Crawfish Etouffee Recipe
This crawfish etouffee is a classic Louisiana recipe packed with bold and robust flavors! Succulent crawfish tails are smothered in a rich and buttery gravy made with the holy trinity, dark nutty roux, and a hint of Creole spices.
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
For the roux
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter or oil
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
For the crawfish etouffee sauce
- 12 to 16 oz Louisiana crawfish tail meat, thaw if frozen
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, you could use up to 1/2 cup of butter
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
- 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 to 2.5 cups seafood or chicken stock, or homemade crawfish stock
- 1/2 tablespoon Tony Chachere's salt-free Creole seasoning
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, adjust as per desired heat
- 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt, or to taste
Optional ingredients
- 1- 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, undrained, for a Creole version
- 2 Bay leaves
To serve
- Cooked rice, about 3 cups
- Hot sauce, as required, optional
Instructions
- Heat butter in a heavy-bottomed skillet, dutch oven, or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Once the butter melts, add all-purpose flour, and mix with a whisk or wooden spatula until smooth.
- Cook, stirring continuously until the roux reaches a peanut brown or caramel color. Switch off the heat, and continue whisking until it turns a shade darker. Set it aside.
- Heat another saute pan over medium-high heat, add butter, once it melts, add diced onions, bell pepper, and celery along with minced garlic. Cook until the vegetables soften.
- Add the prepared roux, mix well, and cook for another minute.
- Add 1 cup of stock, and mix, and cook for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture thickens.
- Then add the remaining 1 cup of stock and mix well. Add Creole/Cajun seasoning along with cayenne pepper, Kosher salt, 2 bay leaves (if using), and 1-(14.5) oz can of no-salt, diced tomatoes (only for a Creole version). Mix well, cover with a lid and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally in between.
- If using regular Cajun or Creole seasoning, hold off the salt, since these already contain salt, taste and adjust in the end.
- Add crawfish tail meat, mix well, cover, and simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes. Do not overcook the crawfish.
- Check for seasonings, adjust with salt if required. If the etouffee is too thick, add the remaining 1/2 cup of stock, and heat it through. Sprinkle parsley and mix well.
- Serve with steamed rice, sprinkle some more chopped parsley, and scallion greens. Add a few dashes of hot sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
To make your own crawfish stock:
- Prep the crawfish. Use 1 pound of fresh boiled crawfish. Remove the tail of the crawfish, place the head in another bowl. Peel the shell off of the tail, and place it in the bowl containing the crawfish heads. Remove and discard the black string on the back of the tail meat and set the meat aside in another bowl. Repeat with the rest of the crawfish.
- Add 2 quarts of water in a large saucepan, add 1/2 teaspoon of creole seasoning and mix well. Add the crawfish heads and tails. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Drain the stock through a fine-mesh strainer, taste for seasoning, and adjust with salt if required. If using leftover crawfish from a crawfish boil, skip the seasonings as it already has a lot of flavor and spice.