Ultimate Seafood Grilled Cheese
Sweet Louisiana jumbo lump crabmeat, tender Gulf shrimp, a rich but balanced three-cheese filling, and thick bread grilled to a golden, garlicky crust. Served with a tangy homemade Creole remoulade.
Ingredients
1. Louisiana seafood
- 8 oz jumbo lump Louisiana crabmeat, picked clean of shells
- 8 oz peeled and deveined Gulf shrimp
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup finely minced Cajun trinity (onion, bell pepper, celery)
- 1 tsp Luquette’s Cajun Seasoning
Variation: Substitute 8 oz Louisiana crawfish tails for the shrimp. Retain a little crawfish fat for flavor, but drain excess liquid.
2. Creamy Cajun seafood filling
- 2 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2 oz mascarpone cheese, softened
- 1 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tsp Creole mustard
- 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
- ½ tsp Luquette’s Cajun Seasoning
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ tsp finely grated lemon zest
- ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 4–6 dashes Louisiana hot sauce, to taste
- 2 green onions, finely sliced
- 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
3. Three-cheese blend
- 3 oz Gruyère, freshly shredded
- 3 oz pepper jack, freshly shredded
- 2 oz sharp white cheddar, freshly shredded
Why this works: Gruyère provides nutty richness, pepper jack melts beautifully with a little heat, and sharp white cheddar adds that unmistakable grilled-cheese flavor.
Eight ounces of shredded cheese is plenty alongside the creamy seafood filling.
4. Garlic-butter crust
- 8 thick slices sourdough or Texas toast, approximately ¾ inch thick
- 3 Tbsp softened unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp mayonnaise
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp Luquette’s Cajun Seasoning
- 1 tsp finely minced parsley
- 2 Tbsp finely grated Parmesan, optional
I recommend thick-cut sourdough as my first choice. Its slight tang complements the seafood, and its structure holds up better to the rich filling than soft brioche.
5. Homemade Creole remoulade
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp Creole mustard
- 1 tsp prepared horseradish
- 1 Tbsp finely chopped dill pickles or capers
- 1 Tbsp minced green onion
- 1 Tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp Louisiana hot sauce
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp Luquette’s Cajun Seasoning
Directions
Prepare the remoulade.
Combine all the remoulade ingredients in a small bowl. Mix thoroughly, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
The extra Creole mustard and lemon give it enough acidity to cut through the richness of the cheese.
Build the Cajun flavor base.
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat.
Add the finely minced trinity and cook approximately 5–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and most of its moisture has evaporated.
This is important. You want concentrated trinity flavor without introducing water into the sandwich.
Cook the shrimp.
Season the shrimp with 1 teaspoon Luquette’s Cajun Seasoning.
Add to the trinity and cook, stirring, for approximately 3–4 minutes total, depending on their size, until fully cooked, opaque, and firm.
Remove from heat and transfer to a plate to cool. Chop into small bite-sized pieces.
Drain away excess cooking liquid.
Important: Cook the shrimp completely before assembling the sandwiches. Don’t rely on the grilling process to finish cooking them.
Prepare the seafood filling.
In a mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, mascarpone, mayonnaise, Creole mustard, garlic, Cajun seasoning, lemon juice, zest, Worcestershire, and hot sauce.
Stir until smooth.
Gently incorporate the green onions, parsley, cooked trinity, and cooled shrimp.
Mix in ½ cup of the shredded three-cheese blend.
Finally, fold in the jumbo lump crabmeat with a spatula, keeping those beautiful lumps as intact as possible.
Taste the filling and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Prepare the garlic-butter spread.
Mix softened butter, mayonnaise, garlic powder, Cajun seasoning, and parsley.
Spread a thin, even layer onto one side of each bread slice.
Using garlic powder rather than fresh grated garlic in the exterior spread helps prevent burnt garlic during grilling.
Assemble the sandwiches.
Place four slices of bread, garlic-butter side down.
Divide about half the remaining shredded cheese evenly among the four slices.
Divide the seafood filling equally among the sandwiches, spreading gently while leaving a small border around the edges.
Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese over the seafood filling.
Top with the remaining bread slices, garlic-butter side facing out.
That cheese layer on both sides helps hold the seafood filling together.
Grill slowly until golden.
Preheat a heavy skillet or griddle over medium-low heat, approximately 300–325°F.
Place the sandwiches into the skillet.
Cook approximately 4–6 minutes on the first side. Cover loosely during the first few minutes to help the cheese melt, then uncover so the crust remains crisp.
Carefully flip and cook another 4–6 minutes until both sides are golden and the filling is thoroughly heated.
If using Parmesan, sprinkle a light, even layer onto the buttered bread shortly before grilling each side.
Don’t smash the sandwiches with the spatula. Gentle contact with the pan is enough.
Rest and serve.
Transfer the sandwiches to a wire rack for approximately 2 minutes.
Cut diagonally with a sharp serrated knife.
Serve immediately with chilled Creole remoulade for dipping and, ideally, a small bowl of Louisiana Crab and Corn Bisque.
From the Luquette Kitchen
Some of the best ideas come from a good lunch out. After enjoying a seafood grilled cheese at RiverFront on the Vermilion River in Abbeville, we came home and built our own version: sweet lump crab, Gulf shrimp, three cheeses, and a little of our own Cajun seasoning, all on thick buttery bread grilled golden. It’s a grilled cheese all grown up, and it tastes even better with a cup of crab and corn bisque on the side.