Crawfish Etouffee

INGREDIENTS

Crawfish Tails

  • 2 lb crawfish tails

  • 1 gal boiling water

  • 2 cup crawfish boil seasoning      

Etouffee Base

  • 3/4 cup butter

  • 3 cup AP flour

  • 1 qt onion, small dice

  • 2 cup green bell pepper, small dice

  • 2 cup celery, small dice

  • 3 tbsp garlic, minced

  • 1.5 gal crawfish/shrimp stock, divided

  • <2 tbsp tomato paste***

  • 1.5 tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped

  • <2 tbsp creole ceasoning

  • <2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped      

Finishing    

  • butter

  • hot crawfish/shrimp stock

  • green onion, cut fine

  • popcorn rice

Directions

For the Crawfish Tails

  1. Gently rinse the crawfish tails in cold water.

  2. Season the water with crawfish boil seasoning and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

  3. Working in batches, blanch the tails in the simmering boil liquid for 15-20 seconds. Lay the blanched tails on a sheet tray and put in the cooler to chill until needed for service.

For the Etouffe Base

  1. In a small stock pot, gently melt the butter. Sprinke the flour on top of the meted better to begin making a roux. Stir continuously until a blonde roux is achieved.

  2. Add trinity and cook until the onions, celery, and bell pepper are slightly tender. Stir continuously so the roux doesn't stick and burn to the bottom of the pot.

  3. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Using an 8oz ladle, slowly whisk in the hot stock on ladle at a time until fully incorporated. You should add 5 quarts of stock in total - it will be fairly thick consistency.

  4. Add thyme and parsley, creole seasoning, and tomato paste ***tomato paste is used for color, not flavor***

  5. Adjust seasoning with salt, creole seasoning and thyme as needed.

For Plating

  1. In a hot saute pan, add a little oil and 4 oz of crawfish tails and a pinch of creole seasoning. Sautee until tails are heated all the way through. Add 6 oz of Etouffe Base and bring to simmer. Mount with cold better. If the etouffe is too thick, add a little stock.

  2. Add green onion and check seasoning. Adjust with green onion, creole seasoning, or salt as needed.

  3. Spoon into a wide brim bowl

  4. Garnish with a scoop of popcorn rice, green onion, and a whole crawfish.

A favorite of

Jessica Sigmundsson