You'll find spicy Cajun seasoned cheesiness in these Crawfish Nachos. They're full of tasty bites of crawfish garnished with the flavors of lime, cilantro, and jalapeno peppers. It's not a nacho but a Cajun Crawcho!
I'm an Amazon Associate. Please note that the Louisiana Woman Blog contains Affiliate links with Amazon, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. Thank you!
The classic nachos are yellow tortilla chips topped with grated cheddar cheese and jalapeno peppers baked in the oven to warm the chips and melt the cheese.
Today, nachos are the most favored concession stand food usually made with canned cheese sauce. You can also find many versions made with different cheese sauces and the addition of meats and veggies.
One of my favorite restaurant renditions is Mom Bourque's Seafood Nachos at Trapp's in Monroe, LA. They pile freshly fried potato chips topped with warm cheese sauce and seafood. I like to eat these on the patio, view the Ouachita River, while listening to Cajun music. I feel right at home!
Tortilla Chip And Dip
The homemade potato chip is a pleasant change, but tortilla chips are still king for nachos, so I'm sticking with them for our Crawchos Crawchos. Isn't that a cute Cajunized name?
If you're looking for another nacho-like dip? Here's a Baked Mexican Layered Dip. It's a tasty, warm dip that is meaty enough for a main dish. So clever!
Also, you can't go wrong with an Easy To Make Spicy, Chunky Guacamole Dip to sit on a chip. The flavors of jalapeno pepper with red pepper flakes and the sweet touch of orange juice perfectly complement the avocado!
And for more Louisiana-inspired recipes, check out 24 Mardi Gras Food Recipes.
Ingredients
- Olive oil - to cook the veggies with the butter.
- Salted butter - the buttery taste adds to the oil and veggies as they cook.
- Garlic - press the cloves into bits to distribute the taste throughout the crawfish cheese sauce.
- Jalapeno pepper - finely diced without the veins and seeds for a not-so-hot bite.
- Green onions - a milder flavor than white, yellow, or red onions.
- All-purpose flour - to thicken the sauce.
- Evaporated milk - which doesn't cause any separating of the liquid in the dip.
- Quesadilla cheese - for a smooth melt, I like Supremo Queso Chihuahua. Still, pepper jack cheese is a good choice because of its flavor and melting qualities.
- Cajun seasoning - your favorite brand or this Pink Cajun Seasoning Blend.
- Water - to thin the sauce.
- Crawfish tails -raw, peeled, and cleaned, or leftover crawfish tails from your last crawfish boil.
- Tortilla chips - a freshly opened bag of your favorite brand that's not too thin; you want a sturdy chip to withstand the rich crawfish sauce.
- Lime wedges - for color as a garnish and splash of lime flavor.
- Cilantro leaves - chopped for color and Mexican flavor, or fresh parsley will do.
- Pickled jalapeno slices - to garnish the stack of nachos and for more spicy jalapeno flavor.
See the recipe card below for specific ingredient amounts and their nutrition facts.
INSTRUCTIONS
This recipe doesn't take much time to prepare.
- It begins with heating butter and olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- Next, add jalapeno pepper, green onions, and garlic, and cook until softened.
- Stir in the flour for a minute to combine before pouring milk in to form the basic sauce.
- After this mixture heats, stir in the cheese until it melts; add water to thin the sauce.
- Bring the sauce to a simmer under medium low heat and add a generous pound of chopped crawfish tails and the seasoning.
- Simmer the crawfish mixture for a few minutes before assembling the Crawchos.
- Take a plate, serving tray, or large rimmed baking sheet and place one layer of chips. Ladle half of the queso over the chips, add a second layer of chips, then top it off with more spicy cheese sauce.
How To Serve
You want to serve these as soon as they are plated. Lime wedges, cilantro or fresh parsley, and jalapeño pepper rings are a nice garnish.
A splash of lime juice gives a pop of flavor, and a dollop of cold, creamy sour cream adds to it.
Notes
You can also replace the raw crawfish with leftover crawfish tails from your last crawfish boil by simply warming through the sauce and crawfish instead of simmering for 5 minutes with the raw.
Make sure to adjust the amount of Cajun seasoning since the boiled crawfish is already seasoned.
The cheese sauce can be served in a separate bowl or kept heated in a crockpot or chafing dish as a dip beside a pile of your favorite chips.
Top Tip
When selecting cheese for nachos, you want a smooth melt. And one with enough stringiness when you pull the chip away from the dish to your mouth. This Queso Chihuahua Shredded Quesadilla Cheese is an excellent choice.
I also suggest using evaporated milk instead of regular milk. It doesn't cause any separation of the liquid from the dip.
MORE CRAWFISH RECIPES
Crawfish Nachos: aka Cajun Crawchos
A spicy Cajun seasoned, cheesy nacho dish with tasty bites of crawfish garnished with the flavors of lime, cilantro, and more jalapeno.
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oilive oil
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 cloves of garlic (1-½ teaspoons), pressed
- 1 medium fresh jalapeno pepper (2 tablespoons), finely diced
- ⅓ cup green onions, sliced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1-½ cups (12 ounces) evaporated milk
- 7 ounces grated quesadilla cheese (like Supremo Queso Chihuahua)
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- ½ cup water
- 1 pound raw crawfish tails, peeled and cleaned
- tortilla chips
- lime wedges, cilantro, and pickled jalapeno slices for garnish
Instructions
- Melt butter in a heavy, medium to large size pot on the stove with olive oil.
- Add jalapeno and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add green onions and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook a minute longer before stirring in the flour.
- Cook with the flour another minute before pouring milk in a little at a time, stirring the mixture until smooth.
- Add cheese with the seasoning, stirring to melt into the milk mixture.
- Stir in water to thin out the dip.
- Add crawfish and simmer for 5 minutes, covered, stirring occassionally.
- Spoon over layers of tortilla chips on a tray or shallow dish and garnish with celantro, jalapeno pepper slices, and lime wedges.
Notes
- You can also replace the raw crawfish with leftover crawfish tails from your last crawfish boil by simply warming through the sauce and crawfish instead of simmering for 5 minutes with the raw.
- Make sure to adjust the amount of Cajun seasoning since the boiled crawfish is already seasoned.
- The cheese sauce can be served in a separate bowl or kept heated in a crockpot or chafing dish as a dip beside a pile of your favorite chips.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Appetizers
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: Cajun
You know i love hearing from you. Please a question or comment below and don;t forget to follow me on FaceBook and Instagram.
Have a nice day!
A.W. Tozer"We need never shout across the spaces to an absent God. He is nearer than our own soul, closer than our most secret thoughts."
Crystal Beauchamp
Beautiful quote. Thank you for sharing
Louisiana Woman
Thanks, Crystal!