Crayfish Mouse

Make this cold crayfish mousse-style spread only with fully cooked, peeled, chilled crayfish tail meat. The eight-ounce quantity refers to edible cooked tail meat, not whole shell-on crayfish. This is a cold spread, not a method for cooking raw seafood.

Jump to ingredients and method

Ingredients and method

Yield: approximately 6–8 appetizer portions. Time: about 20 minutes preparation after safe thawing,plus optional brief refrigeration. Times are estimates; use the doneness and texture checks below.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces fully cooked, peeled crayfish tail meat, thawed safely if frozen and well drained
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened briefly but not melted
• 1/3 cup cold heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon Caribbean Mango Pepper Jelly
• Salt and cayenne pepper, optional and only to taste
• Crackers or toast, for serving

Allergens: Contains crustacean shellfish and milk. Crackers commonly contain wheat;check all labels.

Method

1. Check the starting seafood. Use cooked, ready-to-eat peeled tail meat and follow its package directions for thawing and storage. Keep it refrigerated until preparation. This recipe does not cook raw crayfish, and eight ounces of whole shell-on crayfish is not eight ounces of tail meat. Drain and pat the cooked meat dry.

2. Process the spread. Beat softened butter until smooth. In a clean processor, finely process the cooked tail meat with Mango Pepper Jelly, then blend into the butter until spreadable. Work promptly and keep utensils away from raw seafood. Taste only because the seafood specified here is already cooked.

3. Fold in cream. Whip cold cream in a clean chilled bowl to soft peaks. Fold it into the crayfish mixture a little at a time, using enough for a soft spread that still holds on a cracker. Season a clean sample with a little salt or cayenne only if desired.

4. Chill and serve. Refrigerate the covered spread if it becomes too soft. Serve a small portion cold with crackers or toast, keeping the reserve chilled. Texture depends on how thoroughly the meat is drained and the cream is whipped;do not use extra room-temperature holding to soften it.

Keep seafood and serving quantities clear

Measure the cooked peeled tail meat separately from any shells; whole-crayfish weight is not interchangeable with edible tail-meat weight. For a hot seafood dish with its own cooking process, use seared scallops or Mango shrimp.

Keep the spread cold

Keep the finished spread at 40°F or below. Put out only a small portion and replenish from the refrigerator. Refrigerate perishables within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 90°F. Use within 3–4 days, or sooner if a packaged ingredient has less storage time remaining. Discard portions left beyond those serving limits. See FDA handling guidance and FoodSafety.gov storage guidance.

Choose your pepper jelly

Use Caribbean Mango Pepper Jelly for the flavor direction above. Check current jar labels for ingredients and storage. Browse more recipes when choosing the rest of the meal.

This editorial recipe has not been kitchen-tested.