Cajun Crawfish Etouffee is a Louisiana classic with an intense buttery sauce with succulent crawfish, herbs, and spices. The secret is a good roux and the holy trinity with extra garlic thrown in. Everyone will be asking for seconds or even thirds!
I’m a huge fan of quick and easy weeknight meals. But some recipes are worth putting in a little extra work, especially if the outcome is out-of-this-world delicious. So when crawfish season kicks in, I have to pull out my crawfish étouffée recipe.
I feel so lucky to have access to fresh seafood here in LA, but nothing beats fresh-caught Louisiana crawfish. I can’t wait to visit New Orleans during crawfish season to indulge. It runs from around November to July. However, late February through May is the best time to get them, making it perfect for Lent.
Content…What Is It? |
What Is Crawfish Etouffee?
Etouffee (pronounced AY-too-FAY) is a French term for smothered or suffocated. Crawfish smothered in a rich roux-based sauce, and enjoy the holy trinity (onion, celery, and bell pepper) with some spicy heat. And, of course, I couldn’t resist adding my personal Imma touch with Creole Cajun seasoning. 😉
Crawfish vs. Crayfish
The simple answer – they’re the same thing. Crayfish (crawfish or crawdads) are freshwater crustaceans resembling small lobsters (to which they’re related). That said, people in Louisiana most often say crawfish, and Northerners say crayfish.
Recipe Ingredients
- Roux – Butter and all-purpose flour are the more common ingredients in a roux, adding deliciously intense flavor. Mine is the Creole version. But for a Cajun crawfish etouffee recipe, replace the butter with good lard and omit the tomatoes.
- Seasonings – The holy trinity (onions, green bell peppers, and celery), garlic, thyme, and bay leaves add incredible flavor. While fresh herbs are better, you can use dried if that’s what you have.
- Tomatoes deliver a pleasant tanginess and richer color. However, they are a personal decision. I love it both ways, depending on my mood and what I have on hand.
- Crawfish go in last to avoid overcooking. You can use frozen crawfish if you can’t get fresh (no need to thaw; just add another minute to the cooking time).
How to Make Crawfish Etouffee
- Roux – Melt butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan, then stir in the oil and flour until smooth. Cook on medium heat, stirring continuously, for 10-12 minutes until you achieve the desired color. Please don’t walk away from the stove during this process because it burns quickly. (Photo 1)
- Holy Trinity – Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook for 8- 10 minutes, stirring frequently. (Photos 2-3)
- Remaining Seasonings – Add garlic, thyme, and bay leaf, and continue stirring for about 2 minutes. Next, add the chopped tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, and Creole seasoning, and saute for 5 minutes. (Photos 4-5
- Simmer – Gradually pour in 1-2 cups of stock, bring to a boil, and simmer (adjust thickness with more stock as needed). Add the crawfish tails and simmer for 3-4 more minutes (clean live crawfish well in fresh, cool water before, and let everyone peel and devein their own. (Photos 6-7)
- Serve – Adjust the etouffee’s thickness and flavor with more broth, hot sauce, or salt. Stir in the green onions and chopped parsley. Then, serve over rice. Enjoy! (Photo 8)
Optional DIY Crawfish Stock
- Flavor – Add a teaspoon or two of butter or oil to a saucepan. Then, toss in the crawfish shells, onions, garlic, celery, and aromatics like bay leaf and thyme.
- Saute for 5-7 minutes, constantly stirring to prevent burning.
- Simmer – Add about 5 cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and strain with a sieve. Use the stock in your etouffee recipe or store it in a jar in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Recipe Variations
You can use about any shellfish for a good etouffee.
- Shrimp – For crawfish and shrimp etouffee, replace half of the crawfish with shrimp. Or go all out with shrimp for a full-on shrimp etouffee.
- Lobster – Although it has a distinct flavor, I say it’s a good substitute for crawfish. However, it’s more expensive.
- Crab – This crustacean is related to crawfish and also has a delicate, sweet flavor and aroma. That’s why it makes a good substitute for this recipe’s main ingredient.
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure fresh crawfish are still alive. If they’re not available alive, it’s better to buy them frozen.
- Clean your crawfish well; the mudbug should tell you why.
- Try to get crawfish around the same size so they cook evenly. Bigger is better to reduce peeling time.
- Make-ahead and storage. Make it a day or two ahead and refrigerate until ready to heat it up and enjoy. It also freezes for 2-3 months.
Perfect Pairings for Crawfish Etouffee
This Creole crawfish etouffee is the perfect Lenten meal with a bowl of steaming white rice. A loaf of homemade garlic bread or skillet cornbread and fried okra make a complete meal.
More Spicy Cajun and Creole Seafood Recipes
By Imma
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was first published in May 2021 and has been updated with additional tips, gorgeous photos, and a video
Cajun Crawfish Etouffee
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Ingredients
Roux
- 2 tablespoons (28g) butter
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) canola oil
- 3 tablespoons (45g) flour
Etouffee
- ½ medium onion, diced
- ½ cup (90g) green bell pepper, diced
- ⅓ cup (1-2 stalks) celery, chopped
- 2 teaspoons (10g) minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon (1g) thyme, fresh or dried
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup (200g) tomato, chopped
- 2 teaspoon (10ml) Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon (2-3g) paprika
- 2 teaspoon (2-4g) Creole seasoning
- 1-2 cups (237-470ml) crawfish stock or chicken stock (adjust to desired consistency)
- 1 pound (450g) fresh crawfish
- 2-3 tablespoons (8-12g) parsley, chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 teaspoon (5g) hot sauce (optional)
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan, then stir in the oil and flour until smooth.
