Fry

Crab Maque Choux

by:
April  3, 2011
4.5
4 Ratings
Crab Maque Choux
  • Serves many
Author Notes

Yesterday we had our first crawfish boil of the season - maque choux is always popular with the crawdad crowd and it's a great large party dish - I make it in our giant 24" iron skillet - but you can easily scale this down. Also, it's not a cake or anything - it won't be ruined if you prefer more of one thing or less of another ... so adjust where you see fit! We use cajun seasonin - Joe's Stuff - you can use whatever kind is your favorite, I do recommend looking for a lower salt variety. - aargersi —aargersi

Test Kitchen Notes

A great dish for a crowd, this recipe is also a delicious showcase for both jalapenos and crab. The proportion of ingredients is spot-on, and the heat is assertive but not aggressive. A word of caution: Depending on which brand of Cajun seasoning you use, apply it with care -- use too much and you'll end up with an overwhelmingly salty dish. - theediblecomplex —theediblecomplex

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 4 strips center cut bacon - cut up
  • 1 medium yellow onion - chopped
  • 4 large cloves of garlic - chopped
  • 4 cobs of corn
  • 1/2 red bell pepper - large dice
  • 4 large jalapenos - diced
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes - halved
  • 2 ribs celery - diced
  • 2 cups chicken broth (low salt)
  • 3-4 tablespoons cajun seasoning - try to find a low salt version
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons gumbo file (ground sasafrass)
  • 1 pound lump crabmeat
  • minced green onion to serve
Directions
  1. Heat your skillet to medium - fry the bacon until is starts to get brown and crispy. Add in the onion and cook a couple more minutes, then the garlic, celery, and both peppers. Cut the corn off of the cob - I do this straight into the skillet to save dishes. Add the tomatoes. Now add a couple of tablespoons of cajun seasoning and stir, and then add in the chicken stock.
  2. Simmer on medium until the vegetables are tender and most but not all of the stock has evaporated. You can stop at this point and finish it right before serving if you like.
  3. Stir in the cream and bring to a simmer - taste and add additional seasoning if it needs it. Right before serving, stir in the file and the crab, and heat through. Serve topped with chopped green onions and a cold beer alongside!
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aargersi

Recipe by: aargersi

Country living, garden to table cooking, recent beek, rescue all of the dogs, #adoptdontshop

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20 Reviews

drbabs
drbabs April 1, 2012
Hi Abbie! I made this tonight with frozen corn. (no cream) and used healthierkitchen's recipe for Cajun seasoning. (see her brown rice jambalaya-ish). It was amazing and wondeul and delicious! Thanks for a great recipe!
 
Waverly
Waverly August 4, 2011
This sounds absolutely wonderful. Congrats on the EP
 
aargersi
aargersi August 4, 2011
Thanks Waverly! We should maybe cook Cajun next time you are in town?
 
JaneMiami
JaneMiami April 11, 2011
Yum...can't wait! Little bugs overcrowding my fridge, ready for your recipe!! Thanks.
 
JaneMiami
JaneMiami April 9, 2011
So I can't believe this luck! I'm going to a large crawfish boil tomorrow, & I've asked everyone to save the shells etc for broth, so do you think that the crawfish broth would be too strong to use on this dish?
 
aargersi
aargersi April 11, 2011
Hi Jane - just saw this! I think the answer depends on the seasoning - we add a LOT to the 'dad pot, so in our case I think it might overpower the crab. BUT - you could also save some tails, and make crawfish instead of crab maque choux, and then the stock would be perfect!
 
Midge
Midge April 5, 2011
Wow, this looks tasty.
 
drbabs
drbabs April 4, 2011
:)
 
fiveandspice
fiveandspice April 3, 2011
Aw, wish we got crawfish around here! This looks super delicious.
 
SKK
SKK April 3, 2011
aargersi - what is a 'fancy koozie' you refer to in your tags?
 
aargersi
aargersi April 3, 2011
oops I am answering the wrong ones :-) I think it would be OK to freeze - I havn't tried it (no leftovers!) but everything is cooked so I don't see why not!!!
 
aargersi
aargersi April 3, 2011
oh the beer bottle is in the koozie ....
 
SKK
SKK April 3, 2011
This sounds great and will be using this in the next couple of weeks. I know I should have this answer but don't - can it be frozen after cooking?
 
aargersi
aargersi April 3, 2011
the pink and fluffy one in the photo - my friend Tina made it for me!!!!
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour April 3, 2011
Sounds delicious! Would it be blasphemous to use frozen corn? I don't think there will be good fresh corn by the time my friends have their annual and ginormous crawfish boil.
 
aargersi
aargersi April 3, 2011
Not at all! I have used frozen before - go with what's available! Also it's good with Louisiana Hot Sauce shaken into it if you are a spice monster like me ...
 
SKK
SKK April 3, 2011
HLA, Where do your friends get their crawfish from?
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour April 3, 2011
They have them shipped up from Louisiana.
 
fiveandspice
fiveandspice April 3, 2011
Do they get them shipped from a particular company?
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour April 3, 2011
They order them from Kenner Seafood, and they are flown up the morning of the party.