Crawfish Etouffee

  

The taste of this traditional Cajun stew comes from the Trinity--onion, green bell pepper, and celery--as well as the rich spices used to make Cajun seasoning. It's like gumbo but with a thicker, gravy-like foundation. To make a full dinner, serve over rice.

 

5 tablespoons butter

5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning, divided

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 cups fish stock

salt and ground black pepper to taste

1 pound cooked crawfish tail meat

 

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, melt the butter. To prepare the roux, whisk in the flour and continue to stir until the roux is at least the color of peanut butter, about ten minutes, or fifteen to twenty minutes for a darker roux.

Cook and stir the onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic for between five and seven minutes. Combine half of the Cajun spice, cayenne pepper, and stock in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook for fifteen minutes more.

Toss in the crawfish, then remove from the heat and cover. Allow to stand until the crawfish are well cooked. If necessary, taste and add the remaining half of the Cajun seasoning.