A classic Louisiana seafood dish, perfect at an LSU tailgate or at home
Often times when people think of Louisiana, the first images that come to mind are of the unique cuisine — gumbo, jambalaya, and of course the state’s prized shellfish delicacy: crawfish.
But with live crawfish season largely limited to the springtime, how do you enjoy the delicious flavor of bayou mudbugs during football season?
The answer is simple: make an étouffée, a rich stew-like concoction highlighted by Louisiana crawfish tails and served over rice.
Heading back home to Louisiana for the Florida-LSU game, I was asked by my beloved tailgate hosts, the Outdoor Cats, to cook up an étouffée for the masses. Here’s how I made one of Louisiana’s most delectable dishes:
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- Approx. 3 cups seafood stock (preferably shellfish stock, if possible)
- Bay leaves
- 1 lb. crawfish tail meat with fat
- Salt
- Tony Chachere’s, Slap Ya Mama, or other multi-purpose Cajun seasoning
- Cayenne pepper
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped
- Freshly chopped or dried parsley
- 1 cup long grain white rice (dry)
Directions:
In a heavy-bottomed pot (preferably cast iron or enameled cast iron), melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, stir in the flour and combine to form a roux.
Stir constantly to prevent the roux from burning. As it continues to cook, it will become darker in appearance. Once the roux reaches the color of peanut butter, add the Cajun trinity of bell pepper, onion, and celery.
Allow the vegetables to cook down until softened, then toss in the minced garlic. Cook for about 1 minute until lightly toasted, then stir in the tomato paste.
Once the tomato paste is well mixed, add the seafood stock a 1/2-cup at a time. As you stir in the stock, the roux mixture will swallow up the stock to form a smooth consistency. Add 2.5-3 cups total, until the mixture is just thin enough to begin sliding off the back of a wooden spoon.
Reduce the heat and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes. The étouffée will reduce during this time and begin thickening back to a “smothered” consistency.
Stir in the crawfish tail meat, then season with salt, multipurpose Cajun seasoning, and cayenne to taste. Once the crawfish is heated through (5-10 minutes), garnish with green onions and parsley, then serve over cooked white rice.
Makes 4 servings, but recipe can be scaled up as desired.
YEA BEAUX!
CFB Travel Guy 