I know many of you will agree that nothing goes better with a thick, juicy steak than a baked potato. I’ve been to the fanciest steakhouses in all the land and when it comes to the perfect side dish, I’ll order a baked potato–loaded, for sure–every time. Oh, I’ve tried the creamed spinach, the frou-frou hollandaise-drenched asparagus, and even the wine-infused mushroom mélange, but you can have ‘em all. Give me a perfectly baked jacket potato and I’m set. Or better yet, the ultimate Crawfish Baked Potato.
Crawfish stuffed and twice baked, this Cajun recipe for Crawfish Baked Potato will change the way you look at baked potatoes. (All photos credit: George Graham)
But c’mon, let’s face it, the plain and simple baked potato isn’t exactly a gourmet dish. In most homes, it’s usually a microwaved afterthought for a cheap meal in a hurry. Even on most restaurant menus, the baked potato is almost always relegated to the bottom of the back page just below steamed broccoli. But I challenge the premise that a baked potato can’t stand on its own and take center stage. All it needs is a bit of creativity–Cajun creativity.
So, here’s the thing–baked potato artistry is not as simple as it appears. Do it right and it is sublime. Skip a few steps and you fall short. Just find the perfect russet potato, scrub it, oil it, poke it, wrap it, and bake it in a hot oven. Pretty straightforward, huh? Well, my Cajun recipe version takes this basic recipe and twice-bakes it for fluffier interior and crisper skin. Oh, and one more thing–crawfish.
Now, you know this Louisiana boy is gonna up the flavor on a simple baked potato. Oh yeah. Down on the bayou, we have a take on the term “loaded” that sends this simple spud soaring into the high heavens. Crawfish is that singular Cajun recipe ingredient that defines good Cajun cooking and when baked inside a creamy, cheesy potato it’s time to lock and load. With this Crawfish Baked Potato recipe, I combine the interior of the potato with butter, cheese and the rich fat of plump Louisiana crawfish tails, and it’s all stuffed and twice baked inside a hulled out potato. A crawfish baked potato is one savory, saucy side dish.
No half-baked idea here. Give this twice-baked Cajun recipe for Crawfish Baked Potato a try and you’ll never look at a baked potato the same way again.
- 2 large russet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- ½ cup diced yellow onions
- ½ cup diced celery
- 2 tablespoons diced green onion tops
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon Acadiana Table Cajun Seasoning Blend, see recipe here
- Dash of hot sauce
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound Louisiana crawfish tails
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Wash and dry the potatoes. Using a fork, poke a few holes in each side to allow moisture to escape during cooking. Coat the potatoes with olive oil and slice in half vertically. Keep the two halves together and wrap the pre-sliced potato in aluminum foil. Bake in the oven until completely tender, about 1 hour. Unwrap and scoop out the inside flesh of the potato without breaking through the outer skin. Chop the scooped-out flesh of the potato into small pieces. Keep warm.
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the butter. Add the onions, celery, and green onion tops and cook until the onions turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, seasoning, and hot sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and add the crawfish tails along with the potato flesh that was scooped out earlier. Mix thoroughly to combine and add the cheese and sour cream. Mix together. Stuff the crawfish mixture back into the potato shells and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and the tops begin to brown, about 30 to 40 minutes. Serve with a salad as an entrée or as a side dish with a perfectly grilled steak.
Creamy and cheesy with spicy crawfish flavor, this Crawfish Baked Potato is a baked potato like never before.
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Thanks, George.
It looks like something I would like to cook Tired of cooking same old thing
I am making this recipe this weekend, using shrim0, crab and crayfish. Love to play with seafood.
I am a native New Orleans woman that lives in California I love to cook Cajun for my family and friends thanks for the recipe looks delicious can’t wait to fix this one.
Looks & sounds so good. Definitely will make these crawfish potatoes!
I love to cook and love trying new things. Can’t wait to try your recipes. Thank you.
Will try very soon
Trying this tonight… just went and bought ingredients. Also grilling some filet mignon.. gonna be an awsome dinner tonight
I can’t wait to try this recipe
I can’t wait to try this recipe with my friends. I just left Louisiana and had to have crawfish, corn & potatoes while I was there
So glad I saw you in the grocery store yesterday. I can’t believe I didn’t know about this site of yours, I guess I have been spending too much time traveling back and forth between Lafayette and Baton Rouge. I can’t wait to try this one – sounds and looks delicious. Now I have to go and read all your blogs and look forward to the next ones.
Great website – I am a follower for sure!
Baking at this very moment! Thank you very much. Please send more!!!!
Will cook soon. Thank you
I live in Mississippi, I will try this today. Loaded potatoes are my weakness. Thank you for sharing.
i love this crawfish stuffed baked potatoe recipe. i look forward to sending more.
Oh George. Every time your blog comes up I have to recite three Hail Mary’s just to make contrition for what I’m about to eat.
This recipe sounds awesome! Look forward to receiving more!
Thank you Sir! This looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it out! I signed up for your recipes, so please keep ‘Em coming!!
Please add me to your email list need new idea & the loaded baked potato is a start thanks for putting it on facebook
Looks amazing!
I saw this and am going to try this tonight. Thank you so much for sharing it with everyone.
I am a heart patient and would like to know if you can create Cajun Recipes for those of us that can’t have all of the salt because of health reason, but ENJOY CAJUN FOOD.
Alberta- Great question, and while I don’t focus on heart-healthy recipes, you’ve given me a new goal for a future recipe. In the meantime, I ran across this online post by EATING WELL magazine that features Cajun and Creole recipes that are heart-healthy at:
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/collections/healthy_cajun_recipes_healthy_creole_recipes
All my best,
George
try this recipe , it is to die for . Will be making it more.
Want to know if you can freeze them after stuffing.
Dolores – good question and while I have not actually frozen them, I would think it would be perfectly fine. If you freeze yours before baking, let us know how it turns out. Best, George
Can’t wait to try Crawfish Baked Potato. Look’s GOOD! Thanks!
This recipe is absolutely the best ever!! I substituted shrimp because that’s what I already had. Plus, I decided to add chopped broccoli and mushrooms! It was insanely delicious!!
Hey Ximena – I applaud your creativity – that’s the path to great cooking. Glad my recipe inspired you. Best, George
My Family and I are trying this recipe tonight. I will post my review on tomorrow. Thanks for sharing.
mine not as pretty but oh we’re they good. I added shrimp on the inside and outsidecc
I was born and raised in the Great State of Louisiana and love any recipes new and old to try.
Sounds yummy and can’t wait to see more recipes
Living in Toronto, Ontario we don’t seem have an abundance of crawfish and nothing tastes better than fresh crawfish!! However, I going to try this recipe and substitute with shrimp. Yum I can already taste it!! Thanks for sharing.