19 Crawfish Tail Recipes That Are Beyond Tasty

I think everyone will agree with me when I say that crawfish is one of the tastiest seafood out there.

It somehow balances salty flavors with a dash of sweetness, and even the tails can be very versatile.

For one, they taste fantastic fried, baked, or even sauteed, but the key is finding the right pairings.

However, it’s not always easy figuring out how to make the most out of the tender tail meat.

Today, I’ll be sharing with you some simple crawfish tail recipes that can help boost the meat’s texture and flavor profile.

Whether you’re looking for a main course, a side dish, or even a quick snack, I hope this guide will help you fix a stellar dish with crawfish tails!

1. Cajun Crawfish Tail Etouffee

Did you know that both Cajun spice and crawfish are staples in Louisiana? Well, together, they make a perfect combo.

This recipe gives you meaty tails smothered in gravy sauce rich in Cajun spices.

Plus, if you have frozen crawfish tails, you can use them in this recipe.

There’s just one catch:

To make a delicious roux for your etouffee, it’s essential to stir continuously.

Don’t forget to serve the tails over white rice, hot sauce, and warm garlic bread.

2. Baked Crawfish Dip

Are you looking for tasty dip recipes with crawfish tail meat to serve at a gathering?

Try this savory dip filled with tender tails, lots of cheese, onion, and garlic.

This recipe also uses shrimp and crab boil, which adds a spice kick.

To balance the texture, you can serve it with crackers, toasted baguette slices, or pretzels.

Keep in mind:

The baked crawfish dip should be consumed within two hours.

If there are any leftovers, cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate them.

You can rebake the dip and serve it again within four days.

3. Fried Crawfish Tails

Among all the fried crawfish tail recipes I’ve tried, this one always ends up being a crowd favorite.

The tiny treats are bite-sized and just perfect for appetizers or snacks.

The savory flavor profile of the crawfish tails and homemade cocktail sauce will surely keep coming back for more!

The best part?

All ingredients can be found in your kitchen right now, even the ones for the sauce.

Plus, you can easily customize the recipe if something’s missing or if you want to tweak the taste according to your preferences.

4. Pike Quenelles and Crawfish Tails in Lobster Sauce

This dish is basically fish dumplings swimming in a creamy lobster sauce with crawfish tails.

The dumplings themselves are made out of mashed pike, which is a rather bony fish.

What does this mean for you?

If you’re planning to try out this recipe, it’s important that you have good skills in deboning fish.

Additionally, I’d recommend making the sauce from scratch to get that rich and creamy consistency.

5. Cajun Crawfish Tail Enchiladas

I mean, who wouldn’t love the cheesy seafood version of enchiladas?

Well, it’s possible to mix the concepts behind enchiladas into recipes with crawfish tail meat.

You might even get away with using frozen tails.

Just make sure to compensate with enough creole seasoning and a rich blend of cheese.

You can also enjoy it with Cajun-style rice if you’re looking for a magic pairing!

6. Simple Crawfish Tail Salad

Not sure what to do with your leftover crawfish tails?

This seafood salad is one of the most hassle-free cooked crawfish recipes there is.

Here’s why:

The only ingredients needed are lettuce, chives, tomatoes, and leftover crawfish tails, but you can use whatever veggies you have on hand.

You can go crazy with salad dressing choices. Personally, I prefer the thousand island dressing.

7. Fried Crawfish Sandwich

This fried crawfish tail recipe gives classic sandwich dinners a crispy twist to die for.

But there’s a kicker.

It’s important to let the crawfish tails sit in the marinating mixture for 30 minutes to get the best crunch possible.

So, I wouldn’t go for this recipe if I’m in a rush.

Either way, the remoulade sauce and the Cajun seasoning are crucial here, and you might want to avoid altering them.

8. Crawfish Egg Rolls

These homemade egg rolls are filled with spicy crawfish tails and a vegetable mixture, all wrapped up and fried to crispy perfection!

You can use whichever seafood stock you like, but fish, shrimp, and as lobster appetizers make for good options.

Chicken stock can work in a pinch, too.

For the cheese, this recipe recommends pepper jack cheese since it has a mixture of spices and is easy to melt.

You can serve your crawfish egg rolls with remoulade sauce or creole sauce.

9. Crayfish Tails Cocktail

With a seafood cocktail for an appetizer, your guests will fall in love at the first bite!

This is one of those easy recipes for cooking crawfish tail meat that would be perfect for parties or game nights.

Here is how it works:

First, you’ll need to cook and peel your crayfish tails.

Then, you’ll need to drizzle some garlic mayonnaise on top.

