Just think of it: Fresh Louisiana crawfish tail meat swimming in a lightly thickened butter sauce infused with spices and aromatics over a mound of white rice. This is the purest expression of Cajun cooking I know and love. It’s that time of year, and in case you missed it, here is my recipe.
Crawfish Étouffée in a rich stock is a classic Cajun recipe. (All photos credit: George Graham)
But the time-honored recipe for crawfish étouffée is under assault. There is a most disturbing trend in South Louisiana cooking these days that is gaining acceptability among traditionalists–cream of mushroom soup in crawfish étouffée. This is nothing short of sacrilege, and it must be stopped at all cost.
Don’t get me wrong. I love to experiment. I enjoy an occasional contemporary twist on a classic. A grits and grillades with gator meat recipe is a prime example of how far I am willing to expand the boundaries of Louisiana classics. But this can opener-enabled madness borders on the ruination of the entire culinary heritage of Cajun and Creole culture.
It is not the first time classic Crawfish Étouffée has come under attack. I recall the tomato paste assault some years ago that had to be rebuffed by the true bayou traditionalists. And now, the time-saving, tin-can cheapsters are pouring on the soupy extenders that rob flavor and render a pound of tail meat utterly inedible.
Stop it.
Crawfish Étouffée should always be a centerpiece dish to showcase the unique flavor and texture of Louisiana crawfish. Treated lightly, this buttery mixture envelopes the tail meat with a rich, flavor-filled coating of golden goodness.
From time to time, depending on the availability I do use frozen cooked Louisiana crawfish tails, but in season, there is no substitute for fresh-picked tail meat. When eating boiled crawfish at a restaurant I always save the shells and take home another 3-pound order. The next day, I remove and reserve the tail meat and wash all the heads and shells of excess spice. These shell pieces are simmered in a large pot of water to reduce down into an intense crawfish stock that is a key to the perfect étouffée.
Soup? No thanks. Not in my Crawfish Étouffée.
Pinch the tail. Suck the heads. Boiled crawfish time.
- 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter
- 2 cups diced yellow onion
- 1 cup diced green bell pepper
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 pounds Louisiana crawfish tail meat
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ cups crawfish stock or seafood stock
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Dash of hot sauce
- ¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 cup diced green onion tops
- 6 cups cooked Louisiana long-grain white rice, such as Supreme
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the onions, bell pepper, and celery. Sauté until tender and add the garlic. Lower the heat to simmer and stir to combine. Season the mixture with cayenne and add the crawfish tail meat stirring to combine.
- Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to incorporate and begin cooking the flour. Add some of the stock and continuing stirring until it begins to thicken. Add more stock until you get a stew-like thickness.
- Season to taste with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Serve over a mound of white rice garnished with chopped parsley and green onion tops.
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You and my mom George….no soup and absolutely no tomato paste!
No soup or tomatoes for this creole girl…sinful!
Great recipe!
Great recipes are wonderful to share!
This is the only way I have ever seen or have ever made Etoufee. But my Mother is a Thibodeaux so I’m sure you understand….
Thank you for taking a stand. Good simple recipe.
There’s an internet attack on true Louisiana cooking. Oh my goodness the recipes that have been posted makes a true Louisiana cook scream.
I’d love to see you dissect other attacks on true Louisiana cooking like you did in this article. I’ll be waiting.
My aunt who passed away 5 years ago made her ettouffe just like this but I never had the chance to get recipe from her. Thanks George! I’ve searched for a while and finally found the closest thing to the dish I miss so much! Setting atmosphere and prepping for this special and long craved dish now!
Teri-
Glad this dish brings back so many great memories — that’s what home cooking does, and why it is so important to preserve our culinary heritage. All the best to you.
George
Hi George,
I am so glad I found your authentic recipe. My grandfather is from Kaplan Louisiana. All of my beloved Cajun relatives and their recipes are gone.
