My Easy Crawfish Dip is a nod to my Southern friends and family that love boiled crawfish and great Cajun goodness! This yummy party dip is very flavorful thanks to the hot sauce, seasoning, and of course the tender meat from the crawfish tails. Make it mild or make it spicy it doesn’t matter just hurry and make it!

All About The Crawfish!

When you make your way down to Louisiana, Houston, and for me South Arkansas, then be prepared for tons of great crawfish recipes and dishes that will be there waiting for you.

Whether it is a huge crawfish boil with tons of friends and family gathered around long tables loaded with tons of spicy red crawfish or a simple dip like I’m sharing today you are in for a delicious treat!

For my readers that aren’t from the southern areas I mention, this post may take you by surprise, or even make you think twice about trying it since eating crawfish may not be something that you grew up doing. But I’m asking that you give it a chance because they are delicious and this dip featuring their tender tail meat is so tasty.

What is a crawfish, you ask? Well, let me share some fun facts about them with you. Crayfish, aka Crawfish or Crawdads, are small types of crustaceans that mostly live in fresh water but I’ve heard there are some that can live in brackish water also. But I can’t recall ever having any of the later. 

These feisty little mud bugs (as I grew up calling them) are closely related to lobsters. They even look like mini lobsters to me when they are cooked as they take on that beautiful red color like their salty relatives do when steamed or boiled. 

In my opinion, Crawfish have a slightly stronger taste than lobster, but it is not fishy or off putting at all. I’d say if you were to compare it to crab it would be a more subtle flavor and maybe even a little tougher texture than shrimp.

But don’t let that fool you they are very flavorful and especially when boiled in some good Old Bay seasoning or Shrimp Boil. So if you’ve never tried them you’ll have to trust me. Try them out in my Crawfish Dip and I promise you that you’ll be hooked!

Fresh of Frozen Crawfish Tails, Which or Better In This Recipe?

Fresh or Frozen, that is the question! So I thought I take a quick hot minute to answer that about which ones work best in my Easy Crawfish Dip recipe that I’m sharing today.

I’ll say this, fresh is always better in my opinion, but isn’t that with any type of consumable food? I mean just like with vegetables the meat from the crawfish tales is at it’s prime with it is fresh and I would totally recommend using fresh tails if you can get your hands on them.

But for the off seasons and for those times that fresh crawfish are not something you can find then don’t worry, I am here to tell you that this recipe is just as delicious when you use the frozen variety.

I find them year around in the freezer sections of both my Walmart and our Harps grocery store. Not to mentions I usually have a few friends with them stashed away in their freezer. Yeah, I’m lucky that they will share!

The frozen crawfish tails will be pre-cooked and already removed from the shell that surrounds the meat. That means they are a huge time saving if you are in a pinch.

You’ll have to trust me, but I wouldn’t let you down. The frozen crawfish tails are the perfect route to go if you can’t get your claws on the freshly boiled counterparts. They are yummy without the hassle of needing boiling equipment or the messy part of peeling the shells off.

How could that be bad, right? 

Hopefully that puts your mind to rest on whether or not you have to use fresh or frozen. You really can’t go wrong with either in this recipe.

Tips and Tricks for Making This Easy Crawfish Dip.

This Easy Crawfish Dip could not be easier or more tasty.  Let’s take some time together to look at a few tips and tricks I use to make this dish delicious every time and I’ll include a few ways to save time on the recipe

• Whether you choose to go with fresh or frozen, Crawfish will determine how much time you need to make this recipe. Fresh is always best yes, but remember if you choose to go that route and have access to fresh crawfish then make sure you add time to the recipe for cooking the crawfish and removing the tail meat from the shells.
• Want to save time by using frozen crawfish tails? Hey I say go for it. I can find cooked and shelled crawfish tails year around in my local Walmart freezer section and have tried them in this recipe and they worked amazingly well. The brand I buy is Bernard’s but I’m sure there are other brands depending on the area you are shopping in.
• Don’t like crawfish or don’t want to spend that much on the tail meal then swap shrimp for the crawfish and call it done. You can use small frozen shrimp that you thaw before mixing in or if you don’t mind them you can buy small cans of baby shrimp over next to the cans of crab and tuna fish. 
• Flavorful doesn’t have to me spicy. Now most Cajuns or crawfish lovers will tell you the hotter the better but I’m a fan of still feeling my lips and face after my dinner so I go with moderate hot sauce and Cajun Seasoning. But this recipe is super easy to adjust and it only takes a little taste testing and adding additional hot sauce to perfect it to your heat level. So don’t be afraid to taste as you go. 
• Dips come together so much easier if the ingredients are room temperature so I recommend that you lay your cream cheese out well in advance to make sure it is very soft and easily mixed with the mayo and other ingredients.
• This dip makes an amazing head dip that can be made and then frozen until you are ready to use it. Simply follow the directions until the dip is completely mixed up and ready to go in the oven. Instead of adding it to a baking dish use a freezer safe pan and wrap it tightly and freeze it. When you are ready to eat it let it thaw then bake it for 30-35 minutes until it is hot and bubbling all the way through.
• Serve this dip with fresh veggies sticks, your favorite pieces of bread or low carb bread, crackers, chips, or even pork rinds for those hardcore low-carbers.  

With these tips you should have success each time you make this Easy Crawfish dip and be able to enjoy it anytime of the year not just during the typical crawfish season. Yes, I said crawfish season, typically November to July give or take, lol see I’m not making that up, it’s really a thing lol.

Are You A Crawfish Fan Looking For More Keto & Low Carb Ways To Eat Crawfish?

For those of you that are fans of crawfish I hope you give my Easy Crawfish Dip a try and then I wanted to share a few deliciously tempting recipes that I’ve found on the internet that feature crawfish too! Yummy!

So after you check out the recipe card below on my recipe be sure to hop over and look at these two recipes as well for more yumminess.

Keto Shrimp Etouffee with Crawfish, by Tales of a Texas Granola Girl

Low Carb Crawfish Pies, Buttoni’s Low Carb Recipes

Paleo Crawfish Etouffee, Kit’s Kitchen

Yield: 6-8 Servings (1/4 cup)

Easy Crawfish Dip || Low Carb & THM "S"

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

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Ingredients

Crawfish Dip

• 8 ounces of cooked and peeled crawfish tails
• 8 ounces of softened cream cheese
• 3/4 cup of real mayo
• 3/4 cup Shredded Cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup chopped onions
• 1/3 cup chopped celery
• 1 Tablespoon of Cooking Oil
• 2 Teaspoons of Hot Sauce, optional for additional heat
• 1 to 2 teaspoons of Cajun Seasoning

Topping

• 1/3 cup Shredded Cheese
• Sprinkle of Louisiana Hot Sauce, options for extra heat

Instructions

1. Add the oil to a small skillet and sauté the chopped onions and celery until they are slightly tender and sit aside to cool.
2. Add the softened cream cheese, mayo, shredded cheese, hot sauce, Cajun Seasoning to a mixer or food processor and mix thoroughly until there are no lumps.
3. Stir in the cooked Crawfish Tails and the onion and celery mixture by hand.
4. Transfer the Crawfish Dip to a baking dish and top with cheese and extra hot sauce for more kick.
5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until hot and bubbly.
6. Serve with low carb crackers, fresh raw veggies, or low carb chip of choice.

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Keri Bucci

I am a southern girl through and through that loves to laugh, cook, read and spend time with family. My passions outside of home schooling my son are ministering to those in need and creating art in the kitchen! Every day is an adventure in our little house and I wouldn’t trade it or the chance to share here with you for anything!