Finally, you can garnish with a slice of lemon before serving!

10. Buttery Crawfish Scampi

If you’re looking for recipes with crawfish tails that could double as comfort food, scampi might be just what you need.

However, the key is using real Louisiana crawfish tails to get that dazzling aroma.

Then, you can take things up a notch with fresh herbs and some lemon juice!

That’s not all.

The best thing about this recipe is you can serve the tails in a whole lot of variations.

My favorite pairings here are angel hair pasta, white rice, and toasted sourdough bread.

11. Crawfish Tail Boudin

If you have leftover crayfish tails, I’d recommend this boudin recipe.

It won’t take much effort, and you’ll hardly be able to tell that the meal is even made from leftover tail meat.

All you’ll need to do is combine onions, bell pepper, celery, garlic, and the crawfish mixture in a large skillet.

Then, you’ll fold the mixture into the rice and stuff the hog casings.

Here’s a pro tip:

Remember to put the filling in while it’s still hot!

Finally, you can fry the crawfish boudin for 15-20 minutes before serving it with mustard sauce.

12. Fried Crawfish Beignets

If you’re looking for a snack to eat while watching your new favorite series, you should try these crawfish beignets.

Deep-frying the tail beignets for 3-5 minutes gives them an irresistible crunch.

But the truth is:

For this recipe to work, you’ll need a decent blend of cheese.

After all, you want the filling to be rich with mozzarella, fontina, and parmesan.

Plus, some creole seasoning can take the veggies to the next level!

13. Baked Crawfish Pistolettes

These creamy and cheesy pistolettes are hearty, easy to make, and will definitely turn heads when you serve them.

Why?

Well, cheese, Cajun sausage meat, and crawfish tail stuffed in delicious pistolette bread make a flavor combo that’s just out of this world.

You can even use leftover crawfish if you don’t want this dish to turn into one of those traditional frozen crawfish tails recipes.

14. Crawfish Tails with Crackers

If you’re looking for peeled crawfish recipes that work for light dishes, you might like this one.

The concept here is rather simple:

You’ll serve the cooked and peeled tails with pumpkin seed crackers and some green garnish.

It’s not the most hearty recipe out there, but it works well as an elegant appetizer for parties and weddings.

Plus, the crackers balance the texture with the tender tail meat rather well.

As a bonus, you’ll get a nutrition boost from the pumpkin seeds!

15. Shrimp and Crawfish Tail Quesadillas

If your kids are huge seafood lovers, this recipe will quickly become a family favorite since it builds on regular quesadillas with a crawfish and shrimp twist.

It might sound complicated, but hear me out:

As long as you know how to saute, fold tortillas, and season your meals, you’ll be all set.

You can use creole buttermilk sauce to take the dish to the next level or add some jalapeño if your little ones don’t mind spicy food.

16. Creamy Crawfish Monica

It’s no doubt that seafood pasta in restaurants is an expensive treat.

Well, I have some good news for you.

You can make your own delicious crawfish pasta in the comfort of your home, with an even better taste than the restaurant version!

The crawfish Monica is a rotini pasta topped with a rich, creamy, and cheesy sauce filled with seasoned crawfish tails.

To make a well-rounded meal, you can serve it with some warm French bread or a salad.

17. Fried Crawfish Balls

If you’re looking for a delicious seafood appetizer to serve, these spicy deep-fried balls are a perfect choice.

However, you’ll need to make sure that the balls hold their shape.

Sounds challenging?

Well, some breadcrumbs can do the trick just fine.

It’s also important to let the uncooked balls rest in the refrigerator for a while.

This way, they’ll handle the frying without falling apart.

When you’re all done, you can serve the fried crawfish balls with gravy, coleslaw, or green salad.

18. Crawfish Tail Cream Sauce

This dish is one of my go-to crawfish tail meat recipes because it’s fast and straightforward.

You can fix a bowl in 15 minutes and treat your taste buds to a rich crawfish cream sauce with garlic, buttery, and zesty flavors.

Even if it’s seafood-based, you can still enjoy the sauce with steak and french fries!

Just a quick tip:

To prevent the butter from burning, you’ll need to add a small amount of oil when cooking the butter.

19. Hearty Crawfish Tail Jambalaya

Grab some peeled crawfish tails, rice, and smoked sausages.

We’re about to make a hearty jambalaya.

Here’s an interesting fact about jambalaya:

The dish may have originated in New Orleans, but it actually brings in inspiration from different cuisines.

All in all, this is one of the most fulfilling crawfish tail recipes on this list, but it does take some effort and time to prepare.

However, it’ll all be worth it when you take a bite of this flavor-packed jambalaya!