Cajun Crawfish Beignets
Cajun Crawfish Beignets
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Southern Comfort
Cuisine
Southern Food
Servings
10-16
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
15-20 minutes
Be the life of the Mardi with this delicious Cajun crawfish beignet recipe, inspired by Brenda’s Cafe in San Francisco, one of my fave haunts... a wonderful treat if you can ever get a table! These spicy finger licking morsels of yumm are bound to be a huge hit for any dinner party or Mardi Gras celebration...Let the good times roll!
Lollygag
Ingredients
-
1 12 oz. package of crawfish tail meat (thawed & drained)
-
1/2 C. Green Onions- Chopped
-
1/4 C. Mayonnaise
-
1 C. Shredded Cheddar Cheese
-
1/2 C. Shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
-
1/4 Tsp. Garlic powder
-
1/2 Tsp. Cajun Spice Seasoning
-
1 Tsp. Fresh Parsley-stems removed and chopped
-
Cracked fresh black pepper
-
Pinch of Salt
-
Paprika for dusting
-
Canola oil for frying
-
4 C. Beignet Mix -we used our personal favorite, Café du Monde. (See notes for substitutions)
-
14 oz. water
-
1-1.5 C. All purpose flour for rolling & dusting of dough
-
1 Cup of Creole Blonde Remoulade Sauce
-
1 Lemon- to squeeze over beignets
-
Fresh Parsley- chopped
Beignet Dough
Garnish
Directions
Cajun Crawfish Filling
Using a medium bowl, add the crawfish meat, green onions, mayonnaise, Garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, Parsley, cheeses and salt & pepper then mix well to combine.
Set your filling aside while while you prepare your dough.
Beignet Dough
In a large bowl, mix 2 cups of beignet mix and 7 oz. of water together with a wooden spoon and stir well to combine.
Next, pour out your dough onto a well floured surface and form into a rectangular shape.
Then roll your dough out using a flour dusted rolling pin to about 1/8” thickness.
Use a pasta cutter or knife to cut your dough into 4-5 “ rectangles.
Then place a scoop of the crawfish filling into the middle of each rectangle and close all sides around it, working with your hands until all creases are fully sealed and making sure that your pillow doesn’t leak.
Leave the beignets on a flour dusted cutting board until you are ready to fry.
Cooking the Beignets
Heat about 2-3 inches of canola oil in a deep-fryer or large, deep saucepan to 370-375 degrees F. (190 degrees C.) You can also check the oil by using a wooden spoon or spatula and testing the oil. If it bubbles upon contact at the edge your utensil then it should be good to go.
Add your crawfish pillows to the hot oil when ready, being careful not to over-crowd them. They should begin to puff and rise to the top in about 8-10 seconds.
Cook for about 1-2 minutes, carefully flipping them to brown on all sides.
Remove them when they are nice and golden brown and set them on a cooling rack placed over paper towels to cool, this helps to prevent them from becoming soggy and staying crispy.
Repeat the process with the remaining beignets.
Sprinkle/sift Paprika generously over the top of the beignets while they are still warm.
Squeeze a generous amount of fresh lemon juice and sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve with Remoulade sauce on the side.
Recipe Note
• If you are pressed for time, you can also substitute the beignet mix with 2 cans of prepared refrigerated biscuit dough.
• The sprinkling of Paprika can be done with less or removed if you are not wanting them to be as spicy.
• For reheating- preheat oven to 350 degree F. Place beignets on a rimmed cooking sheet and cover with tin foil loosely. Bake for 5-10 min. or until warm.
You can also do the same continuing of baking if you notice the beignets are on the larger side and have not been cooked all the way through when opening. This may be from too thick of dough. I recommend baking them in the oven a bit longer after frying if they are bigger beignets.
Enjoy!