MINI CRAWFISH (OR SHRIMP) PIES

Mini Crawfish (or Shrimp) Pies image

I am "required" to make and bring these to parties and family gatherings. When I can't sleep I get in the kitchen and cook, actually experiment, which is how I came up with these. They aren't hard to make, but the bread cups can be a little time consuming so whenever you're in the mood, make the bread cups ahead of time and...

Provided by Donna Graffagnino

Time 55m

Number Of Ingredients 17

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Ingredients

24-36 bread cups (see recipe below)
2 lb louisiana frozen crawfish tails with fat, or cooked shrimp, coarsely chopped
1 stick butter
2 medium onions, chopped fine
3 stalk(s) celery, chopped fine
1/2 red &/or green bell pepper, chopped fine
2 Tbsp chives or green onions, fresh or dried
salt and black pepper - to taste
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce (lea & perrin's)
1 can(s) cream of mushroom soup
1 jar(s) 15oz cheez-whiz
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cap liquid crab boil (optional)
2 dash(es) paprika - for color
1 1/4 c italian bread crumbs
paprika or chopped parsley, fresh or dried for garnish

Steps:

1. First you make a roux. NO! NO! NO!, not this time. Just Kidding! Sorry, I got carried away...
2. FIRST - In a large skillet melt butter and add onion, celery, and chives/green onions, and season with a little salt and pepper. Saute until onions begin to soften.
3. Add garlic, worcestershire sauce, cayenne (start with a pinch, you can always add more later), and paprika; continue to simmer 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Add soup and Cheez-Whiz, simmer until cheese is melted, stirring frequently to keep cheese from burning.
5. Add crawfish and simmer 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cap, or to taste, liquid crab boil, (optional).
6. Pour mixture into a large mixing bowl and add bread crumbs. Mix well and let sit to allow bread crumbs to expand. The mixture needs to be fairly thick so it won't fall down your shirt when you take the first bite of the mini crawfish pie.
7. Check the mixture and add more bread crumbs if needed, stir and set aside.
8. If you planned ahead and already have your bread cups made, then pop them back into the mini muffin pan and set aside, pour yourself a drink and put your feet up. Otherwise, get started making those bread cups. https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/bread/bread-sweet-bread/sourdough-mini-appetizer-cups.html
9. Once all of your ingredients are ready, use a small spoon and fill each bread cup, pack it in and heap it up on top. Sprinkle the top with a little paprika or chopped parsley. Bake at 350* F for 10 minutes and serve.
10. *NOTE: Before baking, crawfish pies can be frozen then put into a Zip-Lock bag and kept frozen until ready to serve. From frozen bake at 350* F for 25 minutes until hot.
11. *TIP: Alternate method for dough cups - Instead of making bread cups, you can use Pillsbury's pre-made pie crusts (2 crusts) in freezer section of the grocery, or you can make your own fabulous homemade pie crust. Use a cookie cutter to cut rounds that will form a cup when put into a mini muffin pan. Bake for 10 minutes then fill with crawfish mixture. Bake for another 10 minutes to heat through. *OPTIONS: If you don't want to make mini crawfish pies - use this filling to make one full size pie with a top and bottom crust. If you can't get crawfish, use shrimp or crab meat in place of crawfish. Add crab meat last so it stays together better.