Shrimp and Crawfish Fondue

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Ingredients --Wade's Recipe

Sauce
2-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
15 grams (2 tablespoons) all-purpose flour
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt (Wade: only add at the end if necessary, otherwise it will be too salty)
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup heavy cream

Seafood 
16 oz frozen cooked 1-1/2" wild-caught shrimp
12 oz frozen crawfish tails
6 oz canned lump crabmeat (Bumble Bee), drained (Wade: Not the 8 oz Chicken of the Sea Premium Lump Crab Meat because it makes the sauce too liquidy)
Amount? Blackening seasoning (Wade: Beau Monde and Old Bay) 
melted butter, to sautee

Vegetables
1 oz (1 cup) baby spinach
8 oz organic Baby Bella mushrooms, cut in half
2 tablespoons green onions, sliced thin, for garnish (Wade's recipe)

Cheese
16 oz Monterrey Jack cheese, grated (Wade: Not the Walmart Great Value brand or Sprouts generic brand) (Monica: Not Boar's Head, too lumpy)

To Serve
French bread or baguette (sliced and toasted)


Wade's Directions (See optmimized process below)

1. Melt butter in a saucepan; whisk in flour and chopped onion. Cook over medium heat until the onion is tender. Slowly stir in stock and wine; whisk until smooth. Add cayenne pepper and salt. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add whipping cream. Simmer 5 more minutes and set aside. 

2. Season shrimp and crawfish with blackening seasoning. Melt butter in a saute pan and saute shrimp and crawfish for about 2 minutes per side. Add spinach, mushrooms, crab, and green onions. Saute until vegetables are tender. Fold in sauce and simmer. 

3. Pour the mixture into a heat-proof dish and sprinkle with cheese. Place under the broiler until the cheese melts. Serve with garlic bread as dippers. 


Shopping List

🧈 Dairy & Cheese

  • Unsalted butter (at least 1 stick)
  • Heavy cream
  • Monterrey Jack cheese, block form (16–18 oz)
    • Avoid: Walmart Great Value, Sprouts generic, Boar’s Head

🦐 Seafood

  • Frozen wild-caught cooked shrimp, 1½-inch size (16 oz)
  • Frozen crawfish tails (12 oz)
  • Bumble Bee lump crabmeat, 6 oz can

🥬 Produce

  • 1 yellow or white onion
  • Organic Baby Bella mushrooms (8 oz)
  • Fresh baby spinach (1 bag or ~5 oz)
  • Green onions (1 bunch) (Wade's Recipe)
  • Parsley (1 bunch) (Pappadeaux)
  • 1 Lemon (Pappadeaux)

🧂 Pantry & Dry Goods

  • All-purpose flour
  • Chicken broth (1 quart; low-sodium preferred)
  • Dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio style)
  • Cayenne pepper
  • White pepper
  • Blackening seasoning:
    • Old Bay (Nor Zatarin's, see notes)
    • Beau Monde

🥖 Bakery

  • French bread or baguette (1 loaf)
 


ChatGPT's Adjustments to match Pappadeaux texture and flavor profile:

Pappadeaux-Style Shrimp & Crawfish Fondeaux

(Cheese-forward • Wine-reduced • Slightly spicy • Stretchy & rich)

Ingredients (See shopping list above)

Seafood

  • 16 oz frozen cooked wild-caught shrimp (1½-inch size), thawed and dried

  • 12 oz frozen crawfish tails, thawed and dried

  • 6 oz Bumble Bee lump crabmeat, drained well

  • Blackening seasoning (Old Bay + Beau Monde blend), to taste

  • Melted butter, for sautéing

Sauce

  • 2-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 15 grams (2 tablespoons) all-purpose flour

  • 1/4 onion, very finely chopped

  • 1 cup chicken broth

  • 1/2 cup dry white wine

  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

  • 1/4 teaspoon Beau Monde blend

  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper

  • Salt, to taste (only at the end)

  • 3/4 cup heavy cream (additional 1/4 cup for thinning, only if needed)

Vegetables

  • 8 oz Baby Bella mushrooms, halved

  • 2 oz (2 cups) baby spinach

  • 2 tbsp parsley, chopped (garnish)

  • 1 parsley sprig (garnish)

  • Lemon wedges, (garnish)

Cheese

  • 16–18 oz Monterey Jack cheese, block, freshly grated
    (Expect to use most or all of it — Pappadeaux is generous)

To Serve

  • French bread or baguette, sliced and toasted


Instructions

1. Mise en Place (Essential for Quality)

  • Thaw shrimp and crawfish completely and pat very dry.

