crawfish etouffee
I am from Southern Louisiana where crawfish are plentiful and not your regular ditch bugs or mudbugs like most people think of them. The crawfish here are like mini lobsters. We use them for a good old-fashioned crawfish boil. Leftovers are used to make this special dish, a favorite with the locals and tourists alike. In most grocery stores you can buy frozen crawfish tail meat. Just don't buy the crawfish from China, buy Louisiana they are tastier. To me, Chinese crawfish have a rubbery texture and a fishy taste. This is truly a Cajun recipe.
Blue Ribbon Recipe
Serve this crawfish etouffee over a bed of rice and you have a perfect meal for Mardi Gras. Simple to prepare, it packs a punch of Cajun flavor. The seasonings are perfectly balanced. The crawfish are tender and add unique flavor to the dish. We never used mushroom soup to thicken an etouffee (typically a roux does that) but it worked!
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter
- 2 pounds frozen crawfish tail meat
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
- 1/4 cup celery, chopped
- 1 tablespoon parsley flakes
- 2 tablespoons green onions chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid crab boil (optional)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cayenne pepper (or to taste)
- 3 cups cooked rice
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup (optional, 10.5 oz)
- 1/2 can water, as needed
How To Make crawfish etouffee
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Step 1Thaw frozen crawfish tails in a cool bath of water while melting butter. -
Step 2Melt butter on medium heat in a saucepan.
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Step 3Once butter is melted, add chopped onions, bell pepper, and celery. Cook until tender.
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Step 4Add thawed crawfish tails, cayenne pepper, salt, and crab boil. Crawfish meat is already cooked so don't overcook them. Cook on medium heat until everything looks like it has come together.
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Step 5Add parsley flakes and green onions. Simmer for approximately 5 min.
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Step 6Add a can of cream of mushroom soup and 1/2 can of water to the mixture. Simmer on low to medium until soup is a creamy consistency. Simmer and additional 5 minutes. Serve hot over rice or your favorite pasta.
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