My sister asked me to make this for her birthday in a few weeks. She is allergic to wheat so we are wondering if almond flour might work or if you can make another suggestion to replace the wheat flour .
Thanks a million!
Mary Jo
Hey Mary – Thanks for the kind comments. As for a wheat flour substitute for making roux, I’ve never tried almond flour, but I would be concerned about the flavor that almond flour (coconut flour, too) would bring to the roux. There is a product on the market–Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Flour–that some folks are having good luck with. When cooked with oil and made into a roux it tends to become a bit grainy, but still works beautifully in thickening a gumbo. Some have said that adding a 2:1 mixture of the gluten free flour with corn starch and then cooking the roux with canola oil eliminates the graininess. And as another option, there is a Lafayette, LA company with a product line of gluten-free rouxs made with corn and sorghum. Check them out online at Your Way Cuisines. I’ve tried the corn roux and it is terrific. I hope this helps.
I use Savoies gluten-free instant roux. It’s not like homemade roux, but I find many non-gluten flours to be gritty. This is not.
Looks so good
I’m with you 100% George. Point well taken. No canned soups. I think you might have left the crawfish stock out of your recipe by mistake. You talk about making it, but you don’t include it. I cut the butter in half and use oil for the rest so you have a higher smoke temp while you are making the roux.
Hey Ed-
Thanks for the comments and let me give you a lengthy reply:
I challenge the thought of using oil instead of all butter. The “roux” you refer to is a very blond roux or a sort of classic thickening method called a beurre manié — combining butter and flour. There is not much cooking of the flour, just a bit to eliminate the raw flour taste before you add the stock. The butter adds flavor and when combined with the fat and juices of the crawfish meat creates a velvety texture. It is important to the final outcome of a classic étouffée.
As for the crawfish stock, I’ve included where to add the stock in the instructions as per: “Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to incorporate and begin cooking the flour. Add some of the stock and continuing stirring until it begins to thicken. Add more stock until you get a stew-like thickness.”
If you are talking about exactly how to make the stock from crawfish shells, then I do not provide a step-by-step detail in the recipe because I do not want to imply that this is mandatory for making this dish. And as you have noted, I do give some instruction in the story as per: “The next day, I remove and reserve the tail meat and wash all the heads and shells of excess spice. These shell pieces are simmered in a large pot of water to reduce down into an intense crawfish stock that is a key to the perfect étouffée.” That is about as simple as it can be.
For the most part (not always), I like to take the shortest (easiest) route to a quality Cajun or Creole dish. This can be delicious using packaged crawfish tail meat and a store-bought seafood stock — just no soup, please!
Keep the comments coming.
Best, George
Thanks, George. I understand about the butter. When I cook I use higher temps so there is always a risk that I will brown the butter, which changes the taste all together. But, like you, I prefer more butter to more oil. On the stock, I just thought it ought to be in the list of ingredients. Some of us don’t read the long copy of the recipe, rather we just look at the ingredients thinking, “Let’s see what he is doing here.” Never the less, you are fighting the good fight, and I am part of your army. Thanks for the nice reply.
Never heard of crawfish puree. I’ll be looking for it around here (Baton Rouge).
I’m a transplanted Yankee and the first time I learned to make etouffee was on a land rig in Raceland back in 1980. Guy who taught me was from Napleonville. He used the dreaded CoM. Back then I didn’t mind; now I know better. Your recipe is very similar to what I do. Can’t wait to try the crawfish puree! Thanks!!!
Hey Cindy-
Thanks for the comments. I’ve seen Crawfish Puree at Tony’s on Plank Road in BR. There are also many other Baton Rouge locations listed on the product website: Calandro’s, Bocage, Hi Nabor, Ralph’s and Matherne’s to name a few. Also, Cajungrocer.com sells it online if you live outside Louisiana. Best, George
Greeting from New Iberia,
You can buy the puree also at Bi-Lo in New Iberia. I have to say, I’ve used it once, but found it made my étouffée grainy-tasting. Possibly I used too much?
