Crawfish Étouffée

Louisiana’s most elegant dish — crawfish smothered in a buttery, spiced Cajun sauce.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs crawfish tails (fresh or frozen, peeled)
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• The Holy Trinity: 1 cup onion, 1/2 cup celery, 1/2 cup green bell pepper — all diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1.5 cups shrimp stock or seafood stock
• 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• Salt and pepper
• Green onions and parsley to serve
• Steamed white rice to serve

Directions

1. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Make a roux: add flour, stir constantly until light golden, 3-4 min.
2. Add the Holy Trinity. Cook 8-10 min until very soft.
3. Add garlic, Cajun seasoning, thyme, and cayenne. Cook 2 min.
4. Gradually add stock, whisking until smooth. Simmer 10 min.

Add crawfish tails. Cook 5-7 min.

1. Remove from heat. Add remaining butter in pieces, swirling to emulsify the sauce.
2. Serve over rice with green onions and parsley.

Notes

If crawfish are unavailable, shrimp is an excellent substitute. The trinity must be cooked down very thoroughly for proper depth of flavor.