Knock Their Socks Off with These Easy Crawfish Egg Rolls

Knock Their Socks Off with These Easy Crawfish Egg Rolls

I’ve mentioned before that my husband is a Louisiana transplant from Colorado. He has completely immersed himself in the amazing culinary culture of this city and has become quite the cook. In fact, he makes the best crawfish I’ve ever had using my late dad’s crawfish pot, and he uses my late grandfather’s Magnalite roaster to make a chicken and sausage gumbo that rivals the top restaurants. When his parents come from Colorado to visit, we cook and eat ALLLL the things. (A glimpse of that list: red beans, poboys, jambalaya, crawfish pie, filé gumbo…)

On their most recent visit, we took them to their first French Quarter Fest, where we discovered Muriel’s no longer participates. My poor father-in-law was heartbroken since I’d really gotten him pumped for their crawfish and goat cheese crepes (and we didn’t have time for a dinner reservation on this trip). Luckily, I have a recipe for that, so I made them when we got home.

With the plethora of New Orleans delicacies in our fridge, I decided to get a little creative with the leftovers. Since I was experimenting for my boudin egg roll recipe, I had some egg roll wrappers. And the crawfish sauce from the crepes seemed like a natural fit as a filling.

They were DELICIOUS. Maybe even my favorite thing I’ve ever made.

I do highly recommend making the filling a day in advance and refrigerating it overnight. Doing so makes it easier to work with (and gives those yummy flavors even more time to come together!). I promise it’s worth the wait!

crawfish egg rolls recipe

Crawfish Egg Rolls

1 batch of Crawfish Filling (recipe below), preferably chilled overnight
2 cups shredded cheese of your choice (I used Fiesta Blend)
1 package egg roll wrappers
Cooking spray or oil for frying
Dish of water for sealing egg rolls
Serve with: You really don’t need any dipping sauce with these, but WowWee Sauce is delicious on anything

Crawfish Filling:

1 tablespoon butter

2 cups trinity (chopped onion, green bell pepper, and celery)
1 can stewed tomatoes, drained & diced
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons Creole seasoning
1 pound crawfish tails
3/4 cup white wine or chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream

To make the crawfish filling: Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-high heat, add trinity and garlic and sauté until soft, then add the tomatoes and Creole seasoning. Add in the white wine or chicken broth and sauté for another minute. Add the heavy cream and stir to combine. Let it cook down until the sauce thickens, about 10-15 minutes. Add in the crawfish tails and sauté another minute until heated through.
As I mentioned earlier, I like to chill my filling in the fridge to make it thicker and a little easier to work with, so consider making it a day in advance and refrigerating the filling overnight.
To assemble the egg rolls: Place 2-3 tablespoons of crawfish mixture on egg roll wrapper and sprinkle with shredded cheese and roll the bottom up tightly around the filling, then fold the sides in, then wet the top edges with water and seal the egg roll tightly. (See photos below when I was making boudin egg rolls and had an extra set of hands nearby to take these how-to-roll pics!)
I like to place my egg rolls in the freezer for 15-30 minutes to help them keep their shape.
Cook using the desired method below:
Air Fryer: Spray lightly with cooking spray and air fry 9-12 minutes at 400 degrees, flipping halfway.
Oven: Preheat oven to 425. Spray lightly with cooking spray and bake 15-18 minutes, flipping halfway.
Deep Fry: Heat your oil to 350 degrees, fry egg rolls until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels.
Enjoy!
As you’d expect, the deep fried ones were the fan-favorite. We had a few cooked egg rolls leftover, so I froze them. When we want one, we just throw it in the air fryer until it’s heated through. So easy it’s almost dangerous!
Joey Yearous
Joey is a New Orleans native, Dominican alum, and LSU grad who joined the ranks of motherhood in the summer of 2019. She and her Colorado born-and-raised husband, Phil, left their Mid-City apartment for a house on the Northshore about ten days before they welcomed their son, Sam, into the world. A short 19 months later, their daughter Sloane arrived and their caboose Nicholas completed their family 17 months after that. Though she’s always had a passion for writing, it’s her work in whole-home generator sales that pays the bills. Her 3 kiddos keep her busy, but when she’s got a free moment, you can find her cooking, trying new restaurants, and listening to true crime podcasts. A consummate Pinterest fanatic, she’s always looking for her next DIY project or recipe to try. She believes good senses of humor and random acts of kindness make the world go ‘round.

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