Crawfish étouffée is a classic cajun dish with a rich peanut butter roux, the holy trinity, and crawfish tails. This recipe also includes directions to make a creole version with tomatoes!
PREP: Finely chop onion, bell peppers, celery, green onions, and parsley. Mince garlic. Measure out other ingredients.
1 large onion, 1 bell pepper, 1 stalk celery, 5 green onions, 5 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
ROUX: Heat a large skillet over medium heat then melt butter. Whisk flour into the butter. It will be foamy at first. Cook while stirring constantly for about 5-10 minutes, or until the roux turns to a peanut butter color.* It should smell toasted and nutty.
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, ⅓ cup all purpose flour
SAUTÉ: Add in onions, bell peppers, celery, half the green onions, and a pinch of salt to the roux. Mix together and sauté for about 10 minutes until vegetables are softening. Stir and scrape the bottom frequently so nothing sticks. Add in garlic and cook for about 1 minute while stirring.
SIMMER: Slowly whisk in warmed* broth until it is all incorporated and there are no remaining lumps of flour. Bring up to a simmer then cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2 ½ cups chicken or seafood stock
FINISH: Next add crawfish with the juices, crab boil (if using), parsley, and cajun seasoning. Simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the sauce has thickened to desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
SERVE: Serve over rice and top with remaining green onions.
Notes
*Keep stirring the roux constantly, being sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the pan to keep all the flour moving so it doesn’t burn. You may see some darker specks turning brown - this is the milk solids browning. This is fine as long as they are not turning black. Black spots means a burnt roux and you have to start over.
*Its important to heat the broth before adding it in. Cold broth can cause a hot roux to break.
Add tomatoes - If you want tomatoes, reduce the stock to 1 ½ cups and add a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes right after adding the warmed stock.