What could be more Louisiana than crawfish? Okay, maybe King Cake could be, but what if you combined two of Louisiana's favorite and most iconic dishes together as one? I have to admit I was "today years old" when I realized that such a King Cake existed.

As many of you know the traditional Mardi Gras King Cake is not a savory treat. It's more of a "sweet gooey goodness" kind of treat. The cake is usually flavored with cinnamon and other spices or stuffed with a delicious fruit filling or nap-inducing Bavarian cream, chocolate, or some other stuff enriched with sugar that shakes like pudding.

Staff Photo
Staff Photo
loading...

But there are savory King Cakes available too. Many South Louisiana residents swear by the Boudin King Cake which features another iconic staple of "fine dining" from South Louisiana, the pork pudding that is boudin. The boudin King Cake is also drizzled with a dollop or two of Steen's Cane Syrup, yummy.

A few years ago a St Martin Parish woman introduced the Chicken Salad King Cake. We tried it, and it's good. The soft bread-like cake was stuffed with a special blend of shredded chicken, Cajun spices, onions, and other ingredients the "chef" would not disclose.

Staff Photo
Staff Photo
loading...

And now I am hearing that there is such a thing as a Crawfish King Cake. Let me just say, you have my attention.

That's how they make a Crawfish King Cake in L.A. (Lower Alabama) at Gourmet Goodies in Daphne. I have tried that King Cake too and let me suggest that bakers at Gourmet Goodies must have a little Louisiana swamp water running through their veins because this King Cake will make you steal your momma's beads it's so good.

The folks at Cajun Meat Market in Houma actually upped their King Cake game a few years ago when they introduced the Crawfish Boudin King Cake. As you can see by the comments on their Facebook Page the faithful are clamoring for this one too.

Okay, if we're being honest with each other, the Crawfish King Cake is really nothing more than another iconic Louisiana food, the stuffed bread. And even if you don't have a green thumb in the kitchen, no I don't know what that means either, you could easily make your own version of this crowd-pleasing treat.

The Louisiana Crawfish Promotion and Research Board has published a recipe that even the most befuddle baker can recreate. The recipe is even "healthy". Okay, it's healthy by normal Louisiana food standards. It uses Louisiana crawfish, naturally. If you use any other kind of crawfish karma will make sure you never have a place to pee on Mardi Gras Day. So, use the good stuff.

Portapotty
(Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
loading...

The recipe also combines reduced-fat cream cheese and reduced-fat crescent rolls. You can use the "full fat" versions of both of those ingredients if you want but the Crawfish.org recipe is a little easier on your waistline and your heart for that matter.

To attain the colors of Mardi Gras on top, the recipe suggests you use food coloring to transform Parmesan Cheese into delightful flakes of purple, green, and gold. The process for doing that is included in the recipe as well.

(from @PelicansNBA on Twitter)
(from @PelicansNBA on Twitter)
loading...

This weekend is going to be wet and cool across The Boot, you're probably going to be making gumbo, so while that's simmering why not whip up one of these Crawfish King Cakes? Even if it doesn't come out pretty and gorgeous, you know it's going to be delicious and it's going to taste like South Louisiana. Bon Apetit!

10 Commandments of Gumbo

 

 

 

.