I serve this chowder Christmas night. Everyone welcomes the change from all of the junk food and turkey. It is very creamy and satisfying. Serve it with cornbread or crusty French bread.
This recipe is outstanding! I have been making this for a couple of years now and always receive compliments from family and friends. Very simple recipe to follow and the results are "restaurant quality". This recipe blows away the local "Award-Winning Shrimp Bisque". I use the crawfish tail meat that you can get in the frozen seafood section at Walmart.
Read MoreWith the exception of crawfish for crab, this is the exact same recipe for a crab corn chowder I got from a friend. Spice it up with cayenne or Tabasco sauce. It needs a kick to take it over the top!
Read MoreThis recipe is outstanding! I have been making this for a couple of years now and always receive compliments from family and friends. Very simple recipe to follow and the results are "restaurant quality". This recipe blows away the local "Award-Winning Shrimp Bisque". I use the crawfish tail meat that you can get in the frozen seafood section at Walmart.
This is an excellent chowder. Due to the exorbitant price of crawfish, I used two pounds of shrimp and to lighten up a little, we used the fat free half and half. It took overnight in the frig for the flavors to completely meld. This is definitely a keeper.
I doubled the cream cheese and corn, as a previous reviewer mentioned and used Old Bay Seasoning instead of cayenne. Also, I used one medium yellow onion, 5 small red potatoes (diced), fresh mushrooms, and 1 lb ground italian sausage all fried separately in a pan (w/ butter if needed) and Old Bay Seasoning and added to the soup. Instead of using 2 lbs of crawfish, i used 1 lb. If using sausage, 1 lb is plenty! My husband said it was the best chowder he has ever had. I agree!
I discovered this recipe on your web-site about 3 years ago. I have made this dozens of times. This is the most requested recipe I have ever had. When asked what I should bring, this is the dish of choice. The only thing I do differently, is that I double the amount of cream cheese and the corn. I have made it exactly as the recipe shows and it's still REALLY GOOD. Being from Louisiana, crawfish may be more attainble for me. I have also made this dish with shrimp and crabmeat and it is still DELICIOUS.
I've made this twice now. Both times this chowder received raves from my family and my friends. I haven't changed the recipe a bit - I just doubled it because everyone goes back for seconds (and thirds).I'm from Louisiana so I am particular about my crawfish - this passed all my tests for a delicious use of Louisiana crawfish! Thanks Tina!
I was very pleased with this recipe; however, I made a few substitutions (Smart Balance for the butter, 98% fat free cream of mushroom, fat free cream cheese, fat free half & half), omissions (green onions), and additions (imitation crab meat, broccoli, and garlic powder). I would definitely make this again, except I would add more half & half to increase creaminess.
This is absolutely the best crawfish chowder ever! Everytime I make it I get rave reviews and everyone wants the recipe. I also add about 2 large red potatoes, parboiled and cut in small pieces + about 1/2 cup dry sherry at the end! If you have a super Walmart nearby, you can get the crawfish meat, cleaned and packaged in 12oz packets.
Made this tonight, exactly as recipes is written. Everyone loved it. Even my 3 year old son. It is very rich, so I will try to make it again with lighter ingredients. Great recipe!!!!
With the exception of crawfish for crab, this is the exact same recipe for a crab corn chowder I got from a friend. Spice it up with cayenne or Tabasco sauce. It needs a kick to take it over the top!
This is incredibly delicious. Everyone who has tried it has loved it. It is so easy that I have already made it three times! I've used creole seasoning rather than the cayenne the last two times, but either way it is terrific.
this a great!! i'm not one to strictly follow a recipe (i mean really, no two women put on make up the same) BUT i followed this one pretty closely. if you object to changes or or calorie conscious, read the next review. for the rest of us cajuns, here's a simple tip: sautee 1/2 a yellow onion and diced mushrooms along with the green onions. add about 4 slices of finely chopped bacon to the soup mix, along with some crab meat and a generous helping of tony's (NOT OLD BAY). so good...it'll make you wanna slap your mama!
