This Crawfish Cream Sauce is bursting with crawfish tail meat and sautéed aromatics that swim in a luxurious, flavor-loaded sauce. Serve this insanely delicious sauce on top of fish, steak, chicken or toss it with pasta, or simply enjoy it with rice. This drool-worthy, seafood cream sauce can be enjoyed in various ways!

crawfish cream sauce in skillet with wooden spoon

Hello, paging all of my seafood lovers out there 📞.

I’m not gonna lie, I haven’t always been into seafood. I had a strict beef, chicken, and pork-only diet up until a few years ago. Real talk, the smell of certain fish used to make me feel some type of way and I avoided it at all costs. That is until I started learning/researching and sourcing quality seafood.

Immersing myself in seafood culture and fish markets, especially living in Florida for so long has been a real joy. Heck, the only thing left for me to do now is get my tail on a boat and start my fisherman era, ha!

crawfish cream sauce with white rice in bowl

Crawfish Cream Sauce, Y’all 😮‍💨

I love anything saucy. Whether it’s a sauce for dipping or a sauce that accompanies a dish by way of it being poured over something, give it to me. However, I’ve never developed a seafood-centered sauce before. One of the beautiful things about being on social media is the inspiration you get from the scroll. I came across a creator who made a shrimp-crawfish sauce that she served over catfish, everything looked divine. You know I got to work with some recipe development of my own and here we are!

I wanted a sauce that was bursting with crawfish tail meat, silky-rich + ultra creamy, and super flavorful to the max. With a close vibe of traditional crawfish étouffée, this crawfish cream sauce is clicking on all cylinders! It’s super versatile in terms of serving and can be used in a variety of ways, too.

ingredients for crawfish cream sauce in bowls

Ingredients You’ll Need For This Recipe:

(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card directly below.)

  • Butter: For sautéing the trinity.
  • The trinity: Vegetables such as onion, bell pepper, and celery.
  • Garlic & tomato paste: Garlic deliciousness and umami depth.
  • Flour: To help thicken the sauce texture.
  • Diced tomatoes: A can of Rotel diced fire-roasted tomatoes, yum.
  • Spices: My Creole Cajun seasoning is everything. This well-rounded spice is perfect here because it has a variety of spices all in one. Make my homemade version or use store-bought Cajun seasoning if you’d like!
  • Cane syrup: To enhance the flavor and give a bit of contrast.
  • Worcestershire sauce: Adds heaps of flavor, mmm.
  • Seafood stock: For boosting the seafood flavor.
  • Heavy cream: To ensure a creamy body for this crawfish cream sauce.
  • Crawfish tail meat: The star of the recipe here!
sautéed veggies in skillet with wooden spoon
crawfish cream sauce in skillet with wooden spoon

How To Make This Crawfish Cream Sauce:

(Note: please see the recipe card directly below for the complete written instructions.)

  • Sauté the trinity w/ flavor– In a large skillet over medium heat, add the butter. When melted, add the onion, bell pepper, and celery. Sauté the trinity mixture until tender, about 5-6 minutes. Then stir in the garlic and tomato paste and continue cooking, about 1 minute. 
  • Flavor-building the sauce– Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir to combine. Then add the diced tomatoes, Cajun seasoning, syrup, and worcestershire sauce- stir well. Gradually stir in the stock and let the stock simmer for 1-2 minutes. Then add the heavy cream and crawfish tail meat and stir well to combine.
crawfish cream sauce with fresh chopped parsley in skillet with wooden spoon

Simmer Sauce & Let It Meld:

  • Simma, simma– Reduce the heat to low. Let the sauce cook until the crawfish cream sauce has thickened some, about 10-15 minutes. 
  • Finish & adjust– Stir in the chopped parsley and continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes for the flavors to meld. Taste the cream sauce and add more Cajun seasoning as needed. 
crawfish cream sauce with blackened catfish and dirty rice on plate

Serving Crawfish Cream Sauce:

This crawfish cream sauce is best devoured with a side of cooked rice (just like crawfish étouffée), on top of grits, tossed with pasta, or alongside hearty main entrees. With my whole chest, I recommend you pair this creamy crawfish sauce recipe with my Cajun Dirty Rice and Blackened Catfish for peak indulgence that’ll make ya holla, y’all. The three of them together make for a scrumptious trio that hits like nobody’s business! 👅

crawfish cream sauce in bowls with white rice

Leftover Crawfish Sauce:

If you have any leftover sauce, transfer it to an airtight container and keep it stored in the refrigerator. Leftover sauce will keep for 3-4 days.

To reheat: Heat leftovers in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave until warmed through. Add a splash of stock or water to help loosen the sauce, if needed.

crawfish cream sauce in bowl with rice and spoon

If you love seafood, you’ve gotta try this Crawfish Cream Sauce, friends. The sauce is everything, truly sooo good. Be sure to tag @butterbeready in your BBR recipe creations, I sure love to see it when you do. Until next time! 🤟🏾

More incredible recipes to make:

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crawfish cream sauce in skillet with wooden spoon

Easy Crawfish Cream Sauce

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Quin Liburd
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Side Dishes
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Southern
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Description

This Crawfish Cream Sauce is bursting with crawfish tail meat and sautéed aromatics that swim in a luxurious, flavor-loaded sauce. Serve this insanely delicious sauce on top of fish, steak, chicken or toss it with pasta, or simply enjoy it with rice. This drool-worthy, seafood cream sauce can be enjoyed in various ways!

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ½ medium yellow onion, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 stalk celery, finely diced
  • 1 tablespoon garlic paste
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 (10-ounce) can Rotel fire-roasted diced tomatoes & green chilies
  • 1 tablespoon Creole Cajun Seasoning– homemade or store-bought
  • 1 tablespoon Steen’s pure cane syrup (or dark corn syrup as sub)
  • 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
  • 1 ½ cups seafood stock 
  • ½ cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 lb cleaned Louisiana crawfish tail meat 
  • Fresh chopped parsley, for garnish- optional

Instructions

  1. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the butter. When melted, add the onion, bell pepper, and celery. Sauté the trinity mixture until tender and golden brown, about 5-6 minutes. Then stir in the garlic and tomato paste and continue cooking until the paste dissolves and is fragrant, about 1 minute. 
  2. Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir to combine, stirring well until the flour dissipates, about 1-2 minutes. Then add the can of diced tomatoes, Cajun seasoning, syrup, and worcestershire sauce- stirring well to fully combine. Gradually stir in the stock until combined. Let the stock simmer for 1-2 minutes. Then add the heavy cream and crawfish tail meat and stir well to thoroughly combine.
  3. Reduce the heat to low and cover the skillet. Let the sauce cook until the crawfish cream sauce is smooth and has thickened a bit, about 10-15 minutes. 
  4. Stir in the chopped parsley and continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes for the flavors to meld. Taste the cream sauce and add more Cajun seasoning as needed to your desired taste. 
  5. Serve the crawfish cream sauce with rice, on top of grits, or alongside hearty main entrees (we recommend serving this cream sauce on top of our Blackened Catfish and/or with Cajun Dirty Rice for extra indulgence you won’t regret). Enjoy!

Notes

  1. To thicken sauce a bit more: If you’d like your crawfish cream sauce to have a thicker consistency you can add a cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon water, mixed together until dissolved) to the simmering sauce after step #4.
  2. Please read blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.

Recipe by: Quin Liburd- Butter Be Ready

Photography by: Ashley McLaughlin