Photo: Bobak Ha’Eri
Crawfish Etouffee is a popular Cajun and Creole crawfish dish you will find in seafood restaurants all over Louisiana. If you make it at home, you’ll be surprised how easy it is! Freezes well.
Ingredients:
¼ pound of butter (1 stick)
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped bell peppers
1 pound frozen crawfish tails (with fat), thawed
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon flour
2 teaspoons corn starch
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ Cayenne pepper
Tony’s seasoning, if desired
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
3 tablespoons chopped green onion tops
Directions:
Melt ¼ pound of butter in a large skillet or pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 cups of chopped onions, 1 cup of chopped celery, and ½ cup chopped bell peppers. Saute for at least 10-12 minutes or until onions are soft.
Add a pound of peeled crawfish tails with juice and 2 bay leaves. Reduce heat to medium, stir occasionally and cook “until the crawfish begin throwing off a little liquid” (10-12 minutes).
Dissolve a tablespoon of flour in a cup of water. Add it to the crawfish mixture and season with 1 teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper (and Tony’s if desired). Stir occasionally and cook about 4 minutes.
Dissolve 2 teaspoons of corn starch in a very small amount of water, just enough to blend. It should be thick but not lumpy. Add to mixture and cook a few minutes until sauce begins to thicken (it will thicken a little more when it cools, so don’t overcook).
Add 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley and 3 tablespoons of chopped green onions. Cook for another minute.
Remove bay leaves before serving.
Serve over hot rice.
Note: If you use crawfish from outside the US, they will be chewy and strong-tasting. We recommend you only use crawfish from Louisiana.