There is an old Louisiana legend that says that when the original Acadians fled Nova Scotia to head to Louisiana, the local lobsters followed them. During the long swim the lobsters lost a lot of weight and most of their length. By the time they reached the bayou swamps to reunite with the early Cajuns, they had turned into crawfish! Crawfish, mudbugs, or crawdads—whatever you decide to call them, they’re delicious. With Texas being so close to bayou country, we can’t help but love these cute crustaceans. Though resembling tiny lobsters, only the extremely tasty tail is edible. When they are cooked with spicy Cajun flavors, you have yourself a mighty fine treat. Just remember that Louisiana crawfish are seasonal. A consistent supply can’t be counted on except between early March and mid-June, with the height of the season mid-March to mid-May. If crawfish are not available, peeled and deveined shrimp serve as a good substitute.

　　

Ingredients

makes 6 servings

　　Cooking spray

　　1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

　　1 cup chopped onion

　　2 pounds meat from crawfish tails (about 14 pounds whole crawfish)

　　1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

　　1/2 cup chopped green onions, green parts only

　　1 (10-ounce) container sliced white button mushrooms

　　1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

　　1 teaspoon garlic powder

　　1/2 teaspoon cayenne

　　1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

　　1/2 teaspoon salt

　　2 1/2 cups seasoned bread crumbs (see page 196)

　　1 egg, beaten

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Lightly coat a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.

　　

Step 2

Melt the butter in a large sauté pan set over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 8 minutes. Add the crawfish, bell pepper, and green onions, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, parsley, garlic powder, cayenne, black pepper, and salt and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from heat, add 2 cups of the bread crumbs and the egg, and stir well.

　　

Step 3

Pour the mixture into the casserole dish and top with the remaining 1/2 cup bread crumbs. Bake for 25 minutes or until the casserole is set and the bread crumbs are golden brown.

　　From The Casserole Queens Cookbook by Crystal Cook & Sandy Pollock. Copyright © 2011 by Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock; Food photographs copyright © 2011 by Ben Fink. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers.Crystal Cook and Sandy Pollock, the Casserole Queens, have been delivering casseroles in Austin, Texas, since 2006; they also teach cooking classes at Whole Foods stores in the area. They have been featured on Food Network's Throwdown! with Bobby Flay and Bobby Flay Radio on Sirius XM, as well as on television news and radio talk shows.