Crawfish Etouffee Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is étouffée sauce made of? ›

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. Cajun Étouffée does not contain tomatoes. The addition of tomatoes is the Creole way of preparing etouffee.

Crawfish étouffée is a simple dish of sweet and meaty crawfish served up in a rich and flavorful gravy that is made from a quick roux. The dish includes the Cajun holy trinity of onions, bell peppers and celery, along with lots of garlic, spicy Cajun seasonings, and fresh chopped herbs.

There are a variety of delicious side dishes that can be served with crawfish etouffee. Some of the best options include rice, potatoes, and green beans. Each of these sides provides a unique flavor that compliments the etouffee perfectly.

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

Taste of Etouffee

Etouffee is rich and spicy with the sweet and briny flavor of shellfish. The shellfish is coated in a velvety thick gravy flavored with traditional Cajun or Creole seasonings. The dish is typically served over rice, which soaks up the lush etouffee sauce.

The Main Differences Between Creole and Cajun

A typical Creole roux is made from butter and flour (as in France), while a Cajun roux is usually made with lard or oil and flour. This is partly due to the scarcity of dairy products in some areas of Acadiana (Acadia + Louisiana) when Cajun cuisine was being developed.

You want the étouffée to be thick, but not ridiculously thick—-think of it like a thick pasta sauce. Now add your spices! Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce and Louisiana hot sauce. Bring to a boil and stir.

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.

There is no substitute for boiling your own and then freezing some of the tail meat for etouffee or bisque. The difference in the two dishes, is etouffee is usually thicker than bisque and has larger chopped pieces of onions, celery and green peppers.

Most people avoid eating the shell, tail, and antennae. If any crawfish died before boiling, you should test the meat for safety. Mushy meat should be avoided.

Is crawfish etouffee good for you? ›

Crawfish is a lean protein and crawfish tails are a great way to get a meal on the table. Usually an etouffee includes lots of butter and/or oil and is not healthy. What's great about my recipe is this easy crawfish recipe tastes just as good and it is a diabetic crawfish etouffee.

Appetizers. You are going to want something to snack on while the crawfish are boiling. To avoid too many rumbling stomachs, whip up this Texas caviar to serve alongside tortilla chips. Plus, it isn't a Southern shindig without something fried, so add these hush puppies or some classic fried okra.

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.

Watch Your Boil Times

If you boil your crawfish for too long, they will get mushy and unpleasant to eat. However, if you don't boil them for long enough, they'll be tough and chewy.

Note: You can also hose down the exterior of the pot so it will cool down faster. Taste the crawfish every 5 minutes for the next 10-15 minutes until done. If the tail meat is rubbery, the crawfish is undercooked, if mushy and falling apart, it is overcooked.

Gumbo is a soup or stew made with 2 or more proteins and vegies with a dark roux. Very savory. Etouffee is more like a gravy served over rice. Jambalaya is more like a rice casserole.

While both dishes use a broth base—like shrimp stock, crawfish tail stock, or chicken broth—étouffée has a thicker, gravy-like consistency because chefs make it with a roux (a mixture of all-purpose flour and butter). Gumbo, on the other hand, is thinner than étouffée, with a soupy stew broth.

Étouffée is a dish of shellfish, simmered in a sauce made from a light or blond roux, served over rice. It is most commonly made with crab, shrimp or crawfish. Depending on who is making it and where it is being made it is flavored with either Creole or Cajun seasonings.

While gumbo and etouffee have some similarities and common ingredients like onions, celery, bell peppers, and a roux, each dish has its own unique flavor and characteristics (via Our Everyday Life).