Cajun Crawfish Étouffée

Ingredients

• 1 lb crawfish tails, peeled
• 1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter
• 1 cup yellow onion, finely diced
• 1/2 cup celery, finely diced
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups seafood or shrimp stock
• 2 tsp Cajun seasoning
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• Salt to taste
• Cooked white rice for serving

Instructions

1. 1

   Melt butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and bell pepper (the Cajun "holy trinity") and cook for 8–10 minutes until softened.

2. 2

   Add garlic and tomato paste; stir and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.

3. 3

   Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 3 minutes to form a light blonde roux.

4. 4

   Slowly whisk in seafood stock, a little at a time, ensuring no lumps form. Bring to a gentle simmer.

5. 5

   Add Cajun seasoning and cayenne pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens.

6. 6

   Add crawfish tails to the sauce and stir to combine. Cook for 5–7 minutes until crawfish are heated through and tender — do not overcook.

7. 7

   Stir in green onions and fresh parsley. Taste and adjust salt as needed.

8. 8

   Serve étouffée over hot white rice, garnished with extra green onions.