Crawfish Etouffee Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you make crawfish étouffée thicker? ›

Flour: All-purpose flour thickens the étouffée. Tomato sauce: Canned tomato sauce lends even more depth of flavor.

My trick for the crawfish tail meat is to add fresh squeezed lemon juice to them before adding into the light roux base with vegetables. That way, if you are introducing yourself to the crawfish world, you won't be put off by the fishy smell. It doesn't take long to make, especially since the roux is light.

Étouffée is the French word for "smothered," and what it really describes is a Cajun and Creole cooking method in which a protein like shrimp is cooked on the stovetop in a thick, roux-based sauce.

Blond roux is so named because of its light caramel color. It is cooked a bit longer than a white roux to produce a nuttier flavor. Blond roux is used for Velouté and can be substituted in recipes calling for a white roux. Brown roux is the foundation of roux-based New Orleans dishes such as étouffée and gumbo.

Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to incorporate and begin cooking the flour. Add some of the stock and continuing stirring until it begins to thicken. Add more stock until you get a stew-like thickness.

After you boil

Seither suggests letting the crawfish soak for at least 30 minutes for flavors to develop. In a process called “killing the boil” or “shocking the crawfish boil,” he suggests cooling down the cooked crawfish with ice and frozen corn to stop the cooking process.

Never eat crawfish meat that is mealy, mushy, easily tears apart or has an off color or flavor. These conditions indicate that the crawfish was dead prior to cooking. Crawfish meat will sometimes darken or turn "blue" when cooked in etouffee or stews. There is really nothing wrong with the meat.

Place the crawfish in the strained basket and lower into the boiling/cook pot. As soon as it reaches a boil (about 5-10 min) start a timer for 3 min. Remove the strainer basket from the boiling pot and lower it into the soaking pot (water temp should be around 160 degrees). Soak the crawfish for 20 min.

Onions and Garlic

It will add a tastier and stronger taste, which can make it savory and tastier! You can just throw the onion in the seafood boil without cutting it, but you can also cut them in half, chop them, or dice them before adding the crawfish.

Using cornstarch to thicken sauce is very similar to using flour, but you need different quantities: Use one tablespoon cornstarch mixed with one tablespoon cold water (aka a cornstarch slurry) for each cup of medium-thick sauce.

What if étouffée is too thick? ›

If etouffee is too thick, add ¼ cup more stock. Reduce heat to a simmer, adjust the flavor to taste, add crawfish tails.

There's no right or wrong to which fat you use; it just depends on what flavor you want. In a dairy-heavy sauce, like milky béchamel, butter is the common choice (and is also the more common fat in most French roux), while oil is often preferred in Creole and Cajun cooking.

To make my etoufee spicy, I use Louisiana sauce. Louisiana sauce is the best because it has the perfect balance of spicy to acidity, and limited ingredients. I prefer canned tomatoes to fresh because they yield a more velvety result.

What's in an Étouffée Sauce? Étouffée is a type of stew if you want to get technical. It's made with a roux, onion, celery, and bell pepper (the holy trinity), tomato, garlic, hot sauce, and either shrimp, crawfish, or chicken.

Etouffee can be found in both Creole and Cajun cuisine, with slight but important differences in the seasoning and preparation of each version. Creole etouffee uses a traditional French-style roux made from butter and flour while the roux for Cajun etouffee is made with oil, lard, or other animal fats.

The stew should be thick and hearty. If it's not, smash a few root vegetables to thicken it. Serve in generous bowls and top with chopped cilantro.

Using cornstarch to thicken sauce is very similar to using flour, but you need different quantities: Use one tablespoon cornstarch mixed with one tablespoon cold water (aka a cornstarch slurry) for each cup of medium-thick sauce.

If etouffee is too thick, add ¼ cup more stock. Reduce heat to a simmer, adjust the flavor to taste, add crawfish tails.