Crawfish Étouffée

Gar ici, I have an envie for some Crawfish Étouffée, most y'all might get the fremeers from these bebettes but damn... they're good. The first thing you need to do is marinate the chef. So, in the spirit of Cajun Country, be sure to pour yourself a glass of beer before you get started!

Étouffée: (prononuced ā•too•fā') A spicy and delicious Cajun stew traditionally made with crawfish, vegetables and a dark roux. Étouffée is usually served over rice. The word comes from the French étouffer, which means to smother.

Ingredients

• 1 pound crawfish tails*, with fat**
  
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
  
• 1 medium - large onion, chopped
  
• 2 cloves garlic
  
• 2 tablespoons bell pepper, minced
  
• 1/2 stalk celery, minced
  
• 1/2 bunch scallions, tops only, chopped
  
• 2 teaspoons minced parsley
  
• 2 teaspoons tomato paste
  
• 1-1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
  
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 2 tablespoons flour
  
• 1 - 2 cups water
  

Steps

• Melt butter in pot, add flour and stir like hell.
  
• Add onions, bell pepper, celery and garlic.
  
• Cook until tender, and keep stirring.
  
• Add crawfish fat*, if possible, and cook down 10-15 minutes.
  
• Add tails and tomato paste, then add water.
  
• Cook down for 20 minutes or so, but be careful not to overdo it.
  
• Add salt and peppers to taste. Cook a little more, then add chopped green onion tops and parsley and cook till ready.
  
• Serve over hot long grain rice.

Yield: Meal for 4 men or 6 pansies.

*Note: If fresh crawfish tails are impossible to find where you live, buy frozen tail meat and thaw it out completely.

**Note: The orange fat found in the heads of crawfish adds extra richness and flavor to dishes. Since its difficult to find crawfish fat outside of southern Louisiana, butter is a good substitute for the crawfish fat.

Various chefs prefer margarine over butter, and vice versa, when making an étouffée. Generally, butter imparts a richer flavor and creamier consistency. But étouffée sauces range from very rich to thinner, gumbo-like sauces, so experiment.

"Laissez les bons temps rouler!"