RSJ’s Crawfish Etouffee (tomato version)

This recipe for crawfish etouffee has been in my files for over 20 years. I can’t remember if it’s mine or someone else’s, but, either way, it’s legit. Also, shrimp can be substituted for crawfish. Just add them immediately after the vegetables and cook them until translucent before adding the remaining ingredients.

Ingredients

8 tablespoons unsalted butter or canola oil

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 cups yellow onion, medium dice

1 cup green bell pepper, medium dice

1 cup celery, medium dice

1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 cups, chicken or seafood stock, heated

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon Creole seasoning

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper

2 pounds peeled crawfish tails

2 teaspoons hot sauce

1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped

3 cups chicken stock

2 teaspoons kosher salt.

1 1/2 cups whole grain rice

Instructions

Place the butter or oil in a 14-inch skillet and heat over medium heat. Stir in the flour to make a roux, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Cook the roux until it becomes the color of peanut butter. Add in the onions, bell pepper, and celery and continue to cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste, cook for 2 more minutes. Use a wire whisk to stir the hot stock into the vegetable mixture and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes then stir in the crawfish. Bring the mixture back to a simmer. Once the crawfish is heated thoroughly, stir in the parsley and remove from heat.

For the rice, in a 1-quart saucepot, bring the stock and salt to a boil, stir in the rice and reduce the heat so that the stock is barely simmering. Cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and serve.

Yield: 6-8 servings

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