I remember the huge sack of live crawfish going into the ice chest to be purged. Once the crawfish were cooked, and our families and friends all had their fill, whatever wasn’t eaten was peeled because food waste was considered a sin. And just who do you think peeled all those leftovers? I can vividly remember the long picnic tables covered in newspaper with all of the children bellyaching because they ate too much. Well, if you were a child, you were expected to help out with farm to table tasks and that’s that.
My favorite day was always the next day, because boiled crawfish meant one last thing… CRAWFISH ETOUFFEE!
We are making a standard roux here, albeit in a smaller portion, but the technique is still the same. Remember to constantly stir and control the heat so it doesn't scorch, and to stop once the roux is the color of peanut butter. If you are unsure what shade that means, it is better to be lighter shades since it is the only thickening agent for the gravy.
A really cool thing about this recipe, is that even if you don’t have boiled crawfish where you live, there is a decent chance that you can find the frozen packs of tail meat at a global market type grocery store. It used to come in one-pound packs, but with shrinkflation, the packs are only twelve ounces now. Just use one pack for this recipe unless you are rich, then use two.
By comparison, it takes roughly three pounds of boiled crawfish to yield one pound of tail meat, so technically it is still more efficient to just buy the packs. Just make sure it’s authentic Louisiana crawfish! That Chinese farmed crawfish are just cheap imitators.
If you happen to have any whole boiled crawfish, you could eat them boiled for lunch and then make a rich stock using the heads and peelings. We have a very nice recipe here that is made for this dish. Of course, you also could also cook like our ancestors and just use clean fresh water.
Crawfish étouffée, literally “smothered crawfish” in French, starts with whole crawfish tails and added a rich and flavorful gravy consisting of a roux, a mirepoix, and some aromatics smothering a healthy portion of rice.
If you want to use stock instead of water for that extra richness, you could use a seafood stock or make your very own Homemade Crawfish Stock with this recipe.
If you aren't making your own stock, you are missing out!
On the cutting board:
In a large pan over medium-low heat, add the butter to melt and get hot. When ready, add the flour and stir constantly, scraping the bottom and sides of the pan until a roux is formed. Keep stirring and scraping until the roux is the color of peanut butter. This should take about 10 minutes.
To the pan, add the diced onion, celery, bell pepper, onion whites, and salt, and stir to combine. Sauté until vegetables are softened and onions are translucent, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic, black pepper, thyme, and cayenne powder, and bloom for 30 seconds.
Quickly add the water and bay leaves, and raise the heat up to boil, then lower to a simmer, covered, and cook for 20 minutes.
While that simmers, grab your rice cooker and start the required portion of rice so it's ready at the end.
Add the crawfish tails, half the parsley, and half the green onions and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Pick out the bay leaves and discard. Serve over rice and finish with the remaining parsley and green onion.
References: A Taste Of The Gulf Coast, Two Dashes Of Sevillity: Pensacola Specialties
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