My ex-boyfriend had been making this for me for a long time and it was one of the few things I was going to miss about him...until I made it myself for the first time! So easy and delicious. I made it exactly as the recipe says except I substituted Old Bay for the cayenne. I made it for my whole family the day after Thanksgiving and they loved it! Creamy and rich and very filling. Who needs the "ex"? Not me! **EDIT: ** - I wrote my original review in 2010. It's now 2018 and I get so many requests to make this chowder - friends and family alike. It's very rich so I try to limit it to the holidays, but I end up making it on demand at least three times a year, in addition to the holidays. I now have the recipe memorized!
My daugher in law found this and made it on Christmas...amazing...and who knew you could find crawfish in Oregon...;)
Good recipe, but almost too rich. I added in about 1/3 cup of regular milk so it wouldn't be so thick.
Absolutely delicious soup and very easy to make. Added extra corn and langostinos. The langostinos made it so sweet and added an extra texture. There is one problem with this recipe, there are never any leftovers because it is so good!
Could not keep this in the house!!!!!!!! I didn't add the Cayenne to the whole pot but my individual bowl because of the kids. I loved it with and without the Cayenne.
Delicious, quick, and rich! Excellent as is. We've also made it by substituting clams for the crawfish, adding one small regular onion and about a tablespoon of minced garlic sauteed in with the green onions plus about 4 oz. of smoked salmon. Yum!
This was so easy and delicious. I made several changes due to the ingredients I had on hand. I only used one lb of crawfish because they are so expensive around here and only used one stick of butter total and leeks instead of green onions. I added some Old Bay, garlic powder and white pepper and threw in some frozen hashbrowns to make up for the missing crawfish. This was excellent and I will most definitely be making this again! Thank you for sharing!
This was really good soup! I followed the directions, but added a generous amount of Old Bay at the end. I am shocked that something with canned soup tasted so amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Yummy. I made this for Christmas and everyone loved it to the last drop. I simmered 1 pkg of frozen crawfish, 1 pkg imitation crab meat, 1/2 lb of Shrimp, and 1 pkg smoked sausage in butter and crab boil. I used Tony's for seasoning and doubled the corn and cream cheese as suggested by others. Very Good recipe!
I don't have much to say about this soup that the other people haven't said. It is amazing!!! I could eat this soup every day of my life. RUN RUN RUN to the grocery store, buy the ingredients, and make this. You will not regret it. Fab!!! A couple of notes.. I did cut about half a stick of butter by sauteeing both together. I just started with a little butter and continued to add as needed. Keep the half and half. I mean, if you are looking for a diet soup, this ain't it. Embrace the calories and enjoy!
This was a BIG hit. I would give this six stars if I could. I doubled the cream cheese like suggested by other members, and used cream of potato dry mix instead of the canned soups. I also added smoked sausage, and added bay seasoning along with the cayenne. I will definitely will be making this again. Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe!!
This is a great base recipe, but when I made it exactly as written, it was way too thick and bland and didn't impart enough seafood flavor. I'm not a fan of canned soup, but was surprised that it didn't taste too bad. I've made this with both crawfish ands shrimp and both taste great. When I use shrimp, I use about 2.5 lbs. I remove about 1/3 of the cooked shrimp (chop them if they're big) and use a hand blender to slighty puree the chowder, leaving small chunks. I then add the reserved shrimp back to the soup. This makes a nice shrimp bisque. I also eliminate the cream of mushroom (since I think it has a artificial taste) and use all potato soup, 1 bottle of clam nectar, minced garlic, old-bay seasoning, 8 oz. of cream cheese and chives to garnish. With your own additions and changes, this makes a restaurant worthy chowder.
Changed the original up a bit and used a carved out a sourdough bowl. Even my 12 year old loved it. Great recipe!
