Crawfish Etouffee
Crawfish tails smothered in a blond-roux gravy built from the holy trinity of onion, celery, and bell pepper, ladled over rice. Traced to 1920s Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, the self-proclaimed Crawfish Capital of the World; the lighter, tomato-free Cajun style stays distinct from the tangier, tomato-added Creole version that developed later in New Orleans.
Seafood
⚠ Contains: Shellfish, Dairy, Gluten. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 2 lb peeled crawfish tail meat, with fat if available
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups seafood or chicken stock
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 cup green onions, sliced
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- Cooked white rice, for serving
Steps
- Melt 3 tbsp butter in a heavy pot over medium heat and whisk in the flour to make a roux. Cook, stirring constantly, 5-8 minutes until light golden.
- Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper, and cook 8-10 minutes until softened.
- Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in the stock, stirring to prevent lumps. Add the paprika, cayenne, salt, pepper, and bay leaves.
- Simmer uncovered 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened and gravy-like.
- Stir in the remaining 3 tbsp butter and the crawfish tails, and simmer gently 5-8 minutes just until heated through, without boiling hard.
- Remove the bay leaves, stir in the green onions and parsley, and serve ladled over steamed white rice.