Try a south Louisiana take on a Northeastern summer classic

A New England lobster roll is a popular sandwich throughout the Northeast during the spring and summer when lobsters are in season, and with good reason. With cool, creamy, rich lobster salad tossed in a light mayonnaise dressing, combined with a little crunch from crisp celery and tucked into a warm buttery bun, this is a decadent sandwich to be sure.

However, for this native Louisianan, what makes a New England lobster roll sandwich even better is to make it with leftover Louisiana boiled crawfish tails. The crawfish tails are every bit as succulent, but because they are smaller, the meat is less fibrous, making the crawfish roll a bit more tender and not as rubbery as boiled lobster can sometimes be. The smaller, more tender crawfish tails also absorb the spices better, giving this sandwich more of a flavorful kick.

Much like the traditional New England lobster roll, I keep the ingredients in my version simple, allowing the crawfish to be the star. I toss my leftover boiled crawfish tails in a light lemony mayonnaise dressing. I then add chopped celery for a little crunchy texture and brighten it up with chopped green onions, fresh parsley and dill. This simple blend of ingredients is all perfectly balanced with the spicy boiled crawfish tails, making for a delicious sandwich.

If you are looking for a lighter option, this crawfish tail salad makes for a tasty low-carb meal when set inside an avocado half and placed on a bed of mixed greens. Either in a bun or as a salad, this is another great way to use leftover crawfish after a crawfish boil.

Louisiana crawfish roll sandwiches

Yield: 6 sandwiches

2 lbs. boiled crawfish tails

1 cup mayonnaise

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1½ tsp. hot sauce

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. dried dill

½ tsp. black pepper

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

¼ tsp. Creole seasoning

½ cup chopped celery

¼ cup chopped green onions

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

6 brioche hot dog buns

Butter, softened

6 leaves butter lettuce

Place boiled crawfish tails in a mixing bowl; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, dried dill, black pepper, cayenne pepper and Creole seasoning until well blended. Add chopped celery, green onions and parsley, and stir to combine. Pour mayonnaise mixture over crawfish; stir until well-combined. Cover and chill for 30 minutes to allow flavors to come together.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter insides and tops of brioche buns, and cook in oven until golden and toasted.

Place a piece of lettuce in the middle of each bun. Divide crawfish mixture among the 6 buns.

Boiled crawfish tails

If you do not have leftover crawfish tails, this recipe works well using packaged tails as well; simply follow the steps below before it’s time to prepare your sandwiches. If you’re using leftover boiled crawfish, omit these steps.

8 cups water

2 tsp. salt

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup liquid seafood boil

2 lbs. packaged crawfish tails

Bring water to a boil. Add salt, lemon juice and liquid seafood boil; bring back up to a rolling boil. Add packaged crawfish tails; boil for 3 to 4 minutes, then drain. Set aside, and allow crawfish tails to cool.