LOUISIANA-STYLE CRAWFISH ÉTOUFFÉE

Prep Time: 1 Hour
Yields: 6 Servings

Comment:
The French word, “étouffée,” means “to smother” or “to suffocate.”  “À l’étouffée,” or “à l’étuvée” refers to the method of cooking food in a small amount of liquid, tightly covered, over low heat. In Louisiana, étouffée refers to the Cajun dish of seafood, chicken or game stew and seasoning vegetables, served over rice. Often, tomato and a dark-brown roux is used to achieve a richer color where as the light-butter roux is more the norm in the recipe. It is important to remember that étouffée is a technique in France, but individual recipes in Louisiana.

Ingredients:
2 pounds crawfish tails
¼ pound butter
1 cup diced onions
½ cup diced celery
½ cup diced green bell peppers
½ cup diced red bell peppers
½ cup diced tomatoes
2 tbsps minced garlic
2 bay leaves
1 cup flour
½ cup tomato sauce
2 quarts shellfish stock
1 ounce sherry
1 cup sliced green onions
½ cup chopped parsley
salt and cayenne pepper to taste
granulated garlic to taste
Louisiana hot sauce to taste

Method:
In a 2-gallon saucepot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, bell peppers, tomatoes, minced garlic and bay leaves. Sauté 3–5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Whisk in flour, stirring constantly until a white roux is achieved. Blend crawfish tails and tomato sauce into mixture and cook 5 minutes, stirring to prevent tomato sauce from scorching. Slowly add shellfish stock until a sauce-like consistency is achieved. Add more stock as necessary to retain consistency. Bring to a rolling boil, reduce to simmer and cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sherry, green onions and parsley. Cook 5 minutes then season to taste with salt, cayenne pepper and granulated garlic. Serve over steamed white rice, pasta or your favorite fish dish with a dash of hot sauce.