Crawfish Etouffee

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword crawfish-etouffee-recipe, crawfish-recipes

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings servings

Calories 224kcal

In a large cast-iron Dutch oven or similar deep heavy skillet, melt 1/2 cup butter. Whisk in flour. Cook stirring or whisking over low heat until mixture is a caramel-colored paste similar to peanut butter. About 20 minutes.
To the pot add the onion, celery, pepper and onions; stir until coated. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables begin to soften, around 5-8 minutes. Add minced garlic, cooking for 1 minute longer.
Next, pour in stock, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, Cajun seasoning, salt, pepper, cayenne, bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Uncover, discard bay leaf and thyme stems. Add crawfish, lemon juice, green onions and 2 tablespoons parsley. Add a few dashes of hot sauce. Cook uncovered over medium low for 10-15 minutes or just until crawfish is heated through. Whisk in reserved 2 Tbsp butter. Mix well. (Reserve a few green onions for garnishing)
Serve ladled over cooked white rice, with hot sauce and garnished with reserved parsley and green onions.
Please note: If you want to thicken the etouffee further at the end of cooking you can by using tomato paste 1 tablespoon at a time until desired thickness is reached.
**Please Note** Cajun style etouffee wouldn't typically include tomatoes. We love them in this dish and they're included. You can omit them and adapt with extra fish or shrimp stock, if desired.

Don't Overcook the Roux - The roux for etouffee isn't cooked quite as long as the roux for gumbo. It's cooked for a shorter period which results in a more golden color and lighter taste.
Stock - You can use chicken stock in place of shrimp stock.
Fresh Herbs - You can garnish the top with fresh chives in place of green onions.
Fresh or Frozen Crawfish - If you don't live at the coast and have easy access to fresh seafood you can use frozen crawfish tails available in the freezer section of most grocery stores. They work like a charm in this etouffee recipe.
Use Tomato Paste - You can thicken the etouffee at the end of cooking with tomato paste, if desired. Begin by using 1-2 tablespoons at a time repeating until desired thickness is reached. If you prefer not to add more tomato to the flavor profile you can also thicken with a cornstarch slurry. Begin with 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch dissolved in an equal amount of cold water. Stir together until fully dissolved then whisk it into the etouffee. Repeat the process until your desired thickness is reached. Keep in mind the sauce is meant to be thicker than a broth but thinner than a thick country gravy.