Crayfish Croque Monsieur
Crayfish and The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival seem to go hand in hand. So when it was time to do my annual cooking demo at the Fest, I created this recipe, which is a play on the beloved French bar sandwich made with ham and cheese. I’ve always loved the crispy richness of batter-dipped sandwiches. This version, stuffed with a piquant crayfish salad, steals the show from diner varieties. The creamy crayfish sauce isn’t necessary, but it’s certainly delicious. If you feel guilty about the richness of this recipe, you can use light mayonnaise.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 4 to 6 sandwiches
Ingredients
Crayfish Filling
Buttermilk Batter
Creamy Crayfish Sauce
To Assemble
Preparation
Crayfish Filling
Step 1
Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, then add the celery and onion and cook, stirring, until translucent. Drain the crayfish and add to skillet and cook, stirring constantly, just to warm through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and cool. Reduce the juices left in the pan to 1 teaspoon and add to crayfish mixture. When cool, mix with the mayonnaise, scallions, and cheese. Add salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste.
Buttermilk Batter
Step 2
Whisk all the ingredients together in a medium bowl.
Creamy Crayfish Sauce
Step 3
Melt the butter in a small nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add the crayfish and garlic, and sauté 2–3 minutes, until warmed through. Add the cream and scallions, and bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute, and when cream is slightly thickened, add parsley and salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the lemon juice and cook 1 more minute.
To Assemble
Step 4
Trim the crusts from the bread. Top 4 slices with approximately 1/2 cup filling each, and cover with the remaining 4 slices, pressing gently. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Using tongs or your fingers, dip 2 sandwiches into buttermilk batter, one at a time (hold each over the bowl so excess batter can drip off), then fry in hot butter on both sides until crisp and golden. Repeat with remaining 2 sandwiches, adding more butter to the skillet if necessary. Pour the crayfish sauce over the hot sandwiches. Serve with dill pickles and potato chips.
