Crawfish étouffée is a traditional Cajun dish. There's nothing better to make during crawfish season in Louisiana. When crawfish is out of season, substitute shrimp. It tastes even better with hot garlic French bread! Because this is a quick dish, start with the rice.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. crawfish tails, peeled
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 3 cups seafood stock or chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
- Cooked rice, for serving
Instructions:
- Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the flour gradually, stirring constantly, until it turns into a deep reddish-brown roux - about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Take the onions, bell pepper, and celery. Cook them in the pot until the vegetables are soft - about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.
- Combine the seafood stock or chicken broth, bay leaves, thyme, salt, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then you can reduce to low heat and leave to simmer for around 30 minutes.
- Add the crawfish tails and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until the crawfish are cooked through.
- Stir in the parsley and green onions and remove the bay leaves.
- Serve over delicious cooked rice.
Étouffée means "smothered," and there is no more traditional or delicious Louisiana recipe than crawfish étouffée!
