Cajun Crawfish Tails

Mardi Gras starts next Tuesday. Hmm…what to cook?

Like lobster? Well crawfish are the lobster’s fresh water cousin.

Also known as crayfish and crawdads, there are only two species that we eat – and most of them come from Louisiana, like almost 70 to 80%!  I guess that’s why the crawfish is the Official Crustacean of the state. And they are delicious prepared most any way.

Since Mardi Gras starts next week, I thought a dish that says Louisiana would be a great choice. Cajun Crawfish Tails.

But what exactly is Cajun. The Cajuns are French Canadians that were driven to the south by the British Troops during the Seven Years War in the 1700s. They settled in the bayous and marshes of Louisiana and are at the heart of the crawfish legend. The story goes that the lobsters missed those people from Nova Scotia so bad, they followed them to southern U.S. But as they traveled, they shrunk and, when they arrived, they were the little crawdads we see today.

Cajun is also synonymous with rich, flavorful and spicy food. And this recipe won’t disappoint.

Here’s How to Do it:

The first thing you have to do is find some of these little guys. Here in the North West we can get fresh crawdads in late summer. They come out of our rivers. But other than that, no fresh tails. So I go to the market and get them frozen.

Thaw them out if you doing frozen, and make up a batch of some Cajun spices.

Mix all the spices together well. Store in an airtight container in a cool place.

Now to cook the crawfish

Melt the 1/2 the butter in a heavy skillet. When it starts to bubble, carefully toss in the crawfish and gently stir.

Stir in 1/4 cup of the spice mixture and cook until the tails start to firm up. You’ll only need to cook them a short time, 5 or 10 minutes. Be careful not to over cook.

Add the remaining butter and allow to melt off the heat.

Serve hot over rice and garnish with minced fresh chives.

5 from 7 votes

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Cajun Spice Mix

A mix of spices and herbs

Course: condiment

Cuisine: Cajun

Keyword: black pepper jack, cayenne, garlic, mix, onion, spicy

Author: HelenFern

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 Tablespoon onion powder
• 1-1/2 Tablespoon Smoked paprika
• 1 Tablespoon ground thyme
• 1 Tablespoon ground oregano
• 1-1/2 Tablespoon lemon pepper
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground red pepper (cayenne)
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

1. Mix all the ingredients together until well blended.

2. Store in a cool place in an airtight container.

© Copyright 2020 The Lazy Gastronome

5 from 7 votes

Print

Cajun Crawfish Tails

The story goes that the lobsters missed those people from Nova Scotia so bad, they followed them to southern U.S. But as they traveled, they shrunk and, when they arrived, they were the little crawdads we see today. And Cajun is synonymous with rich, flavorful and spicy food. And this recipe won't disappoint.

Course: Main Course, main dish

Cuisine: Cajun, fish, seafood, shellfish, Southern

Keyword: bayou, cajun, crawdads, crayfish, shellfish, spicy

Servings: 4 servings

Author: HelenFern

Ingredients

• 24 oz fresh or frozen Crawfish tails
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/4 cup Cajun spice mix
• Cooked Rice to serve over
• minced fresh chives to garnish

Instructions

1. If you are using frozen, thaw them out and dry on paper towels.

2. Toss the raw tails in 1/4 cup of the Cajun spice mixture. Let it sit for about 30 minutes. 

3. Melt the 1/2 the butter in a heavy skillet. When it starts to bubble, carefully toss in the crawfish and gently stir.

4. Stir in 1/4 cup of the spice mixture and cook until the tails start to firm up. You'll only need to cook them a short time, 5 or 10 minutes. Be careful not to over cook.  

5. Add the remaining butter and allow to melt off the heat.

6. Serve hot over rice and garnish with minced chives.

Recipe Notes

© Copyright 2020 The Lazy Gastronome

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