Authentic, Louisiana Crawfish Étouffée made with leftover crawfish from a traditional, Cajun crawfish boil. A rich and beautiful roux smothering the “Holy Trinity” and perfectly seasoning crawfish tails.
Prep Time30minutes
Cook Time1hour40minutes
Total Time2hours10minutes
Servings4people
Ingredients
2lbsboiled crawfishleftover from a crawfish boil
1/3cupvegetable oil
1/3cupall purpose flour
1diced onion
1diced bell pepper
2stalked celerydiced
3clovesminced garlic
1/4cupchopped green onions
2TBSunsalted butter
1TBStomato paste
2 1/2cupscrawfish stock*
1tspliquid crab boil concentrate
1tspWorcestershire sauce
Cajun seasoning and onion powder to taste
Green onions or parsley for garnish
Instructions
For the crawfish stock* peel the crawfish; reserve the peelings(heads and shells) and tails separated.
Place all of the peelings into a large stockpot and cover with water. Set the tails aside for later.
Bring to a boil; reduce the heat to a low boil and simmer for 1 hour.
Drain the stock and set aside.
Discard the peelings.
Heat the vegetable oil in Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot.
Once the oil is hot, stir in the flour to begin the roux.
Stir constantly at a medium high heat setting until the roux is the shade of peanut butter.
Add in the onions, bell peppers, and celery.
Sauté until translucent; about 8 minutes
Stir in the garlic and green onions; do NOT burn the damn garlic!
Drop in the butter
Add in the tomato paste and stir until combined.
Pour in the stock while stirring.
Add in the liquid crab boil concentrate and Worcestershire sauce.
Bring to a boil and lower the heat.
Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
Taste and adjust seasoning
Add in the crawfish tails
Stir and simmer on LOW for another 10 minutes.
Serve over warm, white rice.
Garnish with fresh parsley or green onions.
Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*Save the extra crawfish stock for later use. It freezes beautifully.
Easter in Louisiana is something special. Picture this. Church pews full of pastel colored suits, frilly dresses, and big hats. Kids with blank stares holding a microphone in front of the congregation, because they’ve forgotten the Easter poem their parents made them recite 100 times during the week. Ushers outside during the sermon hiding dyed eggs for the hunt after church. However, all that’s on your mind is the huge pot of Crawfish Bisque with stuffed heads that’s waiting for you in the kitchen back at home. Thank God for Jesus!
The hardest part of the recipe isn’t the roux. It’s following my Louisiana Crawfish Boil recipe: https://coopcancook.com/louisiana-crawfish-boil-recipe/ the day before and reserving some of the crawfish for this Bisque. Then, you have to peel said crawfish without eating them. Pure torture, I tell ya! Try your best to reserve 4-5 pounds of crawfish from the boil. The flavor of them in this Bisque is unmatched!
What’s that Yellow Stuff??
If you’ve never peeled a crawfish, just watch my tutorial. It’s somewhere on this page. Just keep scrolling. Anyway, you want to have 3 bowls setup. One for the crawfish tail meat. Another for the claws, cartilage from the heads, and other peelings. And lastly, one for the empty crawfish heads. And the yellowish, orange stuff on the crawfish tails? Yeah, it’s kinda like Manna from Heaven. It’s where a lot of flavor resides. Don’t trash it or wipe it off! Blasphemy!
To “gut” the crawfish heads, I just use my finger to lift it out. If you’re afraid to break or crack the heads by doing so, just use a butter knife. Scrape it out and rinse the heads well. Pat them dry, and set aside.
No Waste Gang
What I love most about this dish, aside from the taste, is that nothing goes to waste. We use every part of the crawfish for something! This is my favorite way to make crawfish stock. And it’s incredibly easy! Just dump all of the crawfish peelings into a large stock pot. Then, fill it with water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, and forget it for an hour or so. You don’t need to add anything else if you boiled the crawfish right. All of the flavor from the boil with transfer beautifully into your stock!
