Crawfish Etouffee Recipe

Prepare rice

Rinse 1 cup of long-grain white rice. Combine with 2 cups water, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until tender (about 15–18 minutes). Fluff with a fork and keep warm.

Make the roux

In a large heavy pot over medium heat, melt 0.5 cup unsalted butter. Whisk in 0.5 cup all-purpose flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the roux turns pale to light brown and smells nutty, about 8–12 minutes.

Add aromatics

Add 1 finely chopped yellow onion, 2 finely chopped celery stalks, and 1 cup chopped green bell pepper to the roux. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and starting to meld into the roux, about 5–7 minutes.

Add garlic

Stir in 3 cloves garlic, and cook 1 minute until fragrant.

Season the base

Add 1 tsp salt, 0.5 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp paprika, 0.25 tsp cayenne pepper, and 0.5 tsp dried thyme. Add 2 bay leaves. Stir to coat vegetables and toast spices for about 1 minute.

Deglaze and simmer

Stir in 2 cups crawfish stock and 2 tbsp tomato paste. Bring to a gentle simmer and let it cook for 6–10 minutes to blend flavors.

Add crawfish tails

Add 1.5 pounds crawfish tails to the pot. Simmer gently for 4–6 minutes until heated through and flavors meld. Do not boil vigorously to avoid tough crawfish.

Finish

Stir in 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp hot sauce, and 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

Serve

Ladle the crawfish etouffee over a bed of warm cooked white rice. Garnish with extra parsley if desired and serve immediately.