Crayfish and The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival seem to go hand in hand. So when it was time to do my annual cooking demo at the Fest, I created this recipe, which is a play on the beloved French bar sandwich made with ham and cheese. I’ve always loved the crispy richness of batter-dipped sandwiches. This version, stuffed with a piquant crayfish salad, steals the show from diner varieties. The creamy crayfish sauce isn’t necessary, but it’s certainly delicious. If you feel guilty about the richness of this recipe, you can use light mayonnaise.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 to 6 sandwiches

　　

Crayfish Filling

2 tablespoons butter

　　2 celery stalks, diced

　　1/2 medium onion, diced

　　1/2 pound crayfish tails

　　1/2 cup Mayonnaise (p. 181)

　　1/2 cup chopped scallions

　　1/4 cup grated pepper Jack cheese

　　1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

　　1/2 teaspoon paprika

　　Salt and pepper

　　Hot sauce

　　

Buttermilk Batter

1 cup buttermilk

　　1/2 cup milk

　　2 eggs

　　1/2 teaspoon salt

　　Pinch of nutmeg

　　

Creamy Crayfish Sauce

2 tablespoons butter

　　4 ounces crayfish tails

　　1 garlic clove, minced

　　1/2 cup heavy cream

　　4 scallions, thinly sliced

　　2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

　　Salt and pepper

　　1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

　　(makes enough for 4 sandwiches)

　　

To Assemble

8 slices firm white bread (such as pain de mie or Pepperidge Farm)

　　Crayfish Filling

　　Butter, for frying

　　Buttermilk Batter

　　Creamy Crayfish Sauce

　　

Crayfish Filling

Step 1

Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, then add the celery and onion and cook, stirring, until translucent. Drain the crayfish and add to skillet and cook, stirring constantly, just to warm through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and cool. Reduce the juices left in the pan to 1 teaspoon and add to crayfish mixture. When cool, mix with the mayonnaise, scallions, and cheese. Add salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste.

　　

Buttermilk Batter

Step 2

Whisk all the ingredients together in a medium bowl.

　　

Creamy Crayfish Sauce

Step 3

Melt the butter in a small nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Add the crayfish and garlic, and sauté 2–3 minutes, until warmed through. Add the cream and scallions, and bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute, and when cream is slightly thickened, add parsley and salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the lemon juice and cook 1 more minute.

　　

To Assemble

Step 4

Trim the crusts from the bread. Top 4 slices with approximately 1/2 cup filling each, and cover with the remaining 4 slices, pressing gently. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Using tongs or your fingers, dip 2 sandwiches into buttermilk batter, one at a time (hold each over the bowl so excess batter can drip off), then fry in hot butter on both sides until crisp and golden. Repeat with remaining 2 sandwiches, adding more butter to the skillet if necessary. Pour the crayfish sauce over the hot sandwiches. Serve with dill pickles and potato chips.

　　From Crescent City Cooking by Susan Spicer Copyright (c) 2007 by Susan Spicer Published by Knopf.Susan Spicer was born in Key West, Florida, and lived in Holland until the age of seven, when her family moved to New Orleans. She has lived there ever since, and is the owner of two restaurants, Bayona and Herbsaint. This is her first cookbook.Paula Disbrowe was the former Cowgirl Chef at Hart & Hind Fitness Ranch in Rio Frio, Texas. Prior to that, she spent ten years working as a food and travel writer. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Food & Wine, and Saveur, among other major publications.