Mama's Crawfish Etouffee
serves 4-6
A Cajun specialty, étouffée is a succulent, tangy sauce usually made with crawfish or shrimp. The word étoufée comes from the French étouffer (to smother), and that's it exactly: rich and tender crawfish tails smothered in a spicy blanket of flavorful sauce.
Read more about this recipe in Virginia Willis' Bon Appétit, Y'All.
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 Vidalia onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup chopped flesh flat-leaf parsley
5 green onions, green part only, chopped
2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
2 cups fish or shrimp stock or water
2 pounds crawfish tails, cooked
Hot sauce, for seasoning
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
prep: 50 minutes
total: 1 hour 20 minutes
heavy-bottomed pot (or Dutch oven)
whisk
1. In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour, stirring slowly and constantly, and cook to a medium-brown roux, about 30 minutes.
2. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper and cook, stirring constantly, until the vegetables are wilted and lightly golden, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the parsley and green onion tops and stir to combine. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 45 to 60 seconds. Add the fish stock and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat.
4. Decrease the heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced, about 20 minutes. Add the crawfish and stir to combine. Cook until heated through, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with hot sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve with rice pilaf.
