Crawfish Étouffée
A classic stovetop crawfish étouffée made with a light blonde roux, Louisiana crawfish tails, and the trinity. Rich, comforting, and ready in under an hour.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 16 ounces Louisiana crawfish tails fat-on, thawed if from frozen
- Reserved crawfish fat from package
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 large yellow onion finely diced
- ½ cup green bell pepper finely diced
- ¼ cup celery finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups seafood stock or chicken stock
- 1 tsp kosher salt plus a pinch
- 1 tsp Creole seasoning
- ½ tsp white pepper plus a pinch
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper plus a pinch
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter optional, for finishing
- 2 tbsp chopped green onions plus some for garnishment
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1-2 lemons cut into wedges for serving
- cooked hot rice for serving
Instructions
- Place the crawfish tails in a bowl. Season with a pinch of the kosher salt, a pinch of the white pepper, and a pinch of the cayenne. Gently toss and set aside. Do not cook.
- In a heavy skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons of butter. Sprinkle in the flour and stir constantly to form a roux. Cook 5–7 minutes, stirring continuously, until the roux reaches a light peanut butter or café au lait color.
- Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery directly to the roux. Stir well to combine. Reduce heat slightly and cook 10–12 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft but not browned.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30–60 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Slowly pour in the seafood (or chicken) stock while stirring to keep the sauce smooth. Add the remaining kosher salt, remaining white pepper, remaining cayenne, and Creole seasoning. Stir well.
- Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened.
- Reduce heat to low. Add the seasoned crawfish tails and all reserved crawfish fat. Stir gently to combine. Cook 5–7 minutes, just until heated through. Do not boil.
- Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Stir in the green onions, and parsley. Serve hot over cooked white rice. Give each bowl a wedge of lemon to squeeze the juice over the Crawfish Etouffee.
Notes
- Thaw frozen crawfish tails overnight in the fridge. Don't rinse away the fat. That yellow-orange liquid in the bag is crawfish fat, and it adds incredible flavor to the sauce.
- Crawfish tails are already fully cooked. Avoid boiling after adding them to prevent a tough texture.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated up to 3 days and reheated gently over low heat.