I was given a rave review from a close friend when I made this for her. I took the advise of other reviews and added doubled the cream cheese and corn, and added skinless smoked sausage. I had frozen tail meat and used that. Wonderful stuff.
Very simple and delicious. I followed the recipe, except I added a lot of pepper and some garlic powder. This one is a keeper.
I had been getting rave reviews using another chowder recipe from this site, but this is my new favorite recipe. It uses half the cream cheese and tastes even better! LOVE IT!!!
This recipes is to die for, we have a local store that sells pre cooked cajun crawfish so I used them. I just added them to the onions with the extra butter after the onions cooked and let them soak up some butter for a few mins while I got the rest of the recipe together. Turned out great, going to try with clams next time... you must try this recipe...
This was pretty good. It was a little bland though. had to doctor it up with salt and pepper and garlic and Old Bay Seasoning. probably would have been better the next day..
this was amazing! one of the best things ive ever made. i used half shrimp and half crawfish and my boyfriend keeps asking me when im gonna make this again. definitely a keeper!
Wow. This soup is SO easy and SO good. Made two changes, I used crab meat and cream of celery for personal preference. Try it tonight, can't wait for lunch leftovers!!!!
I found this recipe a few years ago and have been in love ever since. I live in the South, so we've only eaten fried or boiled crawfish. This is a great, hearty change of pace. Would love to try the other persons review and add some sausage and potatos. Thanks!!
I am the worst cook ever. I made this and it was so delicious! I could not believe that it was made from canned soup. I made it on Tuesday and am making it again on Thursday. My daughter and 1 (she is 3) ate it all and now I am making some to keep in the fridge and so I can take it to my mom! The only thing I changed the second time was I added an extra can of corn, and an extra half cup of half and half, and extra onions. I used crawfish and the crawfish tasted kinda fishy but on the next day it tasted less fishy and the next day when we finished it, it didn't taste fishy at all. HIGHLY RECCOMEND!
Used shrimp instead of crawfish, didn't have cream of mushroom so I substituted with cream of celery, doubled the corn and cream cheese, added 2 cans of diced tomatoes, garlic powder, and slap ya mamma seasoning. It's so good you really could slap "ya Mamma"!
This is the best "any kind of seafood" chowder I have ever eaten, even in restaurants. And all the simple ingredients make it even better. All I did was add extra seasoning & a dab of lemon juice. Can't beat this for a large dinner party!
Not only is this a great tasting chowder, it is super easy. I made this yesterday and served it at dinner last night and it was a huge hit. This will definitely go into my favorites and I will make it again and again. Being from Louisiana, we have access to crawfish pretty much all year round. Thanks for this recipe STKA
I never review anything, ever! But this was by far the best chowder I've ever had hands down! I followed the recipe exactly and it was delish!! Can't wait to make this again for guests.
Very good! I used to get this at a creole cafe, and it went out of business... I freaked out and looked on here how to make it. This is just as good, but I add a couple of red potatoes, bacon, and about 3 times as much cayenne pepper. Oh and about 10 shakes of hot sauce.
Great-Great-Great! Made this once and have already had 3 requests for the recipe and am making it again by request for son-in-law. I was leary about a recipe that uses soup, but this is fantastic! Tastes like the chowders we had at seafood restaurants in Florida. Made the recipe as is, but did use double cream cheese and some reduced Sherry. You cannot go wrong with this recipe - a real keeper!
This was phenomenal! I made it with double cream cheese and reduced the amount of green onions a bit. I could not have improved on it in any way! Served with hot asiago cheese bread, this dish was total perfection.
This was the BEST! My daughter, who is extremely picky, LOVED this and begs me to make it. I am going to try it with the shrimp and crab some time too.
I must admit I really did not think this would taste to good, but WOW! This was amazing! Perfect amount of spices and taste. The only change I made was to add a tsp of minced garlic and Old Bay seasoning when cooking the crawfish. But my family are huge garlic lovers. This recipe is a definately a keeper!!!
