Cajun Crawfish Etouffee
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
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
This recipe should be ideal for 4 persons. 🙂
We absolutely LOVE this recipe, and usually make it at least once a month. I have, however, noticed a typo. In the ingredient list, it calls for one (1) cup of crawfish or chicken stock, but in the directions, slowly adding two (2) cups to the pan. I start with 1 and add as needed
Hi Robb! Thanks so much for bringing this to my attention. I have updated recipe to make it clearer. So happy to hear it is on a weekly rotation.
Your descriptions of Crayfish and Crawfish reminded me of an old Cajun Cook Justin Wilson who says “Crayfish is for people what can’t say Crawfish”.
Thanks so much for your awesome recipes.
And thank YOU for trying them out, Remi 🙂
So good! Here in Indiana I have to use shimps. But it was so good and thanks for the creole seasoning recipe too!
I’m not usually a recipe type of cook but this is new territory for me so i followed your instructions exactly and the result was AMAZING. This is a restaurant quality Etouffee that was not complicated at all. I’m already planning to make it again in a few days with sausage for those in my family who can’t eat shell fish. Thank you so much for teaching me something new!
Glad I could be of help. Enjoy!
I will definitely continue to use this recipe. It was awesome and I am 100% Cajun. My parents were- Prejean, Chiasson, Thibodeaux and Broussard. I am always looking for recipes similar to what my mother use to make even though she did not eat seafood.But she sure could cook!
Got to know it worked out well. Thanks for taking time out to share this with us .
I loved this recipe ! Results, DELICIOUS I will definitely be making this again ! I had to use frozen cleaned crawfish, but it was still so good !
I have now made this recipe many times because it ‘s become a favorite in our house and with friends. I use a carton of crushed tomatoes, instead of chopped tomatoes, and started using a variety of shellfish such as mussels/octopus/shrimp – which I double for your recipe. Also use the Creole Spice recipe you incorporate in your ingredient list. Like to serve with homemade cornbread. Thank you!
Thank you so much, Carol!
Thank you so much for posting this! I am not rating it at this time as I have yet to make your version. But I am from Louisiana and this is the closest recipe I’ve seen to true cajun étoufée! I guess I’ll just have to settle for shrimp until crawfish next come into season. More to follow – can’t wait!
Hi Seaeagle ! Can’t wait to hear your feedback. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.
Made this last night and it was AWESOME! Thank you for the recipe!
Happy to hear this . Thanks so much!!
This is a great recipe- I used shrimp and it was great. I will definitely cook this again.
Awesome!!! I am so glad you loved this dish :)!
OMG! Better than any restaurant that I have ordered from (granted I’m from the North). But Wow. I made it using the homemade crawfish stock, which I think is the key to the flavor. I doubled the order and used both equal parts crawfish and shrimp. This is definitely a recipe to impress. Thanks so much for sharing.
That sounds delicious! Thank you for the feedback, Stephen!
I added my own twists, such as seafood oil and almond extract to enrich the flavor, and green chiles and a dash of cayenne for spice, but this is absolutely one of the top ten recipes I’ve ever discovered! Thank you!
I grew up in the South and I loved Crawfish etouffee
I was so excited when I found this recipe. I made it for Christmas eve and wholly wow, awesome. My husband had never had this before and just loved it. He made a request for Easter Sunday and guess what he wanted…Etouffee. I’m ready for dinner now and it’s only 10 am..great recipe.
Happy Easter !!! Blessings to you. Enjoy!!
This is hands down the best recipe I have ever made! I made it exactly as specified…no changes whatsoever. It’s absolutely delicious as soon as it’s ready…but the next day….OH MY Goodness! I will make this again and again and I will not change a thing. Shrimp is mentioned (accidentally, I think) in the recipe but I can imagine how good it would be with shrimp, scallops, whatever seafood you desire.