Hot Baked Crawfish Dip
If you love crawfish, you will love this ooey, gooey hot baked crawfish dip. Tender crawfish tails are combined with cream cheese, Parmesan, green onions and garlic and served with warm bread or crackers.
Even though this crawfish dip is classified as an appetizer, The Husband and I ate it as dinner in front of the television one Friday evening. And you know what? We couldn’t finish it! On its own, this hot, baked crawfish dip is filling, but oh-so satisfying. However, it’s also perfect served as a heavy hors d’oeuvres for a holiday or tailgating party.
Fresh is Best, But …
…what if you don’t have access to fresh crawfish meat? Or like me and you don’t feel like peeling however many pounds of boiled crawfish it would take to come up with eight ounces of tail meat. Since I live so close to Louisiana, which is the leading producer of fresh crawfish in the U.S., I can easily find frozen crawfish tails in the seafood section of my local grocery store.
But not everyone is so lucky. IF that’s the case, frozen crawfish can also be purchased online and delivered from one of these reputable distributors:
How to Make Crawfish Dip
If using frozen crawfish meat, be sure to thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours prior. Crawfish meat is fatty and can spoil very easily if left the thaw on a countertop for several hours. About 30-45 minutes prior, set eight ounces of cream cheese out to soften.
Combine the Ingredients
Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, ¾ cup of Parmesan cheese, ¼ cup of mayonnaise, and one teaspoon of dried mustard. Slice two green onions, both the green tops and the white base stopping at the root, and toss that in with one clove of minced garlic and ½ teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce.
Add the Crab Boil
Next, add ½ teaspoon of shrimp and crab boil concentrate. I use Zatarain’s. I am a wimp when it comes to spicy food, so I found that ½ teaspoon of crab boil added just enough heat without making me regret it. However, if you like spicier food, feel free to add more a little at a time. Remember, you can always add more, but you can’t remove it. Whisk ingredients together until combined.
Bake
Gently fold in the crawfish tail meat. Season everything with salt and pepper. Spread the crawfish mixture into a small baking dish or pie plate. Bake the dip for 20 minutes. Then top the dip with and additional ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese. Return the dip to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 10 minutes more. Serve the dip hot with crackers, French bread, pretzels or crostini for dipping.
Prep Ahead
To make ahead, follow the recipe through step five. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Bake the crawfish dip within three days. To bake, simply remove the plastic wrap and follow the recipe accordingly.
How to Store Leftovers
The baked dip should be eaten or refrigerated within two hours. Cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent the dip from drying out and store it in the refrigerator. You can either reheat individual servings for 30 seconds in the microwave or cover the dip with aluminum foil and rebake according to recipe directions. Dip should be eaten within four days.
Because the dip contains cream cheese, I do not recommend freezing – either unbaked or baked. My experience with freezing cream cheese is that it tends to separate and form lumps. It won’t affect the taste, but it will affect the texture.
More crawfish recipes
More Dip Recipes
- Mississippi Sin Dip
- 92 Easy Game Day Dip Recipes
- Broccoli Artichoke Dip
- Bacon and Black-Eyed Pea Hummus
- Homemade Guacamole
Hot Baked Crawfish Dip
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese divided
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon dried mustard
- 2 green onions white and green parts chopped
- 1 clove garlic pressed
- ½ teaspoon shrimp boil
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 8 ounces cooked crawfish tail meat
- Crackers or crostini
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Combine the cream cheese, ¾ cup Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, dried mustard, green onions, garlic, shrimp boil and Worcestershire sauce in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk ingredients together until combined.
- Gently fold in the crawfish tail meat.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Spread the crawfish mixture into a small baking dish or pie plate.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Top dip with remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese and bake until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 10 minutes more.
- Serve hot spread on crackers or crostini.
I’m glad you like the recipe, Belle! Thanks for coming back and leaving a review.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Marie! Thanks for coming back and leaving a review.
Came out great.. added a dash of old bay seasoning (plus the Cajun spice blend)