Crawfish Etouffee

I LOVE Cajun/Creole food. It ties with Mexican food for my all time favorite. I don't live anywhere near a decent Cajun restaurant so, in order to keep my cravings satisfied, I've had to start creating my own Louisiana culinary delights at home. Here is my most recent recipe for all you Etouffee lovers!

Crawfish Etouffee

Roux:
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup flour

3 cups cooked crawfish tails
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
cajun seasoning, to taste
1 1/2 cups chicken or fish stock
4 tbsp butter
2 green onions, diced


In a small skillet or saucepan, whisk together veg oil and flour. Bring to medium heat, whisking constantly, and cook until the roux reaches a brown color a shade or two darker than peanut butter (this could take anywhere from 7-12 minutes depending on your stove). Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a large skillet, melt butter and saute celery, onion, and bell pepper until soft. Pour in chicken stock and adjust to medium heat. Add in tail meat and green onion and simmer 2-3 minutes*. Stirring constantly, slowly pour in cooled roux (the oil may slightly separate while cooling, just whisk to combine again before adding it) and continue to stir until the mixture has thickened to a gravy like consistency. At this point, lower the heat to low and season to taste with your cajun seasoning blend.

Serve with cooked rice and enjoy!

*If you are using the frozen cooked crawfish tails, simmer a bit longer to help cook out some of that "dirty" flavor that they can sometimes have. Keep in mind, the seasoning will flavor the tails well also.