Southern Comfort · Free recipe
Crawfish Etouffee
Sweet crawfish tails smothered in a buttery, blond-roux Cajun sauce with the holy trinity, served over fluffy rice. Rich, elegant, and pure Louisiana.
Step 1
Melt the butter in a large deep skillet over medium heat until it stops foaming.
Step 2
Sprinkle in the flour and whisk constantly. Cook this blond roux for 6 to 8 minutes, whisking the whole time, until it turns the color of light peanut butter and smells nutty. Keep the heat moderate so it does not brown too far; etouffee uses a lighter roux than gumbo.
Step 3
Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery. Stir well; the roux will coat the vegetables. Cook for 6 minutes until softened.
Step 4
Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
Step 5
Slowly pour in the broth about a half cup at a time, stirring after each pour so the roux blends in smoothly with no lumps.
Step 6
Add the Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, and cayenne. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring often.
Step 7
Let it simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Step 8
Stir in the crawfish tails along with any liquid in their package. Simmer gently for just 5 minutes; crawfish are already cooked, so overcooking makes them tough.
Step 9
Taste the sauce and season with salt and black pepper. It should be creamy, buttery, and gently spicy.
Step 10
Turn off the heat and stir in the green onions and parsley.
Step 11
Let the etouffee rest 5 minutes so the flavors settle and the sauce thickens a touch more.
Step 12
Spoon a mound of warm rice into each bowl and ladle the crawfish etouffee generously over the top.
Tips from the test kitchen
- Keep the roux blond, not dark, for the classic buttery etouffee flavor.
- Add crawfish at the very end so they stay tender and sweet.
