Crawfish Etouffée

Having just spent the most wonderful 7 days in New Orleans and surrounding areas, I was looking for a cajun recipe which would bring back the good memories. I ate shrimp étoufée at various first class restaurants in Louisiana, but all had roux and tomatoes, not my favourite. I read the reviews for Mardelle Bienvenu`s book and decided to try this recipe. I am glad I made it as I found it more to my liking. The flavour of the shrimp does stand out instead of the floury taste of the other étouffées. Thanks for the recipe.

• pcclaudia

• Montreal, Canada

• 10/31/2012

Any etouffee recipe that does not begin with a roux is not an etouffee. Compared to the real thing, this is a pretty bland substitute. There are many other, better recipes out there.

• Anonymous

• 10/27/2012

I use less butter, no cornstarch and add a cajun spice blendresults are delicious!

• hymay

• des moines

• 5/10/2012

This was wonderful with Vaduzuvant's suggestions, however as is I feel like it lack something. I added sage & thyme as well as Tony's & white pepper, some garlic & some bay leaves and it was fantastic. Not quite Herby-K's (in Shreveport) quality, but for a 1st try I was extremely happy with the recipe.

• Anonymous

• Oxford, MS

• 1/9/2012

I love this recipe. Add two bay leaves and it's Emirel's recipe. I don't enjoy roux or tomato based étouffées (yes you nay-sayers, there are multiple classic versions. I think the butter based sauce is the best). If you can't get cheap, flavorful boiled crawfish straight out of the pot at the nearest Rouses or seafood shack like you can in New Orleans, you will need to add some spices of some sort when cooking the veggies. Add Tonys and omit salt, or you can find Cajun seasoning blends in the spice aisle.

• Foodie18

• New Orleans

• 4/17/2011

Thank you for sharing this recipe. my family and I enjoyed it. The recipe needed a little tweaking , but overall it was very good. David Brennan

• dbrennan90

• 6/29/2010

Not even close! Where's the hot sauce? Where's the acid? You need the juice of a lemon to bring out the flavors if you don't wish to use hot sauce. Salt? Hello?!!! Throw in some Tony's, black or white pepper, Louisiana Hot Sauce, medium roux (cornstarch is for wimps!). I use clam juice in mine rather than water. This version, without even attempting it, is going to be BORING!!! It's cajum food, live a little, or alot.

• mlawler

• Houston, Tx

• 5/10/2010

vaduzuvunt……我不知道是什么让你认为哟u have a definitive recipe because being from New Orleans you should know there are many accepted variations of this recipe. My favorite etouffee recipe does not require a roux but cooking down onions, bell pepper, and celery in butter and it is excellent and the best I have tasted including those with roux. I believe it is better to let the flavor the crawfish take the lead rather than weighing it down with a roux. This is just my opinion I do not mean any disrespect. I do agree that this recipe lacks the proper seasonings beyond the cayenne.

• nferno0516

• Atlanta, GA

• 12/3/2009

Etouffee is made several different ways depending on where in Louisiana you are from. Being from the Cajun prairie, this is exactly how my mom makes any etouffee, no roux, no tomatoes. I actually will not go near an etouffee that is made with either of those ingredients. Give this way a try...it is a very wonderful way to cook the seafood without over powering it with a heavy roux.

• malenky13

• 3/4/2009

Completely agree. This recipe was a huge disappointment from the prospect of making/eating etouffee. That being said, turned it into a shrimp creole with Old Bay, cayenne, tomatoes and loads of plump shrimp.

• mstimpano

• madison, wi

• 2/24/2009

This recipe lacks the necessary seasonings for a good etouffee. There is no roux, you must use several different peppers not just cayenne to get the right taste. I like epicurious but very disappointed in the Mardi Gras recipes.

• rcadwallader

• Chesapeake, VA

• 2/23/2009

I totally agree with the first review..even without making the recipe, I always make the roux with color corresponding to type of meat; red for seafood, darker for richer meats with chicken being mid-caramel color..NEVER would I use cornstarch...and where's the seasonings? sorry, but this recipe must be for the newbies......just to let you know that 'authentic' is a sacred process....it's fun!

• jlee46203

• 2/21/2009

I wouldn't exactly call this recipe "classic." In fact, to be honest, I would say it's wrong from the start. First thing you always do when making this dish is a roux. (Which, by the way, is pointed out in the title of the article this recipe came from.) You don't want to make a dark roux, the way you would for a gumbo, but nonetheless - a roux is needed. For 1 stick (8 tbsp.) of butter, you stir in 8 tbsp. of flour. Keep that moving over a medium-low heat for a couple minutes, just to get the flour and the butter cooked together a bit. After that, you throw in the holy trinity (onion, bell pepper and celery) as well as a couple minced cloves of fresh garlic. NO CORNSTARCH. None. Serious - noooone. Not needed. The roux is going to give you the thickness you need. Now, it needs to also be pointed out about the crawfish tails that it's not just peeled tails. Two pounds of tails for the recipe sure (tho I would actually throw in more of the trinity and let them cook down a lot), but the tails need to come with the crawfish juices. You're not going to get as much flavor from this recipe if you just sit down and peel a bunch of boiled crawfish, yourself. You can find tails online (and of course if in Louisiana at pretty much any grocer) that are already peeled and packed in their own juices. With these, you wash the tails in about 2-3 cups of water, to separate the juices from the tails themselves. Put the tails aside and, after the trinity's been cooked down some, pour the juice-water into the pot, add your spices (and include yourself some white pepper, please), bring it to a boil, then simmer for about 20 minutes. Then add the tails and let that cook for 10-15 minutes. The tails are already cooked, so they don't need that much time. Sorry for the long winded, but there ain't nothing more I dislike than improper cooking of such wonderful dishes. PS - this is my New Orleans born and raised Creole great-grandmother's recipe.

• vaduzuvunt

• New Orleans, LA

• 2/19/2009