Crawfish Stuffed Avocado – A light, summer salad
Fresh crawfish are a spring rite of passage in Acadiana. The variations of usage are endless, and creative expression runs rampant in Cajun Creole kitchens. This is an especially good season for crawfish with the gentle winter temperature combined with early rains filling the ponds. Crawfish are plentiful and relatively inexpensive, although Easter signals the peak of production and the downslide begins.
Easter Sunday crawfish boils are a tradition for most families in Acadiana and the inevitable leftover mudbugs are always peeled and put to good use for a variety of traditional dishes in the week after. Tails can be cooked sauced down, fried up or pure and simple – ice-cold. Substituting crawfish tails for shrimp or crabmeat is quite common, and this take on a classic avocado-based salad adds a fresh spin to a classic Creole dish. The key is quality tails and if given the option, always peel your own from whole boiled crawfish.
Armed with a sack of just-ripe avocados from Fresh Market, as well as a pint carton of juicy cherry tomatoes and a sweet red onion, I knew the perfect balance of this dish would signal that the seasonal change was finally underway. As the warm, sticky Louisiana summer approaches, this is one last celebration of spring in Acadiana.
Crawfish Stuffed Avocado
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 0
Serves: 4
Tip: Since packaged crawfish tails are readily available year round in Acadiana, this stuffing mixture can be made most any time. This crawfish salad is remarkably versatile and makes a terrific sandwich served on a freshly baked croissant. Try it as a dip as well with some added kick of horseradish and hot sauce. The dressing is a variation of a green goddess with the garlic and anchovies giving it the zing of a classic Caesar dressing.
Dressing:
2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1 small can of anchovy filets
1 medium ripe avocado
Louisiana hot sauce
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Crawfish Salad:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Creole mustard
2 tablespoons Steen’s cane vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup red onion, chopped fine
1 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Louisiana hot sauce
Kosher salt
4 medium ripe avocados
1 cup red cherry tomatoes, halved
2 pounds cooked crawfish tails
2 lemons, cut into wedges
4 cups mixed salad greens
For the Dressing:
In the container of a blender, add mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, cilantro and garlic cloves. Open the anchovies and empty the filets into the blender along with the remaining oil in the tin. Cut the avocado in half lengthwise, and remove the seed. With a spoon, remove the pulp from each half. Add the pulp of the avocado to the blender and a dash of hot sauce along with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Cover and blend on high until completely smooth and creamy. Adjust seasoning to taste. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.
For the Crawfish Salad:
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Creole mustard, cane vinegar, lemon juice, cilantro, red onion and celery until well ombined. Add the pepper, a dash of hot sauce and a sprinkle of salt. Taste and adjust accordingly. Cover and refrigerate. Cut the avocados in half lengthwise and remove the seed. With a spoon, remove the pulp from each half and reserve the empty avocado half. Cut the pulp into bite-sized cubes and add to the mixing bowl along with the mixture. Add the cut cherry tomatoes and the crawfish tails along with any fat. Combine gently until incorporated evenly.
Spoon a large portion of the crawfish mixture back into each avocado half. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about an hour.
For serving, place two of the stuffed avocado halves on a plate with mixed salad greens. Garnish with lemon wedges, and place a small ramekin of the dressing on the plate. Pair this at lunch with a glass of sweet tea or in the evening with a crisp Chardonnay.
