Cajun Crawfish Etouffee

Content… What Is It? Crawfish vs. Crayfish Recipe Ingredients How to Make It Recipe Variations Tips and Tricks What to Serve More Spicy Cajun and Creole Seafood Recipes Watch How to Make 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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.

1. 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.
2. Lobster – Although it has a distinct flavor, I say it’s a good substitute for crawfish. However, it’s more expensive.
3. 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

1. Make sure fresh crawfish are still alive. If they’re not available alive, it’s better to buy them frozen.
2. Clean your crawfish well; the mudbug should tell you why.
3. Try to get crawfish around the same size so they cook evenly. Bigger is better to reduce peeling time.
4. 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

1. Seafood Gumbo
2. Crawfish Boil
3. Shrimp Jambalaya
4. Okra Gumbo
5. Crawfish Bisque

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