Tamales meet crawfish
March is typically the time to pull out the crawfish pot, check that the tank is full of butane and fire it up. Boiling crawfish is the quintessential Louisiana pastime; it’s fun getting together with friends and family to “pass a good time” over a steaming heap of mudbugs. But once crawfish season is in full swing, we like to prepare our mudbugs in lots of different ways, including etouffee, bisque, pasta, pie and even tamales. That’s right—Crawfish Tamales, which are not only a bit unusual, but are a lot of fun to make when you have a group of friends coming over who don’t mind gathering in the kitchen around a pitcher of margaritas to help you cook!
The crawfish filling Tracey created is easy to prepare and can be made a day in advance. The corn flour used to make the masa and dried cornhusks are easy to find in local supermarkets on the Hispanic or Latin American aisle. If dried cornhusks are too hard to find, you can always roll the tamales in parchment paper, and the result is every bit as delicious. Double the tamale recipe and freeze half to steam another time.
We completed the meal with Frijoles Negro and Verde Rice. These are great do-ahead recipes and are delicious alongside many of your favorite Mexican or Latin American dishes. You’ll find that kids and adults alike will enjoy them and, as always, you can adjust the seasonings to your taste. The idea is to make the dish your own and enjoy preparing it with family and friends as much you enjoy eating it.
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• Crawfish Tamales
• Frijoles Negros
• Verde Rice
Recipes by Tracey Koch
Recipe yields 24 to 30 tamales
For the crawfish filling:
Ľ cup vegetable oil
˝ cup chopped onion
˝ cup chopped red or yellow bell pepper
Ľ cup chopped jalapeńo pepper
2 Tbsp. flour
1 lb. crawfish tails (with the fat)
1 can chopped green chilies
Ľ cup water
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. hot sauce
˝ tsp. garlic powder
1. In a skillet, heat the vegetable oil and sauté the onions, bell peppers and jalapeńo over medium high heat for three to four minutes.
2. Add in the flour and continue to sauté for an additional two to three minutes.
3. Fold in the crawfish tails, chopped green chilies and water and stir until all is incorporated.
4. Add in the rest of the ingredients and reduce the heat to medium low.
5. Allow the mixture to come up to a simmer, stirring to prevent it from sticking.
6. Simmer crawfish for a couple of minutes or until crawfish are cooked through.
7. Remove the filling from heat and allow it to cool while you make the masa.
For the masa:
4 cups corn flour or corn masa flour
2 tsp. baking powder
˝ tsp. salt
˝ tsp. garlic powder
˝ tsp. ground cumin
˝ tsp. chili powder
1 1/3 cups vegetable shortening
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, vegetable broth or water
1 (6 oz.) bag of dried cornhusks
1. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and seasonings until well blended.
2. Using a pastry cutter or a fork, cut the shortening into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like wet sand.
3. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the broth until a dough is formed and is about the consistency of peanut butter.
4. Cover the dough and allow it to rest until the crawfish filling is cool enough to handle. (Both the filling and masa may be made a day in advance).
To assemble tamales:
1. One hour before you are going to assemble the tamales, bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Once the water is boiling, turn off the heat and place the dried cornhusks into the boiling water. Allow the cornhusks to soak for one hour or until they are quite soft and pliable.
3. To set up your assembly line, drain the cornhusks and pat them dry. Have kitchen twine and a pair of scissors ready along with the prepared masa and filling.
4. Select the larger cornhusks to work with and note that you can put two smaller husks together to form one big one. A husk about 12 inches long is needed to make a six-inch tamales. Lay the husk smooth side down and place about a tablespoon of the masa near the top or the wider end of the husk. (Make sure to spread the masa, leaving two inches from the top and three to four inches from the bottom of the narrow end.)
5. Press the masa down one-fourth inch thick all the way to the edge nearest you into a six-by-six-inch square. (There will be an inch or so of the husk left uncovered, which will leave you plenty of room to roll the tamale).
6. Spoon in a little of the crawfish mixture into a strip down the middle of the masa, leaving a border of the masa on all sides.
7. Fold the tamale up like a taco so the filling is covered by the masa. Begin to roll the tamale tightly, gently squeezing as you go until the tamale is completely rolled up.
8. Fold up the narrow end over the seam followed by the wider or top end. Lay the tamale down and tie it in the middle with a piece of kitchen twine. Place the rolled tamale into a steamer basket or colander and repeat the previous steps to roll your next tamale.
9. To finish the tamales, place the steamer basket or colander into a large pasta pot or steam cooker. Pour enough water into the pot to cover the bottom of the pot but not high enough to reach the basket itself.
10. Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil. Steam the tamales 35 to 45 minutes or until the masa is set but not too dry. Serve the tamales with the Frijoles Negros and Verde Rice.
Serves 6
1 lb. dried black beans
2 Tbsp. olive oil
6-8 oz. tasso (pork or turkey) cut into small pieces
1 cup chopped onion
˝ cup chopped carrot
˝ cup chopped celery
Ľ cup chopped jalapeńo
2 cloves minced garlic
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Ľ cup sherry
1 tsp. salt
Ľ tsp. dried oregano
˝ tsp. cumin
˝ tsp. black pepper
1. Pour the pound of dried black beans into a strainer and run cold water over them. Pick through them and discard any of the beans that are dried or discolored.
2. Place the beans into a four- to six-quart pot and cover them completely with cold water. Bring the beans up to a rolling boil.
3. Boil the beans for 30 minutes, stirring to prevent them from sticking and adding water as they boil to keep them covered with water.
4. Drain the beans well and set aside.
5. In the same stock pot, sauté the tasso in the olive oil along with the carrots, onion, celery and jalapeńo.
6. Sauté everything for four to five minutes then add the minced garlic and continue to sauté for an additional 20 seconds.
7. Add the beans back to the pot and pour in the chicken broth and sherry. Season the beans with the salt, oregano and spices.
8. Bring everything up to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium low. Cover and continue cooking for 45 minutes to an hour or until the beans become tender, stirring occasionally to prevent them from sticking. Serve with the Verde Rice.
Serves 6
1 cup tightly packed fresh baby spinach
1 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
˝ cup chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh jalapeńo (seeded)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
˝ tsp. salt
1˝ cups uncooked long grain rice
1. In a food processor, combine the spinach, cilantro and parsley and pulse until all is very finely chopped.
2. In a medium (three- to four-quart) sauce pot with a tight-fitting lid, sauté the onion and jalapeńo for two to three minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional 20 to 30 seconds.
3. Toss in the uncooked rice and continue to sauté for another minute.
4. Add in the chicken broth, salt and the spinach mixture and bring everything to a boil.
5. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook over low heat for seven to 10 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed.
6. Remove the pot from the heat and keep it covered. Allow the rice to steam for an additional five minutes or until it is tender. Serve along with the Frijoles Negros.
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