Crawfish Cardinal, A.K.A. Crawfish Cardinale, is a classic Creole recipe that embodies the rich culinary heritage of New Orleans. It’s named for the cardinal bird and mirrors its striking red hue, achieved with tomato in the sauce.
It’s a crowd-pleasing recipe that can be made with a variety of crawfish options. Use quickly boiled tails from live crawfish, frozen tails, or even leftover crawfish tails from a traditional crawfish boil. Each option brings its own charm to the dish, but my favorite is using those saved from a crawfish boil. These tails are already exquisitely pre-seasoned, infused with layers of bold, mouthwatering spices that take the dish to new heights.
Crawfish Cardinal is a visual delight with its rich, crimson sauce and also a comforting indulgent meal that highlights the best of Creole cooking. Whether it’s for a special occasion or a casual dinner, this dish will impress with its robust flavor and aromatic appeal.
Be warned—if word gets out that you’re planning to serve crawfish, you might just hear someone shout, “Ayeeee, envie!” That’s Cajun for pure joy and excitement!
Warm, or poach the crawfish tails in the wine.
Stir in the bechamel and the tomato paste, then season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper. Serve ove rice or on toast points. Print
Crawfish Cardinal
Seasoned crawfish tails in cardinale sauce on rice
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Ingredients
- 1–1/2 cups bechamel sauce
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 2–1/2 cups crawfish tails
- 2 egg yolks
- 6 TBL tomato paste
- Sea salt – to taste
- Cayenne pepper – to taste
- Serve over rice, or on toast points
Bechamel Sauce
- 1–1/2 cups scalded milk (hot, but not boiling)
- 2 TBL butter
- 2 TBL flour
- Sea salt – to taste
- Ground white pepper
Instructions
Bechamel Sauce
- Scald the milk just shy of a boil
- Melt the butter and stir in the flour 1 TBL at a time until it becomes slightly foamy
- Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil, then immediately turn down to a simmer
- Season with a pinch salt and white pepper to taste
- Remove from heat and place a pat of butter on top to prevent a film from forming
- Set aside off the heat
Crawfish Cardinal
- Saute the green onions in butter until limp
- Add the wine and bring to a boil
- Add the crawfish and A) If raw, cook until firm, about 2 or 3 minutes or B) If already pre-cooked, long enough to heat through
- Whisk the egg yolks into the warm, not hot bechamel
- Stir the bechamel mixture, followed by the tomato paste
- Season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper and simmer for 5 more minutes
- Taste and adjust final seasoning, turn off the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes to let the flavors harmonize
Best crawfish I’ve ever had. The sauce was amazing!