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Etouffee

Etouffee, meaning "to smother" in French, is a dish found in both Cajun and Creole cuisine. In Cajun cooking, etouffee is a signature entree of New Orleans with crawfish smothered in a rich brown sauce over rice. When crawfish season closes, shellfish such as shrimp or crab also are used. Traditional etouffee is made without tomato paste or cornstarch—but with a rich brown butter roux and crawfish fat. Creole etouffee, which sometimes adds tomatoes, has a lighter, blonde roux that is cooked for a shorter time than the Cajun version's sauce. Both are especially popular in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, northern Florida, and eastern Texas. 

Recipe Servings: 4

Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Total Time
1 hour 10 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Melt butter in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until it turns an aromatic bubbly brown.
  2. Stir in flour to make a thick brown roux, about 10 minutes.
  3. Add onion and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes.
  4. Add crawfish fat. Cook for 10 minutes.
  5. Add crawfish tails, water, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes until crawfish turn pink and curled.
  6. Add herbs and simmer for 10 more minutes.
  7. Served hot over rice, if using.

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