Crawfish Etouffee

Crawfish Etouffee

True confession…I have to confess that I used to be afraid of crawfish.  It all started when I was about 5 years old riding in the back seat of an Oldsmobile going fishin’.  There was an old Folgers’s coffee can on the back floorboard filled with live crawdads for bate.  Somehow the crawdads forced the plastic lid off the coffee can and began crawling up the seat toward me. I don’t think I have screamed that loud since then. 

INGREDIENTS

1/3 Cup Olive Oil

1/3 Cup Unbleached Flour

2 Cups Chopped Onion

1 Cup Chopped Celery

½ Cup Chopped Green Pepper

14 Ounces Chicken Broth

¼ Cup Sliced Green Onions

¼ Cup Fresh Chopped Parsley

7 Minced Garlic Cloves

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Bay Leaf

1 Pound Fresh Peeled & Cooked Crawfish

3 Cups Hot Cooked Rice

In a large skillet heat the 1/3 cup olive oil over a medium heat for 3 minutes.  Gradually stir in the flour until smooth.  Cook the roux over a medium low heat for 20 minutes until the mixture is dark reddish brown.  Stir frequently.  Next, add the onion, celery and green pepper.  Cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes.  Keep stirring occasionally.  Stir in the chicken broth, green onion and parsley, garlic, salt and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil and reduce the heat.  Simmer covered for 10 minutes.  Add the crawfish and cook until warmed through.  You can substitute crawfish with shrimp if you wish.  Just make sure that you use 1 ½ pounds of shrimp that has been peeled and deveined and cook until opaque.  Throw away the bay leaf and serve over rice.  Serves 6