Crawfish Étouffée Recipe

Prep

Measure and prepare all ingredients: finely dice onion, green pepper and celery; mince garlic; slice green onions and chop parsley. If crawfish tails are frozen, thaw in refrigerator or under cold running water and pat dry.

Make a blond roux

In a heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat, melt 4 tbs unsalted butter. Sprinkle in the 3 tbs flour and whisk constantly for 4–6 minutes until mixture becomes golden and smells nutty but not burnt. Reduce heat to medium-low if browning too quickly.

Cook the holy trinity

Add the diced onion, green bell pepper, and celery to the roux. Stir to coat and cook for 6–8 minutes until vegetables are softened and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook 30–45 seconds until fragrant.

Build the sauce

Stir in 2 tbs tomato paste and cook 1–2 minutes to remove raw tomato flavor. Sprinkle in sea salt, black pepper, cayenne, paprika, dried thyme and add the bay leaf. Pour in 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock gradually, whisking to incorporate and smooth out any lumps. Bring to a gentle simmer and let cook uncovered 8–10 minutes to slightly thicken.

Finish with cream and crawfish

Stir in 0.5 cup heavy cream and the remaining 2 tbs butter. Taste and adjust seasoning (add more salt or cayenne if desired). Add 1 lb cooked crawfish tails and warm through for 3–4 minutes—do not overcook to avoid toughness. If using file powder, sprinkle 0.5 tsp at the end, stir and remove from heat.

Garnish

Remove bay leaf. Stir in half of the sliced green onions and half the chopped parsley into the étouffée. Finish with remaining green onions and parsley on top and serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side.

Rinse 1 cup long-grain white rice under cold water until water runs clear to remove excess starch. Drain well.

In a small saucepan, combine rinsed rice, 1.25 cups water, 0.25 tsp salt and 1 tbs butter. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat uncovered. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover tightly and simmer 15 minutes without lifting the lid.

After 15 minutes, remove from heat and let rice rest, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.