Having just returned from a trip to New Orleans,I have my reservations about a recipe where most of the ingredients we pre-prepared and/or canned. My wife and I were wonderfully surprised! Quick, easy and pretty close to authentic. This is a permanent do-over.
I used shrimp in place of crawfish, added 8 ounces sliced baby bella mushrooms and 5 large red potatoes diced and par-boiled, doubled the cream cheese (used low-fat), and only used 1/4 cup of butter (for green onions and mushrooms). Sauteed shrimp in olive oil and white wine. Was amazing! Tasted even better the next day. Great recipe to use for making weekday lunches in advance.
It was good and I will probably make again. But I did wish it was a little heartier.
Read reviews and thinned it with 1/3 more cream than caled for--swapped half the crawfish for shrimp and scallops. Will serve in bread bowls next time. Great meal!! Easy as heck to make.
Incredibly tasty for such a simple dish. I did half Old Bay, half cayenne and it was just spicy enough.
I found this recipe to be very good as is although I used Shrimp instead of crawfish and seasoned to taste other than that it was great!!!!!!!!
One of my faves. I made some changes: Instead of canned soup I boil potatoes down until very mushy, add lots of Old Bay and I use shrimp and kielbasa.
Heavy and what can be fishy tasting anything usually scares me. However, this was FANTASTIC. It is a keeper. The substitutions made were: Added some Simply Potatoes-diced to onion; used both Old Bay and cayenne w/a dash of red pepper sauce. Us Texans like it hot! I also used the frozen crawfish tales (2 bags). I will make this again and again and again. Thanks for the easy, YUMMY recipe.
Yummo! I used shrimp and fake crab and fat free soups and milk and cheese. Wonderful!
THIS RECIPE HAS CANNED SOUP! WHAT! Much to my suprise, this came out very good. I was out of green onions, so I sauted yellow onion. Added garlic, onion powder, and lots more pepper. My picky husband even liked it. I was very impressed.
Use crawfish! This is crawfish chowder afterall. I followed the recipe exactly and it was so good that my friends offered to pay me for the leftovers.
I've made this a couple of times now, and have decided that my favorite version includes the following: (I generally make half the amount of the original recipe-- it still makes a large pot of rich and hearty soup!) saute a diced onion along with the green onions, 1 lb frozen langostino tails instead of crawfish, 1 can potato soup, 1 box of the condensed portabello mushroom soup from Trader Joes (a must!!), no corn, double the rec amt of cream cheese (full 4oz when making half the original recipe), a bit of Tony Chacheres Creole seasoning, pepper and a few small red potatoes. I cut back the butter from the beginning and just use what's needed to saute the onions and langostinos, not a full 3/4 cup. This isn't a light soup, but sometimes it hits the spot! I think it's better if it simmers longer than the recipes calls for, or even when warmed back up the next day. Serve with fresh baked peasant style bread-- delicious!!
My family and I loved it but with some minor changes. I used lite cream cheese and fat free half and half because I don't really like things that are too rich. I also used light butter. I used Old Bay instead of cayenne and I doubled the amount of crawfish I used because I love crawfish. It turned out really well!!! I can't wait to make it again!
My boyfriend and I absolutely loved this chowder. I was unable to find crawfish in my neighborhood stores so I substituted crab meat. Other than that I didn't change a thing. Next time I make it, I will serve it in bread bowls. My boyfriend says it was better than anything he has had on the piers of San Francisco! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Oh my God I love it. Me and my husband are not white sauce eater but this will remain on the menu for years to come. I even got my 2 and 5 years old to eat it and they loved it.
Rich, tasty, and delicious! NOT a "light supper" soup. Holds up to a crusty piece of french bread! Full belly and tons of leftovers!
This was so good. I doubled the corn and cream cheese, and ended up using old bay and cajun seasoning (next time I'll just use the cayenne). Very easy and absolutely delicious. I'll be making this again and again.
