Crawfish Etouffee

Nutrition · per serving

Steps

1. 1

   Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs mostly clear. Combine it with the water and salt in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, cover, reduce to the lowest heat, and cook for 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it stand, covered, for 8 minutes so the grains finish steaming and stay separate.

   140 g long-grain white rice280 ml water2 g fine salt
2. 2

   While the rice cooks, prepare all the etouffee ingredients: finely dice the onion, celery, and bell pepper to an even size so they soften at the same rate; mince the garlic; peel, seed, and dice the tomato; slice the spring onions and chop the parsley. Keep the broth hot in a small pan or microwave so it blends smoothly into the roux later.

   120 g onion, finely diced80 g celery, finely diced80 g green bell pepper, finely diced10 g garlic, minced100 g tomato, peeled, seeded, and finely diced20 g spring onions, thinly sliced10 g flat-leaf parsley, chopped400 ml seafood or light vegetable broth, hot
3. 3

   In a wide heavy pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly with a flat spatula or whisk, until the roux turns the color of light peanut butter, about 5-7 minutes. Do not rush with high heat; a steady medium heat gives a nutty flavor without burning.

   70 g unsalted butter35 g plain flour
4. 4

   Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper to the roux and stir continuously for 4-5 minutes, scraping the base of the pan so nothing catches. When the vegetables begin to soften and the roux coats them evenly, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.

   120 g onion, finely diced80 g celery, finely diced80 g green bell pepper, finely diced10 g garlic, minced
5. 5

   Stir in the tomato, cayenne, paprika, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 1 minute, then gradually ladle in the hot broth while stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Bring to a gentle simmer; the sauce should look smooth and slightly thickened.

   100 g tomato, peeled, seeded, and finely diced1 g cayenne pepper2 g sweet paprika1 g dried thyme10 ml Worcestershire sauce1 bay leaf4 g fine salt1 g freshly ground black pepper400 ml seafood or light vegetable broth, hot
6. 6

   Lower the heat and simmer the etouffee for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. If it becomes too thick before the vegetables are fully cooked, add a splash of hot water.

7. 7

   Fold in the crawfish tail meat and warm gently for 2-3 minutes, just until heated through. Do not boil hard at this stage or the crawfish can become tough. Remove the bay leaf, then stir in the spring onions, parsley, and lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

   300 g cooked crawfish tail meat20 g spring onions, thinly sliced10 g flat-leaf parsley, chopped10 ml lemon juice
8. 8

   Fluff the rice with a fork and divide it between 2 warm shallow bowls. Spoon the crawfish etouffee generously over and around the rice, making sure each serving gets plenty of sauce and crawfish. Serve immediately.

Origin & History

Etouffee comes from Louisiana Creole and Cajun cooking, where the French word "etouffee" refers to food that is smothered and gently stewed. Crawfish etouffee became especially associated with south Louisiana, where crawfish are abundant and the holy trinity of onion, celery, and bell pepper forms the aromatic base of many regional dishes.