Crawfish and Pimento Grilled Cheese
As I’m sure we’ve mentioned before, one of the best parts of a crawfish boil is the inevitable leftovers. There’s corn, potatoes, garlic, and of course, crawfish. Now, the potential for super yummy leftover recipes are all but endless but what do you suppose would happen if you took one of the South’s most iconic get-together foods (the humble crawfish) and combined it with one its most famous snacks?! The grilled crawfish and pimento cheese sandwich of course! Well, those two things and bread and butter naturally.
If you’re a fan of golf and have ever watched the Masters tournament in Augusta Georgia, you are probably familiar with pimento cheese. More of a spread than a cheese; it’s made with mayo, cheddar, and pimentos. And yes, it’s as delectable as it sounds. The more I cook, the more I come to appreciate the beauty in simple culinary recipes and techniques. Now, complicated dishes have their place. And yes, a lot of dishes take a great deal of time and effort. And most times, to do the recipes correctly, there are no shortcuts. But, every once in a while, a simple yet perfect recipe comes your way.
Now, to say this recipe is one hundred percent easy peasy lemon squeezy can be a bit misleading. Especially if you’re boiling your own crawfish ( see our crawfish post) or making your own pimento cheese. To make it very simple you can try to find these items in a store. If you don’t have any crawfish in the freezer you can purchase already peeled crawfish tails or a few pounds at a seafood market and peel them yourself. The store availability of these items may be a bit sketchy depending upon your location on the globe and the time of year.
Pimento cheese should be less of an issue to find especially if you live in the south. Most grocery stores carry some variety. (I have even found it on Amazon). If not however, it is actually very easy to make. Check out the recipe below to make your own.
All you need now is the bread. I used sourdough but feel free to use whatever you like. A thinner, light sliced bread works best. A perfect partner to creamy soup, this sandwich is best right out of the pan and has the added benefit of being perfectly rich without being too heavy. So put those boil leftovers to good use and as always, enjoy!
Crawfish and Pimento Grilled Cheese
Recipe details
Ingredients
Pimento Cheese
- 8 ounces of cream cheese (softened)
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup of mayo (I love Blue Plate)
- 4 ounce jar of pimentos
- Pinch of kosher salt
- Pinch of black pepper
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Dash or two of hot sauce
Sandwich
- 2 tablespoons of butter (divided)
- 1 cup of peeled and defrosted crawfish tails
- 1 cup of pimento cheese
- Sliced sourdough bread (4-8 slices)
Instructions
Pimento Cheese
- Combine everything in a stand mixer or alternatively, mix everything by hand until well combined.
Sandwich
- In a small skillet melt 1 tablespoon of butter on low medium heat.
- Add crawfish tails and sautee just to heat through being careful not to overcook. Keep warm and set aside.
- In a large non-stick skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter on medium heat. While butter is melting, assemble the sandwich.
- Spoon cheese generously on both sides of bread. Add crawfish to one side and close it up.
- When butter is melted and skillet is ready, add sandwiches. Cook on one side until toasty. Very carefully flip sandwiches and cook the other side.
- When cheese is warm and bread is golden brown. You’re good to go.
Comments
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This looks yummy! Thanx for sharing!
would love to hear your thoughts on if/how you think this compares to a lobster roll.......