I too am tired of the addition of the Golden Cream of Mushroom Soup. I had an étouffée this past Saturday at a restaurant in St. Martinville that had more canned soup in it than anything else. It completely dominated the dish. There was literally not a crawfish taste to it at all. If it’s happening in St. Martinville, it’s happening everywhere. Perplexing, to say the least, that it’s nearly impossible to find a good étouffée or gumbo in a restaurant in SW Louisiana. Tourists must wonder what all the talk’s about!
For the roux, there’s no comparison between a deep dark nut-like roux and a blonde one.
The roux is the first thing I make… separate, at *extremely* high heat. Heat the oil till it smokes, wisk in the flour, and wisk constantly till done. You might be able to use butter, but I’m sure I’d burn it. I do, however, add in 2+ sticks of pure butter right at the very end of cooking (margarine is also sacrilegious).
Personally, I don’t consider adding the flour after the fact to be a roux, but that’s probably just me.
Amen on nixing the soup, and double thumbs up on making your own stock. I do admit that I often cheat on this part, and use a lobster base for convenience.
OMG!
Just look at this “recipe”… cream of mushroom, celery, and onion soup, AND can of Etouffee Sauce!
http://www.saltycajun.com/forum/archive/index.php?t-29300.html
Hey Dean – I always say there are many paths that lead to the same tasty destination. All the best.
I JUST had this conversation the other night. Friend from Lake Charles is all over the mushroom soup thing. I said, “stop it.” Just like you. But, I am afraid he has gone over to the dark side. Do you remember “Talk About Good”? Soup is all over that puppy!
That said, thanks for the tip on the crawfish fat supplement. Sounds great.
Enjoy crawfish season!
I will be trying this for a Mardis Gras party up here in Pennsylvania (boy – I sure KNOW what it means to miss New Orleans!)
Quick question – why the unsalted butter? Can I use salted instead? It would seem to me it would be a bit more flavorful.
Hey Lee-
Not a problem using salted butter. Most of my recipes call for unsalted butter as a way to control the seasoning. Salt is a staple in every home and can be added as needed to your taste. Best, George
I TOTALLY agree with your rant about cream of mushroom soup and such!
We are living in France for the next two months. Two of us can never finish a baguette, not matter how wonderful they are. I have a big bag of gorgeous baguette cubes in the freezer. So. I need a bread pudding recipe that is as good as the BP at the Yellow Bowl in Jeanerette. Can you help me? As I recall, it is soaked overnight.
Will make the Etouffee with the Langoustine we can get here in the south of France.
Thank you for your blog!
Bonjour Karen-
I envy your locale and am anxious to hear how your langoustine étouffée turns out.
There are lots of excellent bread pudding recipes out there, but I urge you to source local ingredients for yours. If near the lavender fields of Provence, infuse fresh dairy (milk or cream) with lavender buds for a few hours, then strain and add the baguette cubes to soak overnight. Crack farm-fresh hen’s eggs (duck eggs would be even better) and make a custard sweetened with local lavender honey. Bake until set and top with a cream-based sauce gently laced with Grand Marnier. Serve piping hot with a glass of chilled sparkling brut rosé.
Oh, and invite me for dinner; I’ll catch the next flight out of Lafayette.
Bon appétit,
George
Great Story & Recipe. I like what you said about the cream of mushroom soup:
There is a most disturbing new trend in South Louisiana cooking these days that is gaining acceptability among traditionalist – cream of mushroom soup in crawfish étouffée. This is nothing short of sacrilege, and it must be stopped at all cost.
George,
I am eager to try your recipe. Crawfish Etouffee is probably one of my favorite dishes since first having it as a little boy at Ralph and Kacoos. I now make it every chance I can get. The CofM (can of mushroom soup) adulteration is a shame for sure, but it’s an even bigger shame the winner of the World Crawfish Etouffe Cookoff in Eunice the last 3 years uses 3 different canned soup products. My only guess is the judges are from California.
