Cajun Crawfish Etouffee
Crawfish Etouffee is a classic Louisiana dish featuring tender crawfish tail meat smothered in a buttery, seasoned roux with The Holy Trinity (onion, green bell pepper and celery) and served over a bed of fluffy white rice. This Cajun classic easy to make, feeds a large group and is ready in under an hour for a Mardi Gras celebration or a family weeknight dinner.
In French, “Etouffee” means “smothered” or “suffocated.” In culinary terms, it refers to a dish, most often shellfish, that is smothered in a rich roux, seasoned with The Holy Trininty, resulting in a thick stew that is served over white rice. Shrimp Etouffee is also a year-round popular dish in Louisiana.
Ingredients
Crawfish season runs from November through July, with peak months in March through May, and if you’re lucky enough to have access to fresh crawfish, then that’s terrific. Since I am land-locked in Texas, I used frozen crawfish tail meat for this recipe. I recommend using J. Bernard’s brand because its pre-cooked with no added seasonings, and is Louisiana grown and Cajun certified from the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry.
- Crawfish Tail Meat– 2 pounds; fresh or frozen; I like J. Bernard’s brand
- Cajun or Creole Seasoning – Creole is spicier than Cajun, so keep this in mind when deciding what brand seasoning you get. I like Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning or Walker & Sons “Slap Ya Mama.”
- Seafood stock – I recommend using a low-sodium stock. If you can’t find seafood stock, substitute with chicken stock/broth.
- Butter – unsalted because the Cajun/Creole seasonings already has salt in it
- All-purpose flour – or Wondra flour
- The Holy Trinity – yellow onion, green bell pepper, celery
- Garlic – fresh
- Ground thyme – just a pinch, or substitute by adding a bay leaf to the etouffee
- Cayenne pepper – optional
- Flat leaf parsley
- White rice
If you’ve cooked enough Louisiana recipes, you’ll recognize most of the ingredients are the same ones you’ll find in Seafood Gumbo, Chicken Gumbo or Louisiana Shrimp Etouffee.
How to make crawfish etouffee
This is a brief overview of the steps involved in making a really great crawfish etouffee. See the recipe card below for exact ingredients and instructions.
- Drain crawfish meat; use a paper towel to squeeze out excess moisture; lightly season with Cajun or Creole seasoning and set aside.
- Make the roux – cook melted butter and flour on low heat, stirring constantly, until it is the color of peanut butter
- Add The Holy Trinity and garlic to the roux; cook til semi-tender
- Gradually add stock and then add the seasoned crawfish meat; combine well and cook on low heat until the meat is warm
- Season to taste by adding more Cajun/Creole seasoning, salt and pepper
- Stir in chopped parsley and serve over a bed of fluffy white rice
Cook the roux on low heat, stirring constantly, until it’s the color of peanut butter.
This is what the mixture will look like after you add The Holy Trinity (onions, green bell peppers and celery) and cook until semi-tender (about 5 minutes.) The mixture will be very thick and that’s okay because we want the veggies to be well-seasoned by the roux before adding in the seafood stock.
Recipe Tips
- This recipe is a beginner level recipe, but making the roux can be tricky. The best way to ensure a good roux is to cook it on low heat
- Frozen crawfish meat is usually pre-cooked, so keep this in mind when you add it to the etouffee broth. It only needs a few minutes to warm up and if you cook it too long, it gets rubbery.
- Use unsalted butter for the roux. The Louisiana Seasoning blend contains salt and if you’re not careful, you can over salt the etouffee. If that happens, add water.
- Seafood stock is often hard to find. If you can’t find it you can substitute with plain, low-sodium chicken stock/broth. If you want a more “seafood” flavor, add a few teaspoons of dried shrimp to the chicken broth. Dried shrimp is usually in a small packet on the spice aisle or on the shelf with the Asian foods.
Storage and reheating
Store leftover crawfish etouffee and the rice in separate airtight containers for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or freeze for up to 3 months.
For best reheating results, heat the etouffee on the stovetop; it thickens upon refrigeration, so you may need to add water to thin it. To reheat rice, place it in a microwave-safe bowl covered with plastic wrap and heat a minute or so.
FAQ’s
Creole dishes typically contain more spices and often include tomatoes. Cajun dishes are more rustic in flavor and most often do not contain tomatoes.
Yes. Some contemporary crawfish etouffee recipes use a condensed cream soup in lieu of a roux. Variations include cream of celery, cream of chicken or cream of mushroom.
The best way to thicken etouffee is to make a “slurry” using cornstarch, flour or arrowroot in a 1:2 ratio. Mix together 1 tablespoon of starch to 2 tablespoons of liquid and add to the etouffee. If using cornstarch, turn the heat up to medium-high heat; if using flour, cook on a low heat setting.
Crawfish Etouffee is truly a Louisiana favorite and often served with a crisp green salad and some warm French or garlic bread.
If you make this recipe, please scroll down and leave a comment and rating. I love to hear from you!
Crawfish Etouffee
Equipment
- large cast iron skillet or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 pounds crawfish tail meat (See Recipe Notes below)
- 1 stick unsalted butter (¼ pound)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour or Wondra flour
- 2 cups diced yellow onion
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced green bell pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
- ⅛ teaspoon ground thyme (or substitute with a bay leaf)
- 2½ cups seafood stock or chicken broth (See Recipe Notes below)
- ¼ cup flat leaf parsley
- Cajun or Creole Seasoning (See Recipe Notes below)
- cayenne pepper, optional and to taste
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 6-8 cups prepared long grain white rice
Instructions
- Place the crawfish meat in a fine meshed sieve; place a paper towel on top and press out the liquid; repeat if necessary until all the liquid is removed. Gently break the meat up into pieces and lightly season with 2 tablespoons of creole seasoning. Set aside.Dice vegetables and set aside2 pounds crawfish tail meat, 2 cups diced yellow onion, 1 cup diced celery, 1 cup diced green bell pepper, 1 tablespoon fresh minced garlic
- In a large cast iron skillet or Dutch oven, melt butter on low heat; gradually add flour, stirring constantly until the roux mixture reaches the color of peanut butter (about 8-10 minutes)1 stick unsalted butter (¼ pound), ½ cup all-purpose flour or Wondra flour
- Add diced onion, celery and bell peppers and stir until well coated; the mixture will be clumpy, and that's ok. Cook on low heat, stirring constantly until veggies are semi-tender (about 5 minutes); after 5 minutes, add garlic and continue to cook another minute
- Gradually add in seafood broth, stirring constantly. Add 1 teaspoon of Creole seasoning, stir and taste for salt and spice preference; if you want more spice or heat, add in 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper and/or a little more Creole seasoning; add thyme⅛ teaspoon ground thyme (or substitute with a bay leaf), 2½ cups seafood stock or chicken broth, Cajun or Creole Seasoning, cayenne pepper, optional and to taste, salt and pepper, to taste
- Add seasoned crawfish to skillet and combine well; if the mixture is too thick, add a little more seafood stock or water and cook on low heat, stirring frequently for 5 minutes or until the crawfish meat is warm; add parsley. Serve over prepared white rice and garnish with a little more parsley¼ cup flat leaf parsley, 6-8 cups prepared long grain white rice
