Monkey bread is a beloved pull-apart bread traditionally made sweet, but it adapts beautifully to savory fillings. The basic idea remains the same: biscuit dough pieces are filled, brushed with butter, arranged in a bundt pan and baked until golden. This version transforms the classic into a seafood-stuffed game-day appetizer inspired by the crawfish bread often found at festivals.
Years ago I remember a hand-sized bread from a New Orleans festival that was stuffed with crawfish and melty cheese — rich, bold and unforgettable. I wanted to recreate that vibe in a party-friendly monkey bread where every bite delivers cheesy, seasoned seafood in a tender dough shell.
Finding fresh crawfish can be difficult outside certain regions, so I used frozen langostino meat for this batch. Langostino is a small crustacean with a flavor that works well when sautéed with butter, onion and Creole seasoning. You can substitute shrimp, crab, lobster or crawfish depending on availability — just make sure the pieces are small enough to seal inside the dough.
To assemble, the seafood is sautéed briefly with aromatics and seasoning, then cooled. Each piece of biscuit dough is flattened, filled with a teaspoon of the seafood mixture and a bit of grated mozzarella, then pinched closed and formed into a ball. Brushed with garlic butter and layered in a buttered bundt pan, the balls bake into a beautiful golden, pull-apart loaf studded with cheesy pockets of seafood.
The result is a crowd-pleasing appetizer: warm, shareable and easy to pull apart. Serve it straight from the pan with marinara, hot sauce, remoulade or a simple garlic aioli on the side. It’s excellent for game day, potlucks, or any gathering where people like to graze and snack.
Tips for success: don’t overfill the dough rounds so they seal easily, and brush both the bundt pan and each ball generously with melted garlic butter so the pieces release cleanly after baking. Allow the baked loaf to rest 10–15 minutes before inverting onto a plate — this gives the cheese and filling a moment to set so the loaf keeps its shape.
Seafood Stuffed Monkey Bread
A savory twist on classic monkey bread: biscuit dough balls filled with seasoned seafood and mozzarella, brushed with garlic butter and baked in a bundt pan for an irresistible pull-apart appetizer.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 4
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Ingredients
- 2 tubes Pillsbury country biscuits
- 1 pound seafood meat (crawfish, shrimp, crab, or langostino)
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup onion, minced
- 1/4 cup red pepper, minced
- 1/4 cup green pepper, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp Creole seasoning (or to taste)
- 6 tbsp butter, divided
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the minced onion, red and green peppers, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté until the vegetables are translucent, about 3–4 minutes.
- Add the seafood meat and the Creole seasoning to the skillet. Cook for a couple of minutes just to heat through and let the flavors combine. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool completely before assembling.
- In a small pan, melt the remaining butter with the minced garlic on medium heat for a few minutes, taking care not to burn the garlic. Remove from heat and set aside. Use some of this garlic butter to generously brush the inside of a bundt pan.
- Cut each biscuit round in half and gently flatten into a circle. Place about a teaspoon of the cooled seafood mixture and a small pinch of grated mozzarella in the center of each round. Fold the dough over the filling and pinch the edges to seal, then roll into a smooth ball.
- Brush each dough ball with the garlic butter and arrange them snugly in the prepared bundt pan. Continue until the pan is filled.
- Bake in a preheated 400°F (200°C) oven for 30–35 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the dough is cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow the monkey bread to rest in the pan for 10–15 minutes.
- Invert the bundt pan onto a serving plate and lift it away. Serve warm with marinara, hot sauce, remoulade or your favorite dipping sauce.
Serving and Storage Tips
Serve the monkey bread hot so the cheese stays gooey. It makes a great centerpiece for game-day spreads or casual gatherings. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2–3 days and gently reheated in a low oven until warmed through. To freeze, wrap individual portions tightly and store up to one month; reheat from frozen in a 350°F oven until heated.
Author: Steve Cylka
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American