Crawfish Stuffed Eggplant Pirogue Recipe Delicious

Crawfish Stuffed Eggplant

If you are looking for something different to add to your Turkey Day spread, this eggplant casserole is a standard in Cajun country at Thanksgiving. Crawfish Stuffed Eggplant is a tastey dish that goes well with turkey, stuffing, and everything else that you will serve at your Cajun Thanksgiving dinner.

This is a twist from the famous Copeland's Eggplant Pirogue, the most popular dish in their restaurant. At Copeland's slices of cajun fried eggplant are smothered in a delectible au gratin and shrimp sauce, then served over angel hair pasta. In this version we will be stuffing the eggplant.

Ingredients

• 1/2 a cup of unsalted butter
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 small diced bell pepper
• 2 stalks of diced celery
• 4 cloves of chopped garlic
• 1 large eggplant
• 2 medium eggplants cut into cubes
• 1/2 a cup of uncooked long-grain rice
• One 14-oz. can of diced tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp of basil
• 1 tsp of thyme
• 1 Tbsp of dried parsley
• 1 cup of clam juice
• 1 cup of Italian breadcrumbs
• 1 pound of crawfish tails
• Kosher salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper

Crawfish Stuffed Eggplant Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Cut the large eggplant in half lengthwise. Remove the pulp, leaving a 1/4" to 1/2" shell.
3. Set the shells aside and chop pulp.
4. Sauté onions, green pepper, celery, eggplant pulp, and garlic in butter.
5. Add eggplant cubes and continue cooking until it softens.
6. Add rice and sauté for another 10 minutes or until vegetables soften and eggplant
7. liquid is reduced.
8. Add tomatoes, basil, thyme, parsley, and clam juice.
9. Stir to combine all ingredients and simmer for about 10 minutes.
10. Turn into a 2-quart casserole for 45 minutes.
11. Place eggplant shells on a baking sheet.
12. Stuff this mixture into the hollowed out large eggplant shells.
13. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake for 20 minutes.
14. Serve hot.
    Serves 4 to 6

Fun Fact: Pirogue is Cajun French for a small flat bottomed boat (resembles a canoe but flat) which is essential for fishing the shallow bayous and rivers of south Louisiana.

This is our favorite of the seafood stuffed eggplant recipes. You can optionally include Pontchartrain Blue Crab meat in your Crawfish Stuffed Eggplant.