Crawfish with Hollandaise Sauce
A dish my Louisiana born and bred Godmother serves is what inspires my Crawfish with Hollandaise Sauce. Rich and buttery with bright citrus notes, this would make a lovely Father’s Day meal. I use langostino from Trader Joe’s because fresh crawfish are difficult to lay hands on around these parts. The only difference between the two crustaceans is that langostino is a saltwater dweller and crawfish live in freshwater. The former term evokes luxury and perhaps yachting off the Amalfi coast, whereas crawfish and the term “mudbugs” are synonymous in many places. Crawfish are constitutive of traditional African American cuisine. What a clear example of how implicit bias and perception can influence our daily decisions.
Black people are under constant racial profiling every time we step outside our front doors. Because I only consume organic foods, I shop at particular places. A female manager of a store I visit once a week had a unnerving tendency to follow me each time I stepped into the establishment. She would conveniently find an errant bag of polenta that needed adjusting if I happened to be on an aisle looking for grits. The proverbially pot boiled over when she yelled at me post pandemic, scolding me as though I were a child and not a 56-year old, law school educated professional.
I complained, which resulted in the woman losing her job during a pandemic which was not a goal. Then yet another Black woman complained. I did however suggest the store institute diversity, equity, and inclusion training. Knowing if a store clerk has racially profiled you can be challenging, but when the rude, disparate treatment is occurring on a weekly basis, a problem exists.
Serve Crawfish with Hollandaise Sauce for dinner over a gluten free pasta, quinoa or a terrific teff.
Crawfish with Hollandaise Sauce
Equipment
- Large Pot
- Two Saucepans – one must be able to sit inside the other not touching the bottom.
- Whisk or Wooden Spoon
- Medium Frying Pan
- BPA Free Spatula
- Cutting Board
- Paring Knife
- Egg Separator (Optional)
- Metal Colander
Ingredients
Pasta
- 8 ounces Angel Hair Pasta
- 3 quarts Water
- 1 tbsp Sea Salt
Crawfish
- 12 ounces Langostino or Crawfish I used Trader Joe's brand
- 2 tbsp Organic Butter
- 1 tbsp Palm Oil
- 1½ tsp Organic Red Onion, finely minced
- 1 pinch Salt
Hollandaise Sauce
- 3 tbsp Water
- 2 tbsp Fresh squeezed Lemon Juice Equals juice of about ½ a lemon.
- 4 Egg Yolks
- 1 cup Organic Butter
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Cayenne
- ¼ tsp Dry Mustard
- ⅛ tsp Jane's Krazy Mixed-Up Salt
Instructions
Pasta
- Put the water in a large pot, add salt and heat to the boiling point on high heat.
- Place pasta in and cook per instructions on package. Strain into colander and set aside.
Crawfish
- Heat butter and palm oil to medium high heat. Add onions until they turn translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add crawfish and salt then cook an additional 3 to 5 minutes.
Hollandaise Sauce
- Separate egg yolks from the whites. Set yolks aside. (Refrigerate whites for an egg white omelette at another time).
- Put water into bottom saucepan and bring to a boil on medium high heat. Tip: Make sure the water does not the bottom of the top pot.
- Place 2nd saucepan on top creating a double boiler.
- Divide butter into 3 equal parts.
- Place ⅓ of the butter, egg yolks, and lemon juice into the top of the double boiler.
- Cook over the hot water stirring constantly, until the butter melts.
- Add another ⅓ of the butter and stir until it melts.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in remaining butter and seasonings.
- Tips: If sauce is not thick enough continue cooking over the double boiler. If the sauce separates, add 1 to 2 tsp. of boiling water and whisk briskly.
- Toss pasta, crawfish and sauce together and serve immediately, warm in a pasta bowl.
This was a great way to class up the humble mudbug. Great flavors and contrast between the sauce and the crawfish.
Thank you Marta!
This was my first time making crawfish and I loved it! The hollandaise sauce was a great addition!
So glad you liked it Lilly!
The best crawfish recipe ever! This is definitely going to be in rotation in our home.
Thank you!
I love crawfish and only since last summer I found a local supermarket that carries it regularly. Prior to that, it was hard to come by here in NYC. This was so good and with the hollondaise a perfect combination
I got some from Trader Joe’s and gave this a try. So delicious! Thanks for another great recipe, Robin!
I love hollandaise but I hadn’t tried it with crawfish until now. The combination was really delicious and I can’t wait to make it again
This combination was fantastic! I’m always looking for ways to enjoy crawfish and this was a perfect opportunity!
This was so good! The hollandaise recipe came out perfect and the crawfish were amazing over pasta.
This was right up my alley since I’m partial to shelled crawfish. Thanks for helping me make an easy lunch!
We couldn’t get enough of this recipe – delicious, saucy, and so flavorful!
I have seen the langostinio’s at TJ and have bought them a few times so now I have another great recipe to use. I have never had crawfish but want to try them. I read your shopping story, which leaves me angry that this doesn’t stop.
Thank you so much.
That Hollandaise Sauce is what dreams are made of! Perfect in every way! Love this crawfish recipe!
Thank you so much Leslie, I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Oh I love hollandaise on anything so this sounds like a winner to me!
Katie xoxo
Thank you Katie, it is pretty wonderful.