawfish, tomato and seasonings to the mayonnaise mixture and stir well.

Spoon the crawfish mixture on to the pieces of bread, spreading it out evenly.

STEP 6:

Bake or 10 to 15 minutes or until golden.

Now sprinkle the Colby Jack cheese on top and broil for 3 minutes or until melted.

Let them cool down for a few minutes then cut into servings.

Recipe Variations You Might Like

Swapping the crawfish for crab or lobster is just one idea. Shrimp would work too. But there are some other tweaks you could make to this crawfish toast recipe if you wanted. If you want to swap the tomatoes for the ‘Louisiana holy trinity’ of bell pepper, onion and celery, go ahead. Use the same amount and sauté it first.

You can also add some chili powder or cayenne pepper if you want to dial up the heat. If you’re making this for several people, perhaps don’t do that but offer hot sauce tableside instead.

What to Serve with It

This easy crawfish bread recipe can be served as a snack, appetizer or main dish, depending on serving sizes. Pair it with fries perhaps if you’re having it as the main course. Red beans and rice are a great side dish or consider mixed bean salad. Anything goes! Cucumber salad? Collard greens? There are so many Southern sides to choose from.

What are Crawfish Exactly? 

Also known as crawdads, mud bugs or crayfish, these little critters taste something like a cross between lobster and shrimp. They resemble small lobsters and are usually steamed or boiled. These little crustaceans live in freshwater and about 95% of the crawfish in the US come from Louisiana (hence crawfish toast!)

Fresh crawfish can be boiled for 15 minutes then left in the hot water for another 15 minutes. You can then add them to your preferred mud bug recipe. They can also be refrigerated or frozen until needed.

Crawfish are low in calories and fat but rich in protein along with Vitamin B12, copper, iron, selenium, and niacin. There are more than 500 species in total with white river crawfish and red swamp crawfish being the most common two.

This delicious Louisiana inspired crawfish toast recipe is going to impress your taste buds. Although Po’boy sandwiches are also a crawfish or lobster based favorite in the South, crawfish toast is also well loved since it pairs seafood, cheese, Cajun flavors, and crispy bread in every mouthful.

Whether you choose to make this as a snack or appetizer, you are sure to love it and so will everyone else. Crawfish season is a special time in Louisiana and with this recipe you can bring the taste of Louisiana to your table.