Crawfish Beignets with Remoulade Sauce

Crispy southern fried Crawfish Beignets with spicy Remoulade Sauce, a savory version of a Louisiana classic...

Enjoying a plate full of beignets is a must-do for anyone traveling to New Orleans. These square pillows of sweetness are not to be missed. But did you know that you can also find savory beignets on streets of the Crescent City? You certainly can and I’m so excited to share with you one of my favorite New Orleans foods, Crawfish Beignets.

Beignets are fluffy pastries similar to a “fritter”. They’re fried and often coated with powdered sugar. They are popular in New Orleans and a “must order” item at the famous Café du Monde in the French Quarter.

The crawfish beignets in this recipe aren’t dusted with powdered sugar, they’re not even a dessert. These beignets are more of an appetizer or a snack. They’re filled with crawfish tails, chopped green onions, parsley, Creole seasoning – and they’re amazing!

Traditional New Orleans Recipes

As you may know, I grew up in New Orleans and that’s why you’ll find so many Louisiana-inspired recipes on ZagLeft and our One Dish Kitchen site.

If you haven’t tried our Cajun Shrimp Tacos, Jambalaya, Bananas Foster, or our New Orleans Style Bread Pudding, you simply must!

Why This Recipe Works

This crawfish beignets recipe is truly authentic!

I’ve been making crawfish beignets for years and I’ve brought them to more potlucks and dinner parties than I can count. One thing is for sure, these beignets are loved by everyone and I always go home with an empty plate.

These fried delights are great for snacking on while watching a movie or would even make a delicious light meal.

How To Make This Recipe

1. Combine flour, baking powder, creole seasoning such as Zatarain’s or any other brand and ginger in a bowl.

2. Stir in garlic, crawfish, chopped parsley, green onion, salt, Tabasco sauce and enough water to make a soft dough.

3. Heat oil to 350 degrees in a heavy deep saucepan.  Drop in teaspoons of dough and fry until golden brown.

4. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain and serve drizzled with Remoulade Sauce.

Expert Tips

• Don’t overmix the batter. Overmixing will make the beignets tough.
• Try to maintain a constant temperature of 350 degrees. You will need a thermometer to make sure the oil is always at the correct temperature. Make sure that the tip of the thermometer is not touching the bottom of the pan.
• Don’t overcrowd the saucepan when frying the beignets. Adding the batter to the pan will cause the temperature of the oil to drop which will cause the beignets to take longer to cook, resulting in them being undercooked on the insides.
• Allow the fried beignets to drain on a paper towel before eating.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where Can I Find Crawfish?

Packages of crawfish meat can be found in the freezer section of most grocery stores. Be sure to look for packages labeled Louisiana crawfish. Alternatively, you can pick the crawfish meat out of fresh boiled crawfish.

You can also substitute cooked shrimp cut into ½-inch pieces for the crawfish.

What Ingredients are in Remoulade Sauce?

This simple Remoulade sauce recipe combines mayonnaise, Creole or stone ground mustard, a touch of horseradish, lemon juice, olive oil, smoked paprika, and an optional dash of hot sauce.

Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients

If you have any ingredients leftover from this crawfish beignets recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:

• Crawfish: Crawfish Pasta, Crawfish Étouffée
• Creole seasoning: Shrimp Creole, Red Beans and Rice, Gumbo
• Hot sauce: Buffalo Chicken, Baked Chicken Wings
• Ground ginger: Soft Ginger Cookies, Pork Stir Fry, Healing Turmeric Tea
• Canola oil: Apple Fritters, Vegetarian Enchiladas, Red Velvet Donuts
• Creole mustard: Steak Salad, Mashed Potatoes, Potato Salad
• Horseradish: Ham and Cheese Scones, Reuben Sandwich

If you’re looking for a small batch of Crawfish Beignets with Remoulade Sauce, you can find that recipe as well as many other single serving recipes by visiting our One Dish Kitchen site. 

Enjoy!