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The crispy crawfish egg rolls are made with a creamy, spicy crawfish and vegetable mixture (similar to etouffee), rolled in an egg roll wrapper then fried to a nice, crispy, golden brown. Served with my amazing Cajun remoulade sauce, these Cajun style egg rolls are absolute perfection.
Deliciously crisp outside with flavor packed filling, these crawfish egg rolls hold a special place in my heart.
The filling reminds me of this Cajun crawfish etouffee I used to get at this little restaurant in downtown Dallas many years ago. I was so in love with that place, it was one of my first experiences with learning to enjoy food eating by yourself.
I've always loved the flavors of etouffee, which is why I've also created this chicken etouffee, as well as this crawfish pie, which is essentially filled with crawfish etouffee.
So I figured, why not stuff it in an egg roll? I tried them baked and fried, and decided fried definitely was better. However, I did include some instructions for baking below if you prefer to do it that way.
And if you're celebrating Mardi Gras, make it a party with all of these Cajun style recipes!
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Ingredients
The full list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
You can typically buy crawfish tail meat without having to buy the whole crawfish. The only place I am able to buy it now (my favorite market closed down, sadly) is Walmart in the frozen seafood section.
You can also order it online or buy fresh, whole crawfish during crawfish season (then you'll have to shell the crawfish and remove the tail meat for this recipe).
For the fish stock, you can use fish stock, shrimp stock, lobster stock, or any other seafood stock. You can also just use chicken stock if you'd prefer.
I like to use pepperjack cheese because it adds a little kick and it melts very nicely. However, you can add any other meltable cheese.
I have been using this Tony Chacheres Creole seasoning for many years to season my Cajun dishes. It works great, but I have recently started making my own Creole seasoning and have fallen in love with homemade versions.
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Step By Step Instructions
- Heat the flour and oil in a skillet over medium low heat. Stir continuously until it reaches a medium brown color, about 7-10 minutes.
- Add the diced onion and green pepper and cook for 1 minute.
If you want to learn more about the steps for making a roux, check out this post on how to make a roux. Also, because roux takes some effort to make, I highly recommended making a double batch and freezing it. Just remove half of it from the skillet before adding the peppers and onions.
- Add the tomatoes and cook another minute.
- VERY SLOWLY pour in the fish broth, while whisking constantly, and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. It's key to pour slowly to avoid lumps from forming.
- Add the Cajun seasoning, crawfish and cream and simmer until thickened, about 3-5 minutes. While the mixture is simmering, add the cooked rice and shredded pepper jack cheese to a large bowl.
- Pour the crawfish mixture into the bowl and mix to combine. You can make your egg rolls right away, but the mixture is slightly easier to deal with if you refrigerate it for an hour or two.
How to roll the egg rolls
- Lay an egg roll wrapper on a flat countertop or surface and folder up the bottom about one inch.
- Place 2 tablespoons of the mixture right above the folder up corner (towards the bottom).
- Fold the right and left corners in towards the middle.
- Roll the egg roll all the way, leaving 1 inch free at the top.
- Lightly wet the free corner at the top with water and press onto the egg roll to seal it.
- Continue with all remaining egg rolls until all the mixture has been used.
- Heat about 2 inches of oil over medium heat to 350°F in Dutch oven or high sided cast iron skillet. I prefer cast iron as the pot retains it's heat better.
- Once the oil is heated to 350°F, add 4-5 egg rolls (being careful not to overcrowd the pan so the oil temperature doesn't come down too much) and fry for about 2-3 minutes per side, until they are golden brown.
Remove and place on a wire rack over paper towels to let any excess grease drain off.
Like I said above, I love these egg rolls served with Remoulade sauce, but they are also great served with this red gravy (New Orleans style).
How to Make Baked Egg Rolls
If you prefer to bake the egg rolls instead, preheat the oven to 400°F.
Brush the tops of the egg rolls with butter and bake for 20-30 minutes, until they turn golden brown.
Expert Tips
- Use a thermometer to make sure the oil stays at 350 degrees.
- It is easier to roll the egg rolls if the filling has been chilled for 1-2 hours. It becomes thicker and slightly easier to handle.
- Dampen the edge of the egg roll wrapper to make sure it sticks.
- You can make the mixture up to 3 days in advance. Store it in a covered container in the fridge until ready to use.
Frequently asked questions
If the temperature of the oil is not hot enough when frying your egg rolls, they can become greasy. Also make sure you fully drain them on a wire rack once removing them from the oil.
You can also freeze the egg rolls for use in the future. Flash freeze them (place directly on a baking sheet in the freezer for 3 hours), then store in an airtight freezer bag or container for up to one month.
If you bake them from frozen, add 10 minutes to the cook time.
store in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 400°F oven for 5-10 minutes, until fully warmed and crisped on the outside. I do not recommend reheating in the microwave as they will become soggy.
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Recipe
Crispy Crawfish Egg Rolls
Ingredients
- 15 Egg roll wrappers
- ⅛ cup cooking oil
- ⅛ cup flour
- ¼ onion
- ½ green pepper
- ½ can diced tomatoes
- ½ cup fish broth
- ½ pound crawfish tails
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 2 cups pepper jack cheese shredded
- 2 cups white rice cooked
Instructions
- Heat the flour and oil in a skillet over medium low heat. Stir continuously until it reaches a medium brown color, about 7-10 minutes.
- Add the onion and green pepper and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes and cook for 1 minute.
- VERY SLOWLY pour in the fish broth, while whisking constantly, and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. It's key to pour slowly to avoid lumps from forming.
- Add the Cajun seasoning, crawfish and cream and simmer until thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
- While the mixture is simmering, add the cooked rice and shredded pepper jack cheese to a large bowl.
- Pour the crawfish mixture into the bowl and mix to combine.
- Lay an egg roll wrapper on a flat countertop or surface and folder up the bottom about one inch.**see post above for step by step photos.
- Place 2 tablespoons of the mixture right above the folder up corner (towards the bottom).
- Fold the right and left corners in towards the middle, then roll the egg roll all the way, leaving 1 inch free at the top.
- Lightly wet the free corner at the top with water and press onto the egg roll to seal it. Continue with all remaining egg rolls until all the mixture has been used.
- Heat about 2 inches of oil over medium heat to 350F degrees in Dutch oven or high sided cast iron skillet. I prefer cast iron as the pot retains it's heat better.
- Once the oil is heated to 350 degrees, add 4-5 egg rolls (begin careful not to overcrowd the pan so the oil temperature doesn't come down too much) and fry for about 2-3 minutes per side, until they are golden brown.
- Remove and place on a wire rack over paper towels to let any excess grease drain off.
Expert Tips:
- Use a thermometer (I love the Thermapen) to make sure the oil stays at 350 degrees.
- It is easier to roll the egg rolls if the filling has been chilled for 1-2 hours. It becomes thicker and slightly easier to handle.
- Dampen the edge of the egg roll wrapper to make sure it sticks.
- You can make the mixture up to 3 days in advance. Store it in a covered container in the fridge until ready to use.
Nutrition
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