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    Home » Recipes » Courses » Main Courses

    Crawfish Étouffée

    Published: August 12, 2020 by Kari · Leave a Comment · This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no cost to you.

    RECIPE ↓
    a pin image of a pot of crawfish etouffee
    a pin image of a pot of crawfish etouffee
    a pin image of a zoomed in pot of crawfish etouffee
    a pin image of a zoomed in pot of crawfish etouffee
    a pin image of a zoomed in pot of crawfish etouffee
    a pin image of a pot of crawfish etouffee

    Crawfish Étouffée is another one of those New Orleans classics that is so easy to make and is so over-the-top delicious. The creamy sauce, tender crawfish, and perfect amount of Creole seasoning make this a knockout dinner.

    an image of a pot of crawfish etouffee
    PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER!

    🥘 Ingredient Notes

    the ingredients in crawfish étouffée, labeled
    • Salted Butter
    • Diced Bacon
    • Diced Celery
    • Diced Onion
    • Minced Garlic
    • Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
    • Flour (I used All-Purpose Flour to make this post, but I have made it Gluten-Free using Arrowroot Powder or Tapioca Starch in the past)
    • Chicken Stock or Seafood Stock
    • Kosher Salt
    • Dried Thyme
    • Dried Parsley
    • Worcestershire Sauce
    • Heavy Cream
    • Louisiana Crawfish Tails

    For Serving

    • Green Onion Rice
    • Sliced Green Onions

    🍽 Equipment Needed

    • A Large Pot or Dutch Oven
    • A Rubber Spatula
    • A Sharp Knife and Cutting Board
    • Measuring Spoons/Measuring Cups

    🥣 How to Make It

    Begin by heating a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. If you have not already done so, dice up your vegetables and bacon. (Picture 1)

    Add diced bacon and butter and let the butter melt as the bacon crisps up. (Pictures 2 - 4)

    Next, do your best to scrape the bits of bacon off of the bottom of the pot, then add the onions, celery, and green pepper to the melted butter and bacon. (Picture 5)

    a collage of images showing the process of making crawfish etouffee, steps 1 - 5

    Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, then add minced garlic and cook until the onions are translucent and soft. The garlic should also become fragrant. (Picture 6)

    Now, add the Creole seasoning and let that cook for about a minute. It will smell so good!(Picture 7)

    Then sprinkle the flour over the vegetable/Creole seasoning mixture and stir it until it thickens almost into a paste. Continue stirring while this cooks so the flour doesn't burn to the bottom of the pot - it should take about one minute. (Picture 8 - 9)

    Now gradually add the stock to this mixture. I start with about a third of the stock, then let it start to simmer a little before adding the remainder of it. (Picture 10)

    a collage of images showing the process of making crawfish etouffee, steps 6 - 10

    Bring this to a gentle boil/simmer (Picture 11) then add tomatoes, parsley, thyme, kosher salt, and Worcestershire sauce. (Pictures 12 - 13) Return to a simmer, then stir in cream. (Picture 14)

    Simmer uncovered over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Picture 15)

    a collage of images showing the process of making crawfish etouffee, steps 11 - 15

    Finally, add the crawfish tails. Mix to combine then quickly return the étouffée to a simmer and remove it from the heat. The crawfish tails are already cooked so they will get rubbery if cooked too long.

    crawfish etouffee cooking in a blue pot

    Serve immediately with green onion rice (or plain white rice) and a sprinkle of green onions on top.

    a white plate with fried catfish, crawfish etouffee, and green onion rice on it with a pot of crawfish etouffee

    🍳 Serving Suggestions & Uses

    We love to serve Crawfish Étouffée with Green Onion Rice or over some fried catfish fillets some to make Catfish Atchafalaya - a huge plate of fried catfish smothered in Crawfish Étouffée with a heaping scoop of Green Onion Rice. It is hands down, one of my favorite dinners of all time.

    Button linking to the Pinterest page for Southern Bytes.

    🥫 Storage/Shelf Life/Reheating

    Crawfish Étouffée leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 - 3 days. It can be reheated over low heat, but again, do not overcook it as the crawfish will get tough.

    If you are not going to eat all of the étouffée within 2 - 3 days, you can freeze it for several months. Let it defrost in the refrigerator then reheat on the stove over low heat.

    ✏️ Helpful Tips

    • Do not overcook your crawfish - crawfish tails are already cooked so they will get very chewy if they get cooked for too long.
    • Use any kind of tomatoes that you can find - cherry, creole tomatoes, diced in a can, roma - this is such a great recipe because of the flexibility.
    • If you don't have crawfish, you can use shrimp instead. If using shrimp, they can be seared for a few minutes on each side then simmered in the étouffée sauce until they are no longer pink.
    an image of a pot of crawfish etouffee

    🌶️ Other Great Cajun & Creole Recipes

    • Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
    • Red Beans and Rice
    • Raising Cane's Sauce
    • Green Onion Rice
    • Creole Jambalaya

    Have You Tried This Recipe?
    Please rate it and leave a comment below. I would love to hear what you think!

