If there was one bite of food that immediately brings me back to sitting on the kitchen counter watching my mom cook it’s a spoonful of crawfish étouffeé and rice. The smell of the simmering pan of étouffeé is a smell that is so ingrained into my head just sitting here typing this blog post now I can smell it. This meal is a part of me. It is a part of my family. And I hope that you appreciate that spoonful of crawfish étouffeé as much as I do.
Wikipedia: “Étouffée or etouffee (French: [e.tu.fe], English: /ˌeɪtuːˈfeɪ/ AY-too-FAY) is a dish found in both Cajun and Creolecuisine typically served with shellfish over rice. The dish employs a technique known as smothering, a popular method of cooking in the Cajun areas of southwest Louisiana. Étouffée is most popular in New Orleans and in the Acadiana area of the southernmost half of Louisiana.”
Me: Crawfish Étouffée is one of the dishes that will always take me back to my childhood; whether that be sitting on the counter-top in the kitchen watching my mom cook it or running around outside with my cousins while my Grandmother made a pot in the house. It is a dish that I do not cook too often, because it can be a pricier dish make due to the crawfish, but every time I do make it it is a treat. Étouffée is one of the dishes that I most look forward to teaching Barnett how to cook so she can pass the tradition of this Creole dish down to her children.
My original crawfish étouffeé recipe was passed down to me from my mom. This dish is the type of meal that reminds me of home and refreshes my memory with all of the good times I’ve had with my family while eating it. However my étouffeé is pretty different from my moms; just as my sisters is slightly different from my moms and mines as well. We all make it just a touch different and to our liking.
I know this recipe sounds a bit complicated, but don’t freight, it’s not. This dish requires fewer than 10 ingredients and is quite simple to make and it only takes about an hour to make in totality. Outside of making a roux your the recipe consists of cooking down some onions and letter all the ingredients simmer together. Another great thing about this dish are the dish requirements, ONE POT is all you need. (If you can’t tell I really dislike doing dishes)
Crawfish Étouffée
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 4 Servings
Ingredients
- 2 lbs crawfish tails
- 1/4 cup Crisco (or oil of your choice)
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- Creole seasoning
- 2 chopped onions
- 1/2 chopped green bell pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 cup minced parsley
- 4 oz. can tomato sauce
- 1 1/2 cup seafood stock
- 2 tbsp hot sauce (plus more for your tastes)
- Whatever you prefer Louisiana, Tabasco, etc.
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- Rice to serve over
Instructions
- I start my crawfish étouffée off as I do many other dishes such as gumbo or catfish courtbouillon; with a roux. I'll tend to stick with a blond roux for étouffé; like a peanut butter color.
- I need to make a YouTube video on how to make a roux, but for now I recommend you go find one you like.
- Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, celery, and parsley to the hot roux. Cook all the vegetables down until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Add the tomato sauce, stock, and hot sauce to the pan. Cook down for a few minutes to let everything meld together.
- Season the crawfish and add it to the pan.
- Cover the pan, lower the heat to low, and let the pan simmer for 45 minutes; stirring occasionally.
- Serve over rice and enjoy!
Notes
For most people you'll be using frozen crawfish (pay attention to the packaging and try and get Louisiana crawfish if you can). Once you defrost them season them with enough Creole seasoning that it starts to burn your nose. (Don't worry it'll mellow out when combined with the rest of the ingredients.
Thank you for taking a few moments from your day to read over this and I hope that you are able to try this recipe sometime and that you enjoy it. Feedback is always welcome and appreciated.
Have a blessed day,
Benjamin
OMG this takes me back to being a kid chopping onions and celery for my gram. She wouldn’t let me chop the bell peppers for some reason. Gonna have to make this this weekend!
Great recipe, Ben! Mine is exactly the same with the exception that I add 3 finely minced garlic cloves, 1 tsp thyme, and I rinse the tomato sauce can with 4oz of water and 1 tbsp of liquid crab boil. Then a flourish of chopped green onions on the top. Yep! It’s delicious.⚜️
Btw, you know I love your page, right?😹⚜️
Excellent⚜️