Peel all of the crawfish; reserve the heads, peelings, and tail meat in separate bowlsRemove all of the cartilage and claws from the heads and add it to the rest of the peelingsReserve the empty heads and the tail meat. Add the peelings and claws into a large stock pot. Pour in 10-12 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer for about 1 hour. Skim off the foam from the top of the stock then drain the stock into a bowl. Discharge the peelings and claws. Reserve the stock.
Stuffed Up
Now, let’s discuss this divine stuffing! Grind up some of those crawfish tails for this. Traditionally, you just add the tails, breadcrumbs, some veggies, and seasoning. I did all of that AND I folded in in some lump crabmeat! Seafood overload! This is completely optional. But, I highly recommend that you try it! I use a piping bag to stuff the heads. Easy, breezy.
Preheat the oven to 350°FRinse the empty crawfish heads well; pat dry and set aside. In a food processor, finely chop the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, and green onions. Melt the butter in a pan and sauté the veggie mix for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool at room temp. Add the 2 lbs of crawfish tails into the food processor and pulse until the tails are finely chopped. In a mixing bowl, combine the veggie/butter mix, finely chopped crawfish tails, and breadcrumbs. Mix well. Taste and add Cajun or Creole seasoning as needed. Stir in the beaten egg. Then, gently fold in the crabmeat. Add the stuffing into a piping bag and fill each empty crawfish heads with the stuffing. Place the stuffed heads on a parchment paper or aluminum foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes.
The Roux
Don’t burn it. That’s all I’ve got to say. If you use a metal whisk to whisk that flour in, you better switch it out for a wooden spoon immediately. That metal will heat up and burn the roux. Wooden utensils are safer for rouxs. The good part is that we don’t need a dark, gumbo roux. So, we won’t be stirring for too long. Just until the roux is a nice, peanut butter color. Speaking of color, some prefer a red bisque. I like mine brown. The color of a good étouffée. But, if redder is what you’re used to, just add more tomato paste than I did. You can also add tomato sauce. Just don’t tell anyone it’s my recipe if you do.
Will the Stuffing Fall Out of the Heads?
Not if you don’t stir it like a bat out of hell! Just pack it in well, bake it, and all will be well. You’ll have to take it out of the heads to eat it anyway!
Louisiana’s pot of gold! This stuff is so good! Imagine using the crawfish from a boil to make a silky, flavor packed stock. Then, add the stock to a perfect roux. Yes there’s more…just read on.
Prep Time2hours
Cook Time2hours
Total Time4hours
Servings7people
Ingredients
Stock:
4-5lbsboiled crawfish
10cupswater
Stuffed Crawfish Heads:
50-60crawfish heads
1stick salted butter
1 1/2cupbreadcrumbs
1lbpeeled crawfish tails
1onion
1bell pepper
2celery stalks
1TBSminced garlic
1/4cupchopped green onions
Cajun or Creole seasoning to taste
1beaten egg
1lblump crabmeatoptional
Bisque:
1/2cupvegetable oil
2/3cupall purpose flour
1onion
1bell pepper
2celery stalks
1TBSminced garlic
1/3cupchopped green onions
1/4cuptomato paste
8cupscrawfish stock*
1tsponion powder
1tspgarlic powder
Cajun or Creole seasoning to taste
1TBSliquid crab and shrimp boil concentrate
Remaining crawfish tails
Fresh parsley to garnish
Warmwhite rice for serving
Instructions
Stock:
Peel all of the crawfish; reserve the heads, peelings, and tail meat in separate bowls
Remove all of the cartilage and claws from the heads and add it to the rest of the peelings
Reserve the empty heads and the tail meat.
Add the peelings and claws into a large stock pot.
Pour in 10-12 cups of water.
Bring to a boil.
Lower the heat to a simmer.
Simmer for about 1 hour.
Skim off the foam from the top of the stock then drain the stock into a bowl.
Discharge the peelings and claws.
Reserve the stock.
Stuffed Crawfish Heads:
Preheat the oven to 350°F
Rinse the empty crawfish heads well; pat dry and set aside.