    a zoomed in image of a pot of crawfish etouffee

    Crawfish Étouffée

    5 from 2 votes
    Kari
    Crawfish Étouffée is another one of those New Orleans classics that is so easy to make and is so over-the-top delicious. The creamy sauce, tender crawfish, and perfect amount of Creole seasoning make this a knockout dinner.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 25 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Dinner, Main Course
    Cuisine Cajun, Southern
    Servings 4
    Calories 1121

    Equipment

    • a 5 quart dutch oven or a large pot
    • measuring spoons
    • measuring cups
    • a rubber spatula or spoon for stirring

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • 2 - 3 ounces smoked bacon, diced I use 3 - 4 strips depending on how thick it is.
    • ½ cup white or yellow onion finely diced
    • ½ cup green bell pepper finely diced
    • ¼ cup celery finely diced
    • ½ tablespoon garlic minced
    • 1 tablespoon Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
    • ⅛ cup all-purpose flour
    • 2 cups chicken broth
    • ½ cup tomatoes chopped, I quartered fresh cherry tomatoes from our garden.
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
    • ½ teaspoon dried parsley
    • ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
    • ¼ cup heavy cream
    • 1 pound peeled Crawfish tails

    For Serving

    • Green Onion Rice
    • green onions, chopped

    Instructions
     

    • Begin by heating a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. If you have not already done so, dice up your vegetables and bacon.
      an empty blue pot surrounded by ingredients for crawfish etouffee
    • Add diced bacon and butter and let the butter melt as the bacon crisps up.
      bacon cooking in a pot with butter melting
    • When the bacon is crispy, do your best to scrape the bits of bacon off of the bottom of the pot.
      a blue pot with cooked bacon pieces in it
    • Now add the onions, celery, and green pepper to the melted butter and bacon. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes.
      uncooked vegetables in a blue pot
    • Next, add minced garlic.
      a small bowl of garlic over a pot of vegetables cooking
    • Continue cooking until the onions are translucent and soft. The garlic should also become fragrant.
      softened vegetables cooking in a blue pot
    • Now, add the Creole seasoning and let that cook for about a minute. It will smell so good!
      seasoned vegetables cooking in a blue pot
    • Then sprinkle the flour over the vegetable/Creole seasoning mixture and stir it until it thickens almost into a paste.
      vegetables with flour on them cooking in a blue pot
    • Continue stirring while this cooks so the flour doesn't burn to the bottom of the pot - it should take about one minute.
      vegetables in a roux cooking in a blue pot
    • Now gradually add the stock to this mixture. I start with about a third of the stock, then let it start to simmer a little before adding the remainder of it.
      vegetables cooking in a blue pot
    • Bring this to a gentle boil/simmer.
      vegetables in broth in a blue pot
    • Next, add tomatoes, parsley, thyme, kosher salt, and Worcestershire sauce.
      vegetables, tomatoes, and seasoning unmixed in a blue pot
    • Return to a simmer, then stir in cream.
      vegetables, tomatoes, and seasoning in a blue pot
    • Simmer uncovered over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
      crawfish etouffee cooking in a blue pot
    • Finally, add the crawfish tails. Mix to combine then return the étouffée to a simmer and remove from heat. The crawfish tails are already cooked so they will get rubbery if cooked too long.
      crawfish etouffee cooking in a blue pot
    • Serve immediately with green onion rice (or plain white rice) and a sprinkle of green onions on top.
      a zoomed in picture of crawfish etouffee cooking in a blue pot

    Notes

    Storage/Reheating
    Crawfish Étouffée leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 - 3 days. It can be reheated over low heat, but again, do not overcook it as the crawfish will get tough.
    If you are not going to eat all of the étouffée within 2 - 3 days, you can freeze it for several months. Let it defrost in the refrigerator then reheat on the stove over low heat.
    Tips
    • Do not overcook your crawfish - crawfish tails are already cooked so they will get very chewy if they get cooked for too long.
    • Use any kind of tomatoes that you can find - this is such a great recipe because of the flexibility.
    • If you don't have crawfish, you can use shrimp instead. If using shrimp, they can be seared for a few minutes on each side then simmered in the étouffée sauce until no longer pink.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 0.5cupCalories: 1121kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 36gFat: 93gSaturated Fat: 40gCholesterol: 280mgSodium: 4226mgPotassium: 1470mgFiber: 6gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 3887IUVitamin C: 115mgCalcium: 160mgIron: 5mg

    Nutrition information is approximate and is automatically calculated, so should only be used as a guide.

    Keyword crawfish dinner, crawfish etouffee, crawfish recipe, crawfish sauce
    Tried this recipe?Mention @southernbytes or tag #southernbytes!
    « Green Onion Rice
    Southern Fried Catfish »

    About Kari

    I am a WordPress Developer, Food Blogger, and Health Coach. I love to cook and experiment with fun new recipes. I hope you enjoy!

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    Hi, I'm Kari!

    I am a WordPress developer, food blogger, and health coach. I love to cook and experiment with fun new recipes. I hope you enjoy!

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