Cajun & Creole/ Lent/ Main Course/ Meatless Monday/ Seafood

Crawfish Tacos with Avocado Crema

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At the beginning of summer, I photographed the Louisiana Cookin’ Magazine Seafood Fitness Challenge at the Louisiana Culinary Institute (as mentioned here).  I took to the students pretty quickly and wanted to have an opportunity to give voice to some of the recipes that won top honors, but didn’t “win” the grand prize per se.These Crawfish Tacos were one of the last recipes to come out and instantly my favorite.  I love filling tacos with healthy seafood like shrimp or fish, but never thought to use crawfish as a substitute.  This addition gives the tacos a unique Cajun/Creole flare making them a fun fusion between south Louisiana cooking and traditional South American dishes like tacos.  Although tacos are probably one of the most American fast food items you can buy, the use of crawfish and Avocado Crema gives the dish a rich gourmet feel while staying true to the taco’s South American roots.Plus, the girl who prepared the recipe for LCI was pretty adorable with her bright red hair and mousy grin.  I wanted her to win even though she placed with top honors in the crawfish category. 

Pictured: LCI student receiving honors for her preparation of these Crawfish Tacos with Avocado Crema.

Once again, thank you to Louisiana Cookin’ Magazine for inviting me out to shoot this event and thank you to Lisa Renshaw of Kansas City, MO, who submitted this recipe to the contest.

Crawfish Tacos with Avocado Crema

This recipe is rewritten from its original publication at Louisiana Cookin’s website (here).  I’ve kept the ingredients list and concept the same, but made some tweaks to the style in which the dish is prepared.  In the future, I’d like to try upping the heat in both the crema and the crawfish so that the dish has more Cajun flare.

Ingredients:

—Avocado Crema—

*1 cup fat free sour cream

*1 avocado, cubed and mashed

*juice of 1 lime (can substitute 1/4 cup)

*Salt, to taste

—Tacos—

*1 tablespoon olive oil

*1 tablespoon butter

*2 pounds crawfish tails

*4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

*1/2 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)

*1 teaspoon cayenne

*juice of 1 lime (can substitute 1/4 cup lime juice)

*1 cup cilantro, finely chopped

*12 corn taco shells, warmed

1.) Prepare Avocado Crema: in a large mixing bowl, combine sour cream, avocado, lime juice, and salt.  Mix to combine (sauce should resemble a green purée) and taste.  Add more salt as necessary.

2.) In a non-stick skillet warmed over medium heat, melt down butter and add olive oil.  Toss crawfish tails in butter and oil and add garlic, salt, cayenne, lime juice, and cilantro.  Stir to coat and sauté until cooked (about 3 minutes).  Be wary of over-cooking shell fish.

3.) Serve crawfish in taco shells with avocado crema on top.  Enjoy! Makes 6 servings (2 tacos each).

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Crawfish Tacos with Avocado Crema, 5.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating
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August 9, 2012 By
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—– Dr. Helana E. Brigman is the creator of the award-winning blog Clearly Delicious and author of The Fresh Table: Cooking in Louisiana All Year Round. Her work has appeared in Serious Eats, Louisiana Cookin’ Magazine, and The Advocate.

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    […] preparing submission for the Seafood Fitness Challenge with Louisiana Cookin’ Magazine in May of 2012. I still get giddy when I go into the […]

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