- Cook on medium heat, stirring continuously, for 10-12 minutes until you achieve the desired color. Please don't walk away from the stove during this process because it burns quickly.
- Add the onion, green pepper, and celery and cook for 8- 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Then add garlic, thyme, and bay leaf, and continue stirring for about 2 minutes.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, and Creole seasoning, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Gradually pour in 1-2 cups of stock, bring to a boil, and simmer (adjust thickness with more stock as needed). Add the crawfish and simmer for 3-4 more minutes.
- Adjust the etouffee's thickness and flavor with more broth, hot sauce, or salt.
- Stir in the green onions and chopped parsley. Serve over hot cooked rice.
Homemade Crawfish Stock
- Add a teaspoon or two of butter or oil to a saucepan. Then, toss in the crawfish shells, onions, garlic, celery, and aromatics like bay leaf and thyme.
- Saute for 5-7 minutes, constantly stirring to prevent burning. Then add about 5 cups of water.
- Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and strain with a sieve. Set stock aside.
Tips & Notes:
- Cook them alive. Make sure crawfish are still alive before cooking so you’re sure they’re fresh. It’s not as cruel as it sounds, and it’s safer. Frozen is a good option
- Size matters. They should be the same size so that they will cook evenly
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe
Ashley says
I lived in NOLA for over a decade and was so spoiled that never had to master etouffee. I was craving it and used this recipe to make it for the very first time and it was DELICIOUS. It’s now a staple.
I was cooking for friends and they didn’t have everything, so I did omit the green onion and Worcestershire sauce. I also used veggie stock instead of water. This was delicious. Thank you so much for help soothe my nostalgia for my second home.
Imma says
Wonderful! Thank you for taking the time to leave this feedback, Ashley! So glad this recipe helpful in soothing your nostalgia ❤️.
Russel Tofflemire says
This recipe is great! I used 3 pounds of crawfish tales so i tripled the ingredients. I subbed for vegetable broth and used extra garlic. Also ysed fire roasted tomatoes. This was amazing. Thank you!
Imma says
Amazing! Thanks for the feedback, Russel!
Jacqueline says
When adding the crawfish in the end, will they already be cooked and peeled, or do you put the live crawfish in and then take them out after 4 minutes and peel them and put them back in again? First time making it so I’m not sure what to do haha
Imma says
Hi Jacqueline. For this recipe, I used frozen crawfish that had already been peeled and deveined. Happy cooking :)!
Tiffany says
I am very excited to try this, I may be naive here but I have never eaten crawfish and recently moved to the south where they ate abundant. Am I suppose to boil the crawfish and then take the meat out before adding it into the broth or do I boil them whole first and then take the meat out and add them to the etouffe?
Rachel Burns says
This was not only delicious but surprisingly easy to make as well! It was the 1st etouffee recipe I decided to try and it will be the one I make from now on!
Imma says
I love easy, haha :)! Glad you love it!
Biscuitboogie says
If I wanted to make this Cajun and left out the tomatoes, should I sub another cup of stock or will that make it too watered down ? Would I just omit the tomatoes and not sub anything?
Imma says
Hi there, you could omit the tomatoes and use the stock to adjust your etouffee to the required consistency. Do make sure you are using low sodium stock so that your etouffee does not end up salty. Hope this helps!
Rebecca Brown says
Hi Imma! I’m dying to use your recipe to make crawfish etouffee but my husband prefers I use a recipe made in a crock pot. Is there a certain point in your recipe that I could add everything to a crock pot and let it cook on low for a few hours? And maybe add the crawfish at the end? How long could I leave everything in the crockpot? Thank you in advance for your advice!
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Rebecca.
To adapt this crawfish étouffée recipe for a crockpot, start by sautéing the vegetables and making the roux on the stove, as this step is crucial for flavor. Then, transfer this mixture to the crockpot, adding all other ingredients except the crawfish. Cook on low for 3-4 hours. Add the crawfish about 30 minutes before serving to avoid overcooking. Adjust seasoning and serve over rice.
Hope this helps
Rebecca says
Imma, thank you SO much for replying to my comment – and for being so timely. Thanks for helping me modify the recipe and for your step by step directions. I read your reply to my husband too and he is thrilled! This is going to be our Christmas Day meal this year Perfect!!
ImmaculateBites says
You’re very welcome! I’m thrilled to hear that the modified recipe will be part of your Christmas Day meal. It’s wonderful to know that both you and your husband are excited about it. If you have any more questions or need further assistance while cooking, feel free to reach out. Wishing you a delightful and delicious Christmas celebration with your crawfish étouffée! Enjoy every bite!
Rebecca says
Imma,
I wasn’t able to reply directly to your last comment but had to let you know how our Christmas Day crockpot étouffée turned out. Omg, it was FANTASTIC! My husband who has been looking for a good crawfish étouffée for years LOVED it and said “This could be served at a restaurant.” I couldn’t agree more – it was so very good. We had to use frozen Louisiana crawfish and grocery store seafood stock but it was still outstanding! Thank you again for adapting the recipe to a crockpot for me and for your very detailed instructions in your post and comments. You helped this “not so great cook” appear to know what she was doing Thank you!! Definitely going to try more of your recipes!
Rebecca ♥️
ImmaculateBites says
Rebecca, I’m thrilled to hear that your Christmas Day crockpot étouffée was a success and that both you and your husband enjoyed it so much! It’s wonderful that the recipe worked out well, even with the adjustments like using frozen Louisiana crawfish and store-bought seafood stock. Those are excellent choices when fresh ingredients are not available.
Your husband’s compliment about it being restaurant-worthy is a testament to your efforts and skill in the kitchen. Remember, great cooking often comes down to the love and care put into the preparation, and it sounds like you did an amazing job.