Crawfish Bread

This meal is my quick go-to meal and all of my family and friends love it! I make it for events and even holidays. Even though the sodium intake is a little high, the taste is flavorful and seasoned to perfection. It was the only cheat meal I had on my diet besides salads, beans, fruits, and vegetables. It is a southern appetizer that will be sure to fill you up.

After I was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure, I remember telling my doctor that I could only keep certain things down and this recipe for crawfish bread was one of those things. So most of my second kidney failure, I ate what I could most of the time. I used to ask my mom to make it and bring it to the hospital when I was admitted for long periods at a time. I think the bread in this recipe helped ease my stomach when the medication I was on was making me nauseous. I still eat this dish all of the time!

Makes 4 servings

Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time : 20 minutes

Ingredients for crawfish bread

• 1 oz loaf of French bread
• 0.25 cup of mayonnaise
• 1 lb. of crawfish tails
• 3 tbsp of salted butter
• 0.50 cup of chopped sweet onion
• 0.75 cup chopped green onion
• 3 tbsp fresh parsley (chopped)
• 3 tsp. of a no salt seasoning (I use Tony Chacheres)
• 1 8 oz. pack of cream cheese
• 0.75 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
• 0.75 cup of Colby jack cheese
• 0.75 cup of pepper jack cheese
• 0.50 tsp. of paprika
• 4 tsp. of minced garlic

Directions for Crawfish bread

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Cut the loaf of bread in half and put mayo on each pieces on the inside. Spread evenly and set aside.
3. In a skillet, melt butter, then add minced garlic and the sweet onion. Cook until translucent.
4. Add crawfish tails (note: do not rinse these, you'll want to use the juice from crawfish pack), green onions, and parsley.
5. Stir to combine.
6. Cook crawfish, then add seasonings and the cream cheese. Stir until cheese is incorporated.
7. Divide the mixture between each bread halves and spread evenly to cover.
8. Place every cheese on top of each bread half and sprinkle paprika and parsley at the top.
9. Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted then place on broil 6 inches from heat until cheese is light golden brown. Allow to cool a bit and serve while warm.