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Crawfish Étouffée (Ay-Too-Fay)

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Crawfish Étouffée

Crawfish Étouffée (Ay-Too- Fay)

Dr. Wendy Dearborne
Étouffée a quintessential Louisianan dish that is the epitome of Cajun or Creole cooking. This dish is made by smothering shell fish in a seasoned, fragrant gravy and is typically served over white rice. The foundation for this recipe is to make the perfect roux. Seafood étouffée can be made with shrimp, lobster, crab, squid, garfish and fish balls. This recipe serves 4-6 people.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American fusion
Servings 6 Servings
Calories 387 kcal

Equipment

  • Dutch oven or heavy bottom large pot
  • Wooden, metal or silicone cooking spoon

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs. crawfish tails defrosted
  • 1 medium yellow onion chopped
  • 1 large green pepper chopped
  • 2 stalks celery chopped
  • 1 cup chopped roma tomatoes
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • 3 green onions chopped sperate the white bottoms and green tops
  • 1 tbsp chopped garlic
  • 1 tbsp parsley chopped
  • 2 large bay leaves
  • 1 tbsp cajun seasoning salt free
  • 1 tsp salt or to taste
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 3 cups seafood stock or chicken stock

Roux

  • 1/2 cup cooking oil high temperature corn, canola, avocado
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour

Instructions
 

Preparing

  • Mise en place: Have all aromatics and vegetables cut, and seasonings ready to cook.
  • Heat stock in a pot or in the microwave, until it just about boiling.

Making the roux

  • To make the roux, heat the vegetable oil in a heavy pot or dutch oven over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes.
  • Add flour all at once to the heated oil. Stir well, making sure there are no clumps.
    Roux And Flour
  • Reduce heat to medium low and allow the oil and flour to cook. Stir frequently, every 10-20 seconds, until the roux has turned a peanut brown color; this should take about 12-15 minutes. DO NOT WALK AWAY WHILE COOKING YOUR ROUX! Depending on your cooker and the pot you are using, it could take up to 20-30 minutes to achieve the peanut brown color desired.
    Blonde Peanut

Creating the gravy

  • Add the Cajun "Holy Trinity" celery, bell pepper and onions to the hot roux. Along with the sprigs of fresh thyme and the white part of the green onions, and 1/4 tsp of salt.
  • Sauté for 10 minutes or until the onion and celery have softened. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
  • Add Cajun seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt, paprika, black pepper and tomatoes. Mix until well incorporated. Continue cooking for 3 minutes.
  • Add hot stock, 1/4 cup at a time to the pot, stirring with each addition. This will create a smooth and lump free gravy.
    Roux And Stock
  • When all the stock is added to the pot, add the bay leaves. Then turn heat to high and bring the pot to a boil, stirring occasionally, Cover with a tight fitting lid and reduce heat to medium low and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes. Be sure to stir a couple of times. Check for seasoning and adjust.
  • Increase heat to medium and add the crawfish tails, cayenne pepper and the parsley. Then cook for an additional 5 minutes or until the crawfish is heated all the way through.
    Crawfish Etouffee
  • Serve over white rice and garnish with the green part of the spring onions.

Side Note: Making the gravy thicker

  • After the 15-20 minute simmer time, if the gravy appears to be to thin and watery, ( I like a thicker gravy) remove the lid, increase heat to medium high, bring the pot to a boil and allow it to reduce to your desired thickness. Make sure to stir, scraping the bottom of the pot every 2-3 minutes. Check for seasoning and adjust.

Video

Notes

The Roux
Roux, not only acts as a thickening agent, but it also adds a depth of complex flavor and color to your dish.  It can be made with oil, lard or butter.  The roux in this recipe is a Cajun or Creole style roux, using oil and flour.  It’s not a Beurre manié; equal parts of flour kneaded with softened butter.  Or a butter and flour roux using 1:1 ratio.
Oil And Flour Ratios 
The ratio of oil, lard to flour is 1:1.  Or equal parts.  However, if you want a thicker roux, which is my personal preference, you can use more flour than oil.  I use 1/2 cup oil 3/4 cups flour.  So that is a 1:1.25 ratio.
Always use extreme caution when making roux.  DO NOT GET IT ON YOUR SKIN OR PUT YOUR FINGERS INTO THE POT.  It will cause very bad 3rd degree burns.
Don’t leave the pot while making your roux it’s guaranteed to burn.  Burnt roux cannot be salvaged and if used will result in an extremely bitter tasting gravy.  If you burn your roux, toss it out and start over.
Burnt Roux
You’ll know when your roux is burnt, by how it smells and the little black flecks that start to surface.
How Not To Burn The Roux
  1. Do not leave it unattended
  2. Stir constantly
  3. Control the heat
  4. Use a heavy bottom pot that is level
  5. Be patient
Roux Colors
Your roux will go through different color phases as you cook it.  From blonde to a dark rich chocolate color.  Each color phase has a different aroma and taste profile and is used to create different dishes.   The dark chocolate roux is usually used for gumbo and red meats.  While the blonde colored roux can be used for poultry and fish.
Stock And Liquids
When turning the roux into a gravy, you have a choice of liquids that you can use. Water, stock, broth, beer, wine, clam juice etc.   The stock or broth can be seafood, fish, shrimp, lobster, crab, chicken, duck, turkey, veal, beef, vegetable, etc.
Crawfish
My personal preference is crawfish from Louisiana USA.  Eunice, Louisiana to be exact. However, depending on where it comes from in the world and how it smells when I open the packet, I will rinse the crawfish under cold running water before I use it.
Shelf Life And Storage
Roux should be kept in a container with an air tight fitting lid.   Roux, homemade roux has a pantry life of 4-6 weeks.  Refrigerator life 3-6 months and a freezer life of 9-12 months.  I usually make a large batch of roux and store it in my refrigerator or I freeze it so it’s available when I want it.  
Oil Free Roux
You can make an oil free version of roux by roasting flour in the oven at 400°F.  Depending on what you want, it can take up to an hour to achieve a dark chocolate color.    
You can also toast the flour on the stovetop in a cast iron skillet stirring constantly until the desired color is achieved. 
This can be stored in the pantry for 3 months or in the freezer for 6-8 months.
Note:  Both the oven and the skillet methods have an unpleasant smell while cooking, but not when used to create a gravy. 
Purchasing Roux
You can purchase both oil and oil-free roux.  But, please be aware they they have other ingredients listed in the final product.   You can find these items on Amazon.  
Stock
You can use any type of stock that you desire.  You can even use water.  however, stock makes for flavorful end result.   Try to ensure that it is no or low sodium. 
Reheating
Reheat your étouffée in a saucepan on the stovetop ( my preferred method), or in the microwave.  
Storage
Store etouffee in a tightly cover contain in the refrigerator for up 3 days.  I don’t suggest freezing leftover étouffée.

Nutrition

Serving: 6ServingsCalories: 387kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 31gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 207mgSodium: 939mgPotassium: 752mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1584IUVitamin C: 33mgCalcium: 146mgIron: 3mg
Keyword cajun, Creole, etouffee, Gumbo, New Orleans
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