Crawfish Etouffee

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter (plus 2 Tbsp)
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 3 cups shrimp stock or fish stock
• 1 14.5 oz diced tomatoes (See Cook's note)
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp Cajun or Creole seassoning
• 1/2 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 medium bay leaves
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 lbs frozen crawfish tails (thawed)
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 bunch green onions (thinly sliced)
• 4 Tbsp chopped flat leaf Italian parsley
• cooked white rice and hot sauce for serving

Instructions

1. 1

   In a large cast-iron Dutch oven or similar deep heavy skillet, melt 1/2 cup butter. Whisk in flour. Cook stirring or whisking over low heat until mixture is a caramel-colored paste similar to peanut butter. About 20 minutes.

2. 2

   To the pot add the onion, celery, pepper and onions; stir until coated. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables begin to soften, around 5-8 minutes. Add minced garlic, cooking for 1 minute longer.

3. 3

   Next, pour in stock, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, Cajun seasoning, salt, pepper, cayenne, bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a boil.

4. 4

   Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. 5

   Uncover, discard bay leaf and thyme stems. Add crawfish, lemon juice, green onions and 2 tablespoons parsley. Add a few dashes of hot sauce. Cook uncovered over medium low for 10-15 minutes or just until crawfish is heated through. Whisk in reserved 2 Tbsp butter. Mix well. (Reserve a few green onions for garnishing)

6. 6

   Serve ladled over cooked white rice, with hot sauce and garnished with reserved parsley and green onions.

7. 7

   Please note: If you want to thicken the etouffee further at the end of cooking you can by using tomato paste 1 tablespoon at a time until desired thickness is reached.

8. 8

   **Please Note** Cajun style etouffee wouldn't typically include tomatoes. We love them in this dish and they're included. You can omit them and adapt with extra fish or shrimp stock, if desired.