  • Lightly season shrimp with blackening seasoning.

  • Do not season the crawfish.

  • Grate cheese and let it sit at room temperature.

  • Cut bread and set aside.

2. Flash the Shrimp (Do Not Fully Cook)

  1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.

  2. Add a thin layer of melted butter.

  3. Sauté shrimp 20–30 seconds per side, just until fragrant.

  4. Remove immediately and set aside.

Shrimp will finish cooking in the sauce.

3. Lightly Cook the Mushrooms

  1. In the same skillet, continuing at medium-high heat, add a little more butter if needed.

  2. Add mushrooms cut-side down.

  3. Cook 4–5 minutes, lightly browned but not deeply caramelized.

  4. Add spinach and cook just until wilted.

  5. Remove vegetables and set aside.

4. Build the Roux

Lower heat to medium.

  1. Add 2½ tbsp butter to the skillet.

  2. Whisk in 2 tbsp flour and cook 1–2 minutes, smooth and blonde.

  3. Add onion and cook 2–3 minutes until soft, not browned.

5. Wine Reduction (Very Important)

  1. Add ½ cup white wine.

  2. Increase heat to medium-high.

  3. Reduce aggressively until the pan is nearly dry and syrupy (about 60–70% reduced).

This step is critical to achieving depth of flavor.

6. Build the Sauce

  1. Whisk in chicken broth until smooth.

  2. Simmer 3–5 minutes until lightly thickened.

  3. Reduce the heat to medium-low.

  4. Add 1/4 teaspoon each:

    • Cayenne

    • White pepper

    • Old Bay seasoning

    • Beau Monde blend

  5. Stir in ¾ cup heavy cream and simmer gently 3–4 minutes.

From this point forward, do not boil.

7. Melt the Cheese (Pappadeaux Texture)

Lower the heat to medium-low.

  1. Add grated Monterey Jack in larger handfuls, stirring assertively.

  2. Allow each addition to fully melt before adding more.

  3. Sauce should become thick, glossy, and slightly elastic.

If too thick:

  • Add 1–2 tbsp warm cream or broth.

8. Combine and Finish

  1. Add to the sauce:

    • Cooked shrimp

    • Crawfish tails (raw, thawed, and dry)

    • Crabmeat (dry)

    • Mushrooms and spinach

  2. Cook 2–3 minutes, just until seafood is heated through.

  3. Taste and add salt only if necessary.

9. Optional Authentic Finish (Recommended)

For true Pappadeaux-style service:

  1. Transfer to an oven-safe dish.

  2. Bake at 375°F for 10–12 minutes, just until bubbling.

  3. No browning — the surface should stay molten and smooth.

10. Serve

  • Add the pieces of the French bread to the toaster and toast.

  • Garnish with chopped parsley scattered over the top, a lemon wedge served alongside and a parsley sprig for fun. 

  • Serve immediately with the toasted French bread.


Notes

Reheating

  • If reheating, do so very gently, adding cream to loosen.

  • Never microwave—use stovetop low heat only.

  • For extra depth, add a small pinch of Beau Monde directly into the sauce, not on seafood


Why Cook the Onions in the Roux and not the Vegetab;es

Cooking the onion with mushrooms:

  • Introduces extra moisture early

  • Can thin the sauce

  • Increases risk of grainy cheese later

Cooking the onion in the roux:

  • Moisture is absorbed by fat and flour

  • Onion softens completely

  • Final sauce stays glossy, and cohesive


Why Old Bay Is the Better Match

Pappadeaux fondeaux seasoning is:

  • Savory and aromatic

  • Moderately spicy

  • Not smoky or bitter

Old Bay

  • Celery salt–forward

  • Warm spice, low bitterness

  • Melts cleanly into cream-and-cheese sauce

Zatarain’s Blackening

  • Heavier on paprika, pepper, and smoke

  • Designed for high-heat crusting

  • Can turn muddy or bitter in a cream/cheese sauce

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