Name: Authentic Crawfish (or Shrimp) Étouffée
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Cajun
Ingredients: ½ cup vegetable oil (or unsalted butter); ½ cup all-purpose flour; 1 cup onion (chopped); 1 cup celery (chopped); 1 cup green bell pepper (chopped); 3 cloves garlic (minced); 1 poblano pepper (seeded and chopped); 1 jalapeno (seeded and chopped); 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley (chopped); 3 cups seafood stock (heated in a large pot); 1 tsp white pepper; ½ tsp black pepper; 1 tsp cayenne pepper; 2 tsp smoked paprika; 1½ tsp thyme leaves (dried); 1 tbsp Kosher salt; 3 bay leaves; ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick); 2 lbs crawfish meat (tails, or shrimp, skins and tails removed and deveined); 1 cup green onions (scallions, chopped, plus more for garnish); Juice ½ lemon; 4 cups steamed white rice (cooked); Cayenne hot sauce (for garnish, optional)

1

Heat the oil and flour in a heavy-duty skillet (i.e., cast-iron) over medium-low heat. Whisk continuously until a dark roux has form, about 15 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat.

2

Carefully, to the roux, add the onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic, poblano, jalapeno, and parsley. Stir until well coated and slightly softened about 2 minutes.

3

Add the roux/veggie mixture to the heated seafood stock in a large pot, preferably a Dutch oven. Stir in the peppers, paprika, thyme, salt, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and stir frequently. The etouffee will begin to thicken as you stir.

4

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the crawfish (or shrimp) and green onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5

Transfer the crawfish mixture to the large pot along with the lemon juice and simmer for another 5 minutes.

6

Serve warm over steamed white rice and garnish with chopped green onions. Passing cayenne hot sauce at the table.