Frozen crawfish or frozen shrimp is usually available , thaw out a package and whip up a Etouffee in a few minutes.
Ingredients -
1/4 Cup Butter (real butter )
5 Tablespoons all-purpose Flour
1/2 Cup chopped Celery
1/2 Cup chopped Green Bell Pepper
1/2 Cup chopped Green Onions , tops and bottoms
1 Cup Chicken Stock
1/2 Cup water
2 Tablespoons minced fresh Parsley
1 Tablespoon (heaping) Tomato Paste
1 Bay Leaf
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Creole Seasoning
1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 - pound fresh or frozen Louisiana Crawfish Tails or Shrimp
Cornstarch & water slurry to thicken ... as desired .
A pot of hot cooked white rice , as needed .
Directions -
1.) In a heavy skillet or Dutch oven , over med-high heat , melt the butter, stir in the flour and make a caramel colored roux ... keep stirring as the flour cooks , 20 - 30 minutes .
Do NOT burn the roux or let it stick to the bottom of the pan ...keep stirring!
2.) When the roux is caramel colored add the celery , green pepper and onion ...keep stirring , cook untill onion's & pepper's are soft.
3.) Add the broth , stir well , water , stir well and parsley , tomato paste , bay leaf.
Stir well and add salt , pepper , garlic powder , Creole seasoning and Cayenne.
Stir the pot well , scrape bottom and sides and make sure the roux is well incorporated and there are no lumps . Bring to a boil , reduce heat to low , cover and simmer 15 minutes . The Etoufee sauce should be on the thick side ... the crawfish or shrimp will throw off water when added.
4.) Remove the bay leaf, discard , increase the heat to med. high bring to a hard simmer and add the crawfish or shrimp , stir well , replace cover and let cook 15 -20 mins.
Stir to avoid sticking . adjust thickness as needed with cornstarch . Let it sit a few minutes .
Serve over white rice .
This is how we do it in Cajun Country ... I love this stuff , fix garlic bread and a green salad ...Man-O-Man it don't get much better than this .
Gary