Easy Crawfish Étouffée
The French word étouffée means stew. And that’s what this is! Though more Creole in origin, étouffées are found throughout Louisiana, and now they can be found in your kitchen as well.
This recipe will take you about an hour and will result in six yummy servings. The original recipe comes from The Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cuisine by Chef John Folse. Our very own Katherine Way has tweaked it with some family add-ons and adjustments.
Ingredients:
2 lbs crawfish tails
1/2 lb butter
1 cup onions (diced)
1/2 cup celery (diced)
1/2 cup green bell pepper (diced)
1/2 cup red bell pepper (diced)
1/2 cup tomatoes (diced)
2 tbsp garlic (minced)
2 bay leaves
1/4–1/2 teaspoon Merman’s Revenge Cajun Style Seasoning
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 quarts crawfish stock or water (chicken stock works too)
1 ounce sherry or white wine (optional)
1 cup green onions (sliced or chopped)
1/2 cup parsley (chopped)
Salt (to taste)
Cayenne pepper (to taste)
2 cups steamed white rice
Merman’s Revenge Cajun Style Hot Sauce (to taste)
Directions:
1. Cook your veggies.
In a 2-gallon saucepot or black skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
Add onions, celery, bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic, Merman’s Revenge Cajun Style Seasoning, and bay leaves.
Sauté for 3–5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients.
Whisk in flour, stirring constantly until a white roux is created.
Blend crawfish tails and tomato sauce into the mixture. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring to prevent the tomato sauce from scorching.
Slowly add stock until a sauce-like consistency is achieved. Add more stock and Merman’s Revenge Cajun Style Seasoning, if needed.
Bring to a rolling boil and cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add sherry (or white wine), green onions, and parsley. Cook 5 more minutes, then taste to see if it needs to be seasoned with salt and cayenne pepper.
3. Serve.
Serve over white rice with crusty French bread.
Optionally, add a sprinkle of green onions and parsley on top as a garnish. You can also add a bit of Merman’s Revenge Cajun Style Hot Sauce at the end if you prefer it more spicy!
4. Enjoy!
