Crawfish Étouffée with Rice (Printable)
Tender crawfish cooked in rich sauce served with fluffy steamed long-grain rice.
# What You'll Need:
→ For the Crawfish Étouffée
01 - 1 lb crawfish tails, peeled and cleaned
02 - 4 tbsp unsalted butter
03 - 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
04 - 1 medium onion, finely chopped
05 - 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
06 - 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 2 cups low-sodium chicken or seafood stock
09 - 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
10 - 2 tsp Creole seasoning
11 - 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
12 - 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
13 - 1/2 tsp dried thyme
14 - 2 bay leaves
15 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
16 - 2 green onions, sliced
17 - Salt and black pepper, to taste
18 - Juice of 1/2 lemon
→ For the Steamed Rice
19 - 1 cup long-grain white rice
20 - 2 cups water
21 - 1/2 tsp salt
# How to Make It:
01 - Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear. In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water and 1/2 tsp salt to a boil. Stir in the rice, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15–18 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
02 - In a large skillet or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 4–6 minutes to make a medium roux that should be light brown and nutty in aroma.
03 - Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery to the roux. Cook for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
04 - Gradually stir in the stock, scraping up any browned bits. Add the drained tomatoes, Creole seasoning, paprika, cayenne, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
05 - Stir in the crawfish tails and cook for 5–7 minutes until heated through. Remove from heat and discard bay leaves. Stir in parsley and lemon juice.
06 - Spoon steamed rice onto plates or bowls. Ladle the crawfish étouffée over the rice. Garnish with green onions and extra parsley.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The roux creates this velvety thick sauce that clings to every grain of rice
- Its one of those dishes that tastes even better the next day, if it lasts that long
02 -
- Watch your roux like a hawk because burned flour means starting completely over
- Crawfish turns rubbery fast, so just heat them through and trust that timing
03 -
- Make this a day ahead because the flavors meld together into something extraordinary
- Substitute shrimp if crawfish feels too special or expensive for a weeknight