Hey Todd-
So glad you pointed that out, and it gives me an opportunity to expand on the subject of traditional versus non-traditional Cajun recipes. Just because something is made non-traditionally with a new twist doesn’t mean that it isn’t tasty. I’ve been known to play around with recipes and add a creative spin to a tried-and-true down home favorite. Adding canned soup–canned tomato sauce, too–has been a frequent supplement to étouffée recipes lately, and while the dish may taste good enough to win a contest, it doesn’t make it authentic. Just call it something else–Creamy Crawfish Stew, perhaps. My recipe (and my rant) is focused on the traditional approach to étouffée, a recipe every home cook should learn how to make. Once you learn it, then feel free to deviate with a free hand on ingredients. Best to you.
Do you have any recommendations for a substitute for crawfish fat/purée for those of us with no access to them. I love Cajun / creole and am starting to try out recipes, but where I live some of the authentic ingredients are near impossible to obtain.
Chris-
See the recipe notes:
Crawfish Puree is an optional ingredient that can be found in South Louisiana but virtually impossible elsewhere. Look for it at Cajungrocer.com or leave it out of the dish.
I am using cleaned frozen crawfish tails left over from a crawfish boil, should I make as if using store bought crawfish.
Frances – Lucky you with your hand-picked crawfish tails; thinking ahead pays off! Yes, treat them like a package of tailmeat. It should be even better. Best to you.
I HATE when I see tomato in an etoufeé! Yours is exactly like the one I learned from my dad who learned from the six generations of my ancestors. I teach a Cajun cooking class in St. Charles Parish’s Community Education program. I love the spring semester with its fresh strawberries and available crawfish. And since it’s Lent, my adult students are really interested in the delicious seafood we have in south Louisiana. Even had a group make turtle soup last year. Lots of fun! Enjoyed your demo at the Southern Food & Beverage Museum; made your soup for New Year’s Day. Still got one pint in the freezer – stretching it out. Thanks for cooking & keeping the Cajun culture alive.
Hey Jan – Great to hear from you; keep up the important work of spreading the gospel of Cajun cooking. Thanks for the kind comments.
Can you substitute shrimp for crawfish?
Hey Susan – Yes, feel free to go with small to medium size raw peeled shrimp in this recipe. And be sure not to overcook the shrimp. You will be missing the flavor and fat that crawfish brings to this dish, but it will work deliciously.
I am a native south Louisianian and enjoy collecting and reading local cookbooks. When considering a purchase, the first test is to check the crawfish ettoufee recipe. No recipe, put it back. Uses soup or tomatoes, put it back. Discovered you today (Hail Google!) and greatly enjoyed your recipe, your comments and your replies. I’ll be back. Thank you for continuing and maintaining the fine south Louisiana cooking traditions. I gave up fame and fortune to remain in south Louisiana, Why? No place on this planet eats better than we do.
Hey Doug – You just made my day; authenticity is the greatest compliment a Cajun cook can get. All the best, and I look forward to your future comments.
Took three Google pages to get to the real etouffee recipe. Thanks for standing up for what’s right! I was taught to remember tomatoes go mostly with Creole cooking. Unless you are trying to make a Creole-style etouffee, don’t put tomatoes in the pot. Cajun and Creole cooking styles are both wonderful, but different. I think the cooking media just lumps it all together.
Your recipe is exactly how I was taught, from beginning to end. Your site is bookmarked, and I’ll be back!
No truer words have been written; thanks so much for the kind words.
Thanks George! I stopped eating crawfish ettoufee for a long time because of the cream of mushroom and tomato additions. If grandma didn’t make it, I didn’t eat it. This recipe is exactly how my grandma made it. I’m from Abbeville, Louisiana and love your recipes. It’s true Cajun cooking. Thank you.
