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Crawfish Etouffee

Louisiana's crown jewel: plump crawfish tails smothered in a buttery, golden roux-based sauce with the Cajun trinity, served over steamed white rice for the ultimate Southern comfort dish.

50 minMediumServes 4540 cal/serving

CajunDinnerStovetopStandardHigh ProteinLow CarbNut-FreeAlcohol-FreeCorn-Free

Ingredients

  • 1 lb crawfish tail meat (fresh or frozen/thawed)
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 cup yellow onion, finely diced
  • 2 celery stalks, finely diced
  • 1/2 cup green bell pepper, finely diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups shrimp stock (or chicken stock)
  • 2 tsp Cajun seasoning
  • 1 tsp Louisiana-style hot sauce
  • 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 green onions, sliced
  • 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2 cups long-grain white rice, cooked
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

  1. 1

    Cook 2 cups cooked long-grain white rice according to package instructions and keep warm.

  2. 2

    Melt 6 tbsp unsalted butter in a large heavy skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 1 cup finely diced yellow onion, 2 finely diced celery stalks, and 1/2 cup finely diced green bell pepper (the Cajun trinity) and cook, stirring often, until softened and starting to turn golden, about 8 minutes.

  3. 3

    Add 4 minced garlic cloves and cook 1 minute. Sprinkle 4 tbsp all-purpose flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste, forming a light roux.

  4. 4

    Gradually whisk in 2 cups shrimp stock (or chicken stock), scraping up any browned bits. Stir in 2 tsp Cajun seasoning, 1 tsp Louisiana-style hot sauce, 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, and 1/2 tsp kosher salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

  5. 5

    Add 1 lb crawfish tail meat (fresh or frozen/thawed) and simmer gently until heated through and just cooked, about 4 to 5 minutes. Do not overcook or the crawfish will turn rubbery. Crawfish tail meat should be opaque throughout.

  6. 6

    Stir in 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 4 sliced green onions, and 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning.

  7. 7

    Serve immediately over long-grain white rice.

Questions

Can I make Crawfish Etouffee dairy-free?

Yes. The dairy in this entry is 6 tbsp unsalted butter. Swap the butter for olive oil where it melts, or a plant-based block butter where it is creamed. The richness shifts slightly, but the method does not change.

Can I make Crawfish Etouffee gluten-free?

Yes. The gluten in this entry is 4 tbsp all-purpose flour, 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce. Swap the flour for a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking blend (where it only thickens a sauce, half as much cornstarch also works); the soy-based sauce for tamari or coconut aminos. Everything else proceeds as written.

How long does Crawfish Etouffee keep?

Refrigerate leftovers within two hours and eat them within two days (seafood turns fast). Reheat gently on the stovetop.

Can I halve or double Crawfish Etouffee?

Yes. As written it serves 4. Every ingredient in this entry carries precomputed half and double quantities, and the app's batch dial rewrites them inside each step. When doubling on the stovetop, use your widest pan or work in two batches so the food sears instead of steaming.

Serve it with

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