Zandalari Crawfish Fondue

Let me tell you something about Zandalar. The place is gorgeous. It’s hot. All the animals are huge and you are very small. Among the huge animals are the crawfish. You ever see a Zandalari crawfish? They’re crazy big, big enough to snip-snip off parts that you’d like to keep on.

That’s why I like to grind them up and serve them in a cheese sauce. Boo-yah, top of the food chain!

So this stuff is amazing with a good crusty bread, or as I realized over the last few days, with just a damn spoon. Let’s talk what you need – half a stick of butter, 4 oz of cream cheese, half of an onion, either one whole bell pepper, or two halves of different colored ones — which is what I did here. You also want 8oz each of sharp cheddar and colby jack — but feel free to experiment. I think this would be great with a pepperjack or maybe a smoked cheddar instead.

You’ll also need 1 lb (.5 kilo) of crawfish. I didn’t have quite enough so I subbed in some crab meat as well. You can substitute shrimp, crab, lobster, whatever sort of water bug you have laying around and it’ll be good. And of course, you need the Zandalari seasoning. Here we’re using about a tablespoon of premixed (you can get it at most neutral hubs) as well as a teaspoon of cayenne for some extra kick.

Last, but not least, a good crusty bread loaf and about half a cup of chicken stock.

First, take the onion and pepper and chop them up super fine. Like the red beans and rice, you want them small enough to basically disintegrate. Unless you like chunky. I don’t judge.

Grind all the cheeses. Hardest part is now over.

Melt the butter, then throw in the veggies and saute them until just soft. It’ll start smelling really good, really fast.

Then chuck in the cream cheese and let it melt until it becomes well… creamy. Once it’s blended, add in the fish and half of the broth. Once that’s all combined, slowly add in the cheese. Or be impatient and just plop it all in and suffer like I did. Live your best life.

Last but not least, add the seasoning and mix it together. Let it simmer for a few minutes to thicken and bam. Enjoy with crusty bread.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 stick (4 Tbsp) butter
• 1 whole bell pepper or two halves of different colored peppers
• 1 half of an onion
• 4 oz (115 grams) cream cheese
• 8 oz (.25 kilo) cheddar cheese
• 8 oz (.25 kilo) colby cheese
• 1/4 – 1/2 cup chicken broth (60-120 ml)
• 1 lb (.5 kilo) crawfish, lobster, crab, shrimp, etc. Frozen is fine, but not canned
• 1 Tbsp Zandalari (or Cajun) seasoning
• 1 tsp cayenne

Instructions:

1. Finely chop the pepper and the onions
2. Shred all your cheese
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan and saute the pepper and onion until just soft
4. Add the cream cheese and half of the broth. Mix until creamy
5. Add the seafood and mix to incorporate
6. Add the cheese and handful at a time until well combined
7. Stir in the seasonings
8. Simmer until thick