Hey Chris – I’m with you when it comes to etouffee tradition. Thanks for the kind words, and I look forward to more comments from you. All the best to my Abbeville friend.
Hello and Happy New Year to all! I’m a new addition to the Cajun tradition, being that my other half is Cajun…I’m not…but I looove his cooking! I just found this recipe and I think it’s the same he used last week…just wanted to surprise him myself! We’ll see how it works out for me! Thank you so much!
Equiros – You can’t go wrong with this recipe, and I am sure he will be most impressed with your Cajun cooking cred. All the best to you as you begin to explore our cuisine.
Hello,
This recipe brings back memories of my maternal grandmother’s crawfish Étouffée and Sunday lunch with family. She used butter, no oil. She only lightly cooked the flour; no dark roux, not even peanut butter color. She used crawfish fat, that rich orangey yellow stuff; but as you say, it’s nearly impossible to find now. She also used green onions, but not as a topping. She did not add onion or garlic or bell pepper. I’m not sure about celery. Certainly, no canned soup or tomato anything. It was very good. She used the packs of crawfish tails. I have often found that this dish if made with boiled crawfish tails is heavy, and over seasoned tasting. The crawfish boil seasoning smothers the subtle butter and crawfish goodness. Certainly, no imported crawfish need apply!
David- You and I see eye-to-eye. Your grandmother clearly understood the delicate flavors of Crawfish Étouffée, and she followed tradition to a tee. I do use freshly boiled crawfish when possible; I find the tails are usually meatier and I like the flavor of the seasoned tail meat. If you like it milder, then simply rinse off any excess spice. All the best.
Excellent recipe. But try it sometime with bacon fat as the base for the roux. Delicious.
Hey Carine – Hmmm, bacon fat: That’s an interesting slant on tradition. I would be afraid that the meaty, pork flavor of bacon would overpower the unique flavor of crawfish. While I am bacon-obsessed, in this case not everything is better with bacon. I will stick with the basics of a butter-enriched Crawfish Étouffée. All the best.
Should have been more precise. I do about 2 tablespoons bacon fat and 4 t. butter.
I am from New Orleans and was transplanted to central Texas almost 30 years ago. Of course our only choice is frozen crawfish tails but so excited to see what this new ingredient will bring to the étouffée. I have just ordered the Crawfish puree and can’t wait to make étouffée. Love your cookbook.
Johanna- Thanks for your gracious comments. Let us know how the puree works for you; it’s the closest substitute for the old-school crawfish fat we used years ago. And don’t shortchange packaged crawfish tail meat; it’s most always a quality product as long as it is Louisiana crawfish (not imported). All the best.
I fixed this recipe again last night for the 4th time——sooooo excellent!
RoseMarie Culotta
I had the opportunity to live in an area nearby. I fell in love with all the incredible foods and the culture. So I have started cooking when I can and I am after the most authentic tastiest method! I do have a question though. From doing search’s on how to make it, I find that almost everyone says the roux is made ‘part for part’ by weight, and the roux is made before the addition of vegetables. Your recipe uses far more butter than flour ratio and the flour is added after the veggies. I have very little knowledge in this culture and cooking style so if you have time, could you please help clear up this confusion I’m feeling about how I should be making the base of this dish? Or even just how properly use roux? Also possible to scale down? I am cooking for just myself most of the time. Thank you!
Chris- First, you need to understand that not all Cajun dishes are made with a traditional dark Cajun roux which is equal parts flour and oil. In fact, my recipe doesn’t even use the word “roux” in it. In this recipe, your objective is to create a butter-rich dish that combines with the stock and crawfish flavors to make a velvety sauce that is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. To achieve that thickness, the recipe calls for sprinkling in flour and stirring it into the liquid until it thickens. Technically, you could indeed call this a blonde roux, but it is not the same as the Cajun method of making a dark roux first and adding it to the dish later (as you noted). I hope this clears up any confusion. All the best.