If I could give it 6 stars I would. This is such an easy and delicious chowder. Crawfish isn't in season right now so I used shrimp and threw in some hot sauce. I served it with the cheddar bay biscuits also on this site. They were a perfect compliment to the meal. My husband raved about this dish and even dicated the recipe to his siter in South Carolina so she could try it too. I can't wait for crawfish season now!!!
I made this chowder for a soupfest at my church. I have been asked for the recipe from everyone who tasted it and others who just heard about it. Everyone said it was the best chowder they had ever tasted. I used imitation lobster and Old Bay seasoning in place of the cayenne. I also doubled the recipe. It was SO easy to make, as well. Can't wait to experiment with other seafood in the recipe.
loved it! this was a really hearty chowder. i like mine more soupy so i added extra milk whenever i reheated a bowl. i wonder if it would work as well with chicken or some other meat...?
This was very good. I used shrimp rather than crawfish and only used the recommended amount of cream cheese. Some other reviewers mentioned they doubled it but I found the soup to be very thick and would have been even more so with the extra cream cheese.
I was surprised at how little prep there was involved in this recipe. I did not expect it to turn out as fabulous as it did but it was a huge hit in my family! We used prawns and basa fish and I'm sure any seafood would work in this chowder. We were impressed with the taste, ease and simplicity of this recipe... also used low fat everything that we could and it was plenty rich and thick. A keeper!
Excellent, excellent, excellent! I'm from New Orleans and luckily there is plenty of crawfish around all the time! This was a great, simple recipe which allows for easy modification if needed. You can't possibly mess this one up, I couldn't believe how easy it was : ) The husband loved it!
Someone said to drain the crawfish-- I would NOT. The liquid that comes with the frozen crawfish from Walmart adds IMMENSELY to the flavor and gives a delicate pink color. In terms of thickness, the last time I made this I actually used heavy cream (bad girl) instead of the half and half. I mean, it's not diet food and it's a treat, so why not go all the way? This chowder is probably the BEST thing I have ever eaten. Truly! I use the frozen crawfish tail meat from Walmart. I use cream of shrimp soup instead of cream of mushroom, use a small Vidalia onion instead of the green onions, double the cream cheese, and leave out the corn. Just minor personal preferences but whether you make this recipe as printed or tweak it to personal taste, it is simply unbelievably good. If this were on a restaurant menu, I would be coming back regularly and probably never getting enough. Being able to save money by making something so incredibly satisfying at home is absolutely thrilling.
Better than you would think with the condensed soup base. I usually try not to go that route but this is a good quickie comfort food that is great to serve on a cold day.
Delicious! Tastes just like the chowder I used to order at the local cajun restaurant. I'm not the most experienced cook and this was pretty much fool-proof for a beginner like myself. When I make this again, I might try to add some more half and half, not because it was too thick but because the broth tasted so good I really found myself wanting more of it. It was a hit at my house and tasted even better the next day. Thanks!
This was the greatest! My friends loved it. They can't wait till I make it again.
Excellent recipe. This is a fool proof recipe I have made it over a dozen times and it is always a big hit with everyone. I like to add a can od diced new potatoes, and serve with both shredded cheese and french bread. Also, you can substitute yellow onions for the green ones and I have also sub half and half for milk but my husband always notices and complains.
I thought this sounded like a terrific "welcome to autumn" meal and it did not dissapoint. I was unable to find crawfish, so I used lump crab meat and shrimp. While sauteing the green onions I also added come chopped carrots (for flavor and color). The chowder turned out fantastic and tasted great heated up the next day too! Thanks for the great recipe.
I liked this, but it was a bit fishy for me, next time I will cut the crawfish in half and add a bit more corn and 3 or 4 diced and cooked potatoes. On the other hand, my brother and my dad loved it! Thanks for the recipe!
Good Soup I didnt have any green onions so i just used small white onion and I added some shrimp . I'm glad I have this recipe because lent just started !
