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If you’re looking for an appetizer to serve this holiday season, try my Crawfish pies. Flaky, crispy crust with a creamy, spicy crawfish filling baked OR fried until golden perfection. This is the perfect appetizer and very easy to make.
We are a little over a week away from Thanksgiving and I know you are brainstorming your menu. Well.. not to sound biased or anything, but you should add these crawfish pies to your menu. They are a real treat.
Ingredients for Crawfish Pies
- Butter
- Puff Pastry
- Crawfish tails
- Chopped seasoning blend- also known as the trinity
- garlic- minced
- Green onion
- Heavy Cream
- Chicken Broth – low sodium
- All Purpose Flour
- Seasonings
- Lemon Juice
- Hot Sauce
start with the filling-
I start with the filling. Sautéed chopped seasoning blend (onions, bell pepper and celery)in melted butter, flour, heavy cream, chicken broth, thickened into a gravy-like sauce. Then I season it with a variety of seasons, hot sauce and lemon juice. Giving it the most delicious flavor with a slight kick. I add the crawfish tails last to make sure they don’t over cook. And boom that’s it.
Once the filling is done, it’s time to assemble the crawfish pies. Roll out the dough or puff pastry and cut them into even sized discs (using a cookie cutter or bowl). Depending on how large or small you want the pies to be. Add a spoonful of the filling to the middle of the dough then fold them in half; similar to an empanada. Seal it with a fork.
bake or fry?
You can either bake or fry these crawfish pies. If you fry them, put them in the fridge or freezer to chill before frying. About 30 min. Heat oil to 350 degrees. Fry in batches; 1-2 at a time, about 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Allow to cool before serving. Serve warm.
If you bake them, chill in the fridge until you are ready to bake. Before baking, brush egg wash on the top of the dough. Bake on 375 for about 30-40 minutes, until golden brown.
Either way you cook these hand pies, they will be equally delicious and a hit to everyone you serve them to.
mini pie cups-
You can also make these into mini pie cups using a cupcake/muffin pan. Add the cut dough to the bottom of each muffin tin. Pre-bake for about 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and add the crawfish filling about 3/4 of the way to each mini pie. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Top with green onions or parsley and voila. Little mini crawfish pies.
This recipe is a variation of my crawfish bombs but made into mini hand pies making it less messy, less dishes and the perfect appetizer to serve while hosting family and friends this holiday season.
What if I don’t like crawfish?
Don’t like crawfish? Oh you poor thing. jk jk feel free to swap out the crawfish and fill it with your favorite protein. Shrimp would work great in this recipe or even chicken.
Whatever you choose, you will quickly realize how great of an appetizer this is.
More appetizers to try
Easy Cherry Tomato Linguine
Fried Chicken Sandwich
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Jerk Chicken Pineapple Bowl
If you make these Crawfish Pies, please be sure to leave a comment, and or tag me on Instagram @cookwithci. I would love to see your recreations and hear your thoughts.
Crawfish hand pies
The perfect appetizer to serve for your guests and family!
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp butter unsalted
- 1 lb crawfish tails
- 1/2 cup chopped seasoning blend diced celery, bell pepper & onion
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup green onion
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup chicken broth or water unsalted
- 2 tbsp AP Flour
- 1/2 tbsp cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp crab and crawfish boil seasoning
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- salt to taste
- 1/2 lemon juice
- Pillsbury pie crust or puff pastry
- Louisiana hot sauce
Egg Wash (for baking)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375
For the Filling
- Add butter to a medium sized pan over medium heat. Once the butter begins to bubble, add in chopped seasoning. Sautè until fragrant and the onions are translucent, about 4-6 minutes. Add in 2 tbsp of flour and stir until the chopped seasoning is covered.
- Stir in heavy cream. Continue to stir as it thickens. Use chicken broth or water as needed to thin out gravy if it gets too thick. You want a "stew-like" thickness. Reduce heat to medium low, and season with cajun seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and crab boil. Then add salt, black pepper, and hot sauce to taste. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and mix until combined.
- Add in crawfish tails. Cover and simmer for about 12 minutes until crawfish is warmed through. Add in green onions and remove from the heat.
To Assemble
- Lay out pie crust or puff pastry and cut out 5-inch discs using a cookie cutter or bowl. Cut as many discs as you can. Place dough on a parchment lined baking sheet. Add a spoonful of filling to the center of the dough. Fold the dough over into a half-moon and seal using the tines of a fork. Refrigerate until you're ready to cook.
- If baking– Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Transfer the hand pies to the fridge and chill until you are ready to bake at least 15 minutes. Before baking, brush the top of dough with egg wash. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool before serving. Serve hot
- If frying– Chill hand pies in the fridge or freezer and chill for about 45 minutes. Heat oil to 350 degrees.
Notes
To reheat- I recommend air frying or reheat in the oven.
Time varies based on the method you decide to cook these. You can absolutely prepare these the night before and freeze or cool in fridge until you are ready to cook.
Did you make it?
Tag @cookwithci on Instagram and hashtag #CookwithCi
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