Thank you for replying! It does help clear up a bit of confusion. I suppose I was just confused because many searches said you need to start an Etouffee with a roux that is part for part. I now understand that is not always the case, and your explanation and background makes me feel this is a much more authentic recipe than others. I really appreciate you sharing all these recipes with us! I’m going to give this one a go
Hi! How would I treat the crawfish if they have already been cooked? I just don’t want them to turn into rubber. This recipe looks amazing!
Hey Cassandra – Whether you are peeling your own boiled crawfish or buying the packaged tail meat, they are both at least partially cooked. They’ll be fine. Once they are immersed in the butter and stock, they will soak in the flavors and stay moist for dishing up over a mound of rice. Enjoy!
I just finished cooking the recipe. I wasn’t able to find the crawfish puree here at the Rouses in New Orleans, and didn’t save the shells and heads this morning while I was peeling the tails left over from a Sunday boil, so I had to use a store-bought seafood stock. This was my first attempt ever at cooking an etouffee. The end result tastes fresh and buttery. The subtle flavor of the tails comes through when I’m chewing on one, but overall the dish doesn’t have the richness and flavor I was hoping for. I added a little more cayenne to give it more kick, but it can only help so much. I can’t wait to attempt this recipe again, but next time make my own crawfish stock and/or find that puree. I think another mistake I made was rinsing off the tails after I peeled them, probably washing away any fat the remained. You live and learn!
Hey Jeff- Here’s the secret: fat equals flavor. Never wash off the tails, even if you buy them packaged (I even rinse any remaining fat out of the bag and empty it into my pot). If you peel your own, then use a butter knife (or your finger) to scoop out the fat from the crawfish heads into your pot. And if you have shells, you can rinse the spice off the exterior but throw them in a stock pot and cover it with water to make an intense stock, as the fat and flavor come out of those shells. Store-bought Crawfish Puree is a nice substitute but not totally necessary if you take these steps. All the best.
George, thanks so much for sharing this extra info.
I have to share also that my roommates boyfriend had a serving of this for lunch today and said it’s the best meal he’s ever had! So…I think it could have turned out worse, lol.
I just heated up my second serving tonight for dinner, and it seems even more flavorful than last night, after sitting for 24hrs. After saying all that, next time I will definitely be making my own stock with the heads and shells, just to intensify the crawfish flavor a bit even more. But, all in all, great recipe sir, thank you for sharing this and your culinary expertise!!!
Thanks Jeff.
Thanks George, I was born and raised in Louisiana, South of I-10. Grew up with the best of Cajun culture. I let several of my Mom’s recipes slip away when she left us. Your etouffee is every bit as good as hers. I found your page searching. I stopped and had to try yours after reading your comment on mushroom soup. I never seen a can of dat stuff in my mom’s kitchen. Can’t tell you how many online etouffee recipes I saw with can of soup. You’re right on! STOP IT …
Thanks Ross. And if someone does use soup in their recipe, then call it something else, not étouffée. Best wishes and spicy dishes to you.
Stopping Crepe Murder and no soup in étouffée has become my mission in life. I tried the puree once. In fact, my cousin and his wife own Teche Valley. I just didn’t like the texture of it at all. Bi-Lo in New Iberia carries it, if anyone is interested.
Thanks for so many great and authentic Cajun delicacies.
I’m visiting my daughter in Chicago. All we can get is frozen tails here for about $25.00/pound at Whole Foods…a real treat at that price. Making some tonight!
Phyllis Mata
Just made this tonight, and i think it had a little too much butter. 2 lbs of crawfish wasn’t enough, however I love a lot of crawfish. I added 3 1/2 lbs., and it has a great flavor.
Hey Katie-
Around our house, butter is like love, and you can never have too much of either. But I like your idea of adding more crawfish tails, which is something else you can never have too much of. All the best.