I absolutely LOVE this recipe!! I now make it every Christmas Eve and my family really loves the flavor of this chowder. It is requested all the time! Thanks so much for the wonderful recipe.
I had my Louisiana family in town and made this and everyone LOVED it, including my 1 and 2 year olds. I did half cream and half milk, but other than that I did exactly the same. What a yummy new way to use crawfish, coming from a Louisiana Girl....that is a HUGE compliment! Thanks
Loved this recipe. It was so easy to make and absolutely delicious. A real crowd pleaser. I am actually considering the idea of making it as a topping for fresh broiled fish. It's rich in taste, and I think will serve well as a broiled fish topping...possibly adding conch and/or scallops and shrimp. I live in Florida and fresh fish is a necessity here. Serving this recipe as such a topping could be a very impressive addition. I highly recommend this one to anyone who is looking for an impressive chowder recipe to serve. YUM!
Very good. I also used the frozen crawfish tails from Walmart. I did find I needed to add some Old Bay and garlic powder. Also added bit of salt. I didn't have cream of mushroom so I subbed with cream of celery. Used only 1/2 cup butter, but doubled the cream cheese. Can't wait to try it tomorrow after it "melds" in the fridge overnight!
Tried this recipe and followed it by the book, was a lil bland and had a funny taste to me, at the same time I kept wanting to eat it lol! The next time around I did it my way and called it white gumbo. I used 8 oz. of cream cheese, 2 and a half cups of cream, 3 cloves of garlic, a few shakes of basil, thyme, & parsley , and 2 cans of corn along with the potato and mushroom soups. I also added sliced mushrooms, red potatoes, shrimp, and andouille sausage. I used tony's instead of cayenne pepper, and a shot of tobasco. I simmered it a lot longer than 25 minutes too. Came out better than ever!
This is a great recipe!!! Who would believe canned soup could create such a delicious recipe. Our frozen crawfish comes precooked, so we skipped that step. A little extra cayenne and we were good to go. Thanks.
We loved this! It was very easy to make with delicious results. I made a couple of changes - I used fat free Half&Half and was very pleased (1st time I ever used it), reduced the butter by half (3/4 c. seemed like far more butter than needed), and used reduced fat cream cheese. Even with these healthy changes it was delicious! I let it simmer for an hour, which I think made a huge difference in melding flavors. I also added a chopped, roasted poblano chile only because I had one. Very, very good!
Did not have crawfish, so I used shrimp instead, it was really good. I will make this again
This was just delicious. Very easy to make and easy to vary. I used precooked shrimp and increased the cream cheese to 8 ounces (only did that because I didn't want to deal with leftover cream cheese in the fridge.) Thank you for this fabulous recipe!
A few small changes made this chowder a *HUGE* hit at my labor day party. I chopped up 5 whole potatoes, used 2 lbs of shrimp instead of crawfish, doubled the amount of cream cheese, and use 2 cans of cream of mushroom, 1 can of cream of celery, and 1 can of cream of asparagus. Great stuff!
I had never had crawfish before but this recipe sounded really interesting so I decided to give it a try. All I can saw is WOW. This recipe is so delicious, simple to make and my wife can never make enough of it. I am kinda wondering if imitation crab meat might be substitued for the crawfish.
We loved this recipe! I couldn't find crawfish so I used 2 lbs of shrimp. And I used 1 can of each: cream of potato, cream of mushroom and cream of shrimp. I love corn escpecially roasted. So I bought fresh frozen and pan roasted it in some olive oil until the corn has a nice browning color. So I probably added more corn than the recipe states. Lastly added 8 ounces of cream cheese since it comes 8 ounces to a package. I figured it wouldn't hurt with all that extra corn. Really fantastic recipe! Thank you
My supermarket didn't have crawfish, so I substituted crab and shrimp instead. The beauty of this recipe is that you can pretty much throw in kind of seafood that you want. Definitely a favorite!
Was very good and easy to make, but thicker than I would like. I think I will try using equal parts milk and half/half next time.
