Hey everyone, it’s your boy coming at you with another one of my food adventures. Today, we’re diving into something a little different, a little out there – crawfish jelly. Yeah, you heard that right. Crawfish. Jelly. Now, I know what you’re thinking, “Crawfish… in a jelly? What?” Trust me, I was right there with you, but hey, life’s too short for boring food, right?

So, it all started when I was browsing online, looking for some unique stuff to try out. I’m always on the hunt for new flavors, you know? And then, bam, I see this thing – crawfish jelly. The name alone had me hooked. I had to know what the heck it was.
I did a bit of digging and found a few brands that make it – Mills Gourmet, The Ole Homestead, stuff like that. Turns out, it’s a Southern thing, a real Cajun delicacy. They describe it as having the flavors of a Cajun crawfish boil, which sounds kind of amazing, but also, kind of weird in jelly form. But hey, I’m all about trying new things, so I ordered a jar from The Ole Homestead.
The package arrived a few days later, and there it was – a small jar filled with this reddish, kind of translucent jelly. It didn’t really smell like much, to be honest, maybe a little bit spicy. The ingredients listed were pretty simple: sugar, lemon juice, red pepper sauce, and some concentrated shrimp and crab boil. Oh, and fruit pectin, you know, to make it all jelly-like.
Taste Test Time
Now, for the moment of truth – the taste test. I grabbed some cream cheese and crackers, ’cause I saw online that’s how people usually eat it. Spread some cream cheese on a cracker, dolloped a bit of the crawfish jelly on top, and took a bite.
First impression? Woah, that’s a kick! It’s definitely spicy, but not like, burn-your-mouth spicy. It’s more of a warm, flavorful heat. You can taste the red pepper for sure. Then there’s this underlying sweetness from the sugar, and a bit of tanginess from the lemon juice. But the real surprise? You can actually kind of taste the crawfish boil flavor. It’s subtle, but it’s there. It’s like, imagine the essence of a crawfish boil, but in a sweet and spicy jelly.
Experimenting with Flavors
- Cream cheese and crackers: This is the classic way to eat it, and I gotta say, it works. The creaminess of the cheese balances out the spiciness of the jelly, and the crackers give it a nice crunch.
- Glaze for roast pork: I saw this suggestion online and had to try it. I roasted a pork loin, and in the last 20 minutes, I brushed it with the crawfish jelly. Guys, this was a game-changer. The jelly caramelized beautifully, and it gave the pork this amazing sweet and spicy glaze with a hint of that seafood flavor. Seriously, you gotta try this.
- Shrimp and seafood glaze: I figured, if it works for pork, why not shrimp? I sautéed some shrimp with garlic, and at the end, I tossed them in a spoonful of the crawfish jelly. The result was delicious – sweet, spicy, and savory, with a nice glaze on the shrimp.
Honestly, I was surprised by how much I ended up liking this stuff. It’s definitely not your everyday jelly, but that’s what makes it so interesting. It’s bold, it’s flavorful, and it’s versatile. I can see myself using this in all sorts of dishes, maybe even as a secret ingredient in a marinade or a sauce.
So, there you have it – my crawfish jelly adventure. Would I recommend it? Absolutely. If you’re looking for something new and exciting to try, give it a shot. You might just surprise yourself. And hey, even if you don’t love it, at least you can say you tried crawfish jelly, right? That’s a story in itself. Catch you guys in the next one!
Discussion about this post