Best Cajun Crawfish Etouffee (Louisiana Style)
on May 24, 2022, Updated Sep 09, 2022
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This Crawfish Etouffee is loaded with succulent crawfish tail meat spiced with Cajun seasonings, and simmered in a rich, buttery roux. Like gumbo and jambalaya, this Southern seafood delight originated in Louisiana, a region known for its flavorful cuisine.
People around the world visit Louisiana to indulge in authentic Cajun cooking. Now, you can experience the flavors of New Orleans without leaving your kitchen.
What is Crawfish Etouffee?
Etouffee is a French word and is pronounced like “AY-too-FAY.” Its literal translation is “smothered” describing the way the crawfish tails are served in a flavorful, roux-based sauce.
Etouffee is a dish found in both Cajun and Creole cuisine and is made by first preparing a well-seasoned roux, then simmering seafood in the roux until it’s cooked and full of flavor. While crawfish is the most popular meat for etouffee, shrimp or crab meat can also be used.
What is Crawfish Etouffee Made of?
- Roux: You’ll be making a butter-based roux for this recipe. Roux is easy to make and gives etouffee its thick, rich consistency and lots of flavor.
- Crawfish Tail Meat: The star of the show is the crawfish tail meat. You can purchase crawfish and remove the meat yourself, or purchase ready-to-eat crawfish meat.
- Chicken Broth: Broth adds rich flavor to your stew. If you prefer, you can use beef or vegetable broth.
- Vegetables: Onions, celery, and bell pepper. Adding fresh vegetables makes your etouffee a complete meal.
- Spice & Herbs: Garlic, thyme, bay leaf. To season your roux, you’ll need these herbs and spices.
- Cajun Seasoning: A Cajun seasoning mix adds a traditional flavor to the dish. You can purchase Cajun seasoning at the grocery store or make your own by combining paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and cayenne pepper.
- Salt & Hot Sauce: Make your etouffee as hot as you like!
How to Make Cajun Crawfish Etouffee
Step 1: Make the Roux
- In a large heavy-bottom pot over medium-low heat, add butter and oil.
- Once melted, whisk in flour, stir until combined. Continue to cook, stirring constantly for about 10 to 15 minutes until the mixture reaches a brown color as milk chocolate.
- Keep a close eye on the roux and not to let it burn, adjusting the heat if needed. You can add more flour or oil if necessary.
Step 2: Cook the Veggies
- Add onions, celery, bell peppers, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Then add chicken broth to the roux.
- Turn the heat to medium and stir well. Bring to a boil and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the veggies are slightly tender.
Step 3: Season the Broth
- Add Cajun seasoning, hot sauce, and salt. Taste and add more if needed. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
Step 4: Add Crawfish Meat
- Add crawfish tail meat, and simmer for 2-3 minutes until the crawfish is cooked through. Serve warm over rice and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Crawfish Etouffee
- Cook your roux low and slow: The roux is the foundation of crawfish etouffee. Keep the heat low to slowly cook your roux for the best flavor.
- Don’t burn your roux: Burnt roux will certainly ruin the taste of the dish. Keep an eye on the saucepan and turn the heat down low to avoid burning.
- You can make the roux ahead of time: Want to meal prep with this recipe? Make the roux ahead of time so you can whip up crawfish etouffee super quickly for a weeknight dinner.
- Don’t overcook crawfish: Crawfish cooks in just a couple minutes, so be careful not to let it overcook. Overcooked crawfish will be tough and rubbery.
What Does Crawfish Taste Like?
Crawfish look just like baby lobsters and are somewhat similar in taste. These shellfish can best be described as tasting like a mixture of shrimp, crab and lobster.
How Long to Cook Crawfish?
Out of the shell, crawfish tail meat cooks really quickly, just like shrimp. You’ll only need to simmer crawfish meat in the roux for 2-3 minutes and it’ll be fully cooked.
What’s the Difference Between Etouffee and Gumbo?
Both etouffee and gumbo are traditional Cajun meals, but there are notable differences between them. Gumbo is more of a soup or stew that is consumed on its own, while etouffee is a main dish, usually served over a bed of rice.
Easy Crawfish Etouffee Recipe
Ingredients
For the Roux:
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the Etouffee:
- 1 pound crawfish tail meat
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning, or creole seasoning
- salt, to taste
- hot sauce, to taste
- chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Make the Roux: In a large heavy-bottom pot over medium-low heat, add butter and oil. Once melted, whisk in flour, stir until combined. Continue to cook, stirring constantly for about 10 to 15 minutes until the mixture reaches a brown color as milk chocolate. Keep a close eye on the roux and not to let it burn, adjusting the heat if needed. You can add more flour or oil if necessary.
- Cook the veggies: Add onions, celery, bell peppers, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Then add chicken broth to the roux. Turn the heat to medium and stir well. Bring to a boil and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the veggies are slightly tender.
- Season the broth: Add Cajun seasoning, hot sauce, and salt. Taste and add more if needed. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Add crawfish meat: Add crawfish tail meat, and simmer for 2-3 minutes until the crawfish is cooked through. Serve warm over rice and enjoy!
Nutrition information provided is an estimate only and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods used.
This recipe is very similar to my Shrimp stew. I use less celery and more garlic. It is the roux. This New Orleans girl says make a roux, add onions, garlic, bell pepper, celery, time, bay leaf, shrimp broth (crawfish broth) then put in seafood or chicken. You get a damn good meal. Only thing better is boiled crabs, crawfish and shrimp. Go Saints! Lol
My first time making this and it’s good!! Very easy too
Thanks a lot for posting this recipe here because it is better cooking it from scratch homemade style than buying it from some where else and it has a lot of fillers in the ingredients.
Made this last night and it was delicious! Highly recommend this recipe for a trip to Louisiana without having to leave the comfort of your own home. Enjoy!