In a food processor, finely chop the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, and green onions.
Melt the butter in a pan and sauté the veggie mix for 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool at room temp.
Add the 2 lbs of crawfish tails into the food processor and pulse until the tails are finely chopped.
In a mixing bowl, combine the veggie/butter mix, finely chopped crawfish tails, and breadcrumbs.
Mix well.
Taste and add Cajun or Creole seasoning as needed.
Stir in the beaten egg.
Then, gently fold in the crabmeat.
Add the stuffing into a piping bag and fill each empty crawfish heads with the stuffing.
Place the stuffed heads on a parchment paper or aluminum foil lined baking sheet.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Bisque:
Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, and green onions into a food processor and blend until finely chopped
Heat the oil in a dutch oven or heavy bottom stock pot.
When the oil is hot, whisk in the flour to make the roux. (Do NOT walk away! The roux will burn if the heat is too hot and you do not stir constantly.)
Continue stirring until the roux is the color of peanut butter.
Add in the finely chopped veggies.
Sauté for 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste until well combined.
Pour in the reserved crawfish stock, stir, and bring to a simmer
Toss the remaining crawfish tails in the liquid crab boil
Then, add the crawfish tails into the pot.
Stir in the onion and garlic powders
Reduce the heat to LOW and simmer, uncovered for 20 mins.
Add in the baked, stuffed crawfish heads.
Continue to simmer for 10-20 more minutes.
Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Serve over warm white rice and garnish with fresh, chopped green onions.
The movie “Fried Green Tomatoes” has always been a favorite of mine. I remember how much I wanted to taste those fried green tomatoes Idgie made in her restaurant. It’s only right that I share my version of this southern classic with you.
It’s important to grab firm tomatoes. That guarantees freshness and prevents the tomatoes from being too mushy after frying. Green tomatoes are tart. I like to add a bit of granulated sugar to reduce that tang.
To ensure that the breading sticks to the tomatoes, we have to salt the slices and place them on paper towels. Allow them to rest. You’ll see all of that water soak onto the paper towels. This will give us crispier fried green tomatoes.
Serve them as a snack or appetizer with your favorite dipping sauce. Or top them with my Crawfish Alfredo or my Crawfish Étouffée. Trust me on this. Just do it.
Cajun style, crispy fried green tomatoes that can be served as a snack with your favorite dipping sauce or topped with a creamy, crawfish Alfredo or etouffee.
Prep Time2hours5minutes
Cook Time10minutes
Resting Time20minutes
Total Time2hours35minutes
Servings3people
Ingredients
3medium-sized green tomatoes
1tspsalt
1large egg
1/3cupmilk
1tsphot sauce
1cupall purpose flour
3/4cupbreadcrumbs
1/4cupyellow cornmeal
1-2tspCajun seasoning or seasoning salt
1tspgranulated sugar
1tsponion powder
1tspgarlic powder
vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
Slice the tomatoes into 1/4 inch thick slices
Sprinkle them with salt
Place the tomato slices between two paper towels and allow them to sit for 20 mins
Create a breading station by pouring the flour into a shallow deep
Season the flour with the Cajun seasoning and sugar
In another dish, whisk the eggs, milk, and hot sauce together until slightly frothy.
Pour the breadcrumbs, cornmeal, onion and garlic powders into a third dish; mix well.
Dredge each tomato slice into the flour, egg/milk, then the breadcrumbs/cornmeal.
In a frying pan, heat the vegetable oil.
Fry the tomato slices for 2-3 minutes per side or until they are golden brown.
To my Cookies that aren’t familiar with Cajun cuisine, allow me to introduce you to a delicacy here in Louisiana. The Crawfish. Nothing gathers people together more than a good ole Crawfish Boil down here! Listen, this little red suckers bring a different kind of joy to our hearts! I can’t even explain the taste. But, let me try…It’s kind of like a mini lobster with 100x more flavor! Of course, everyone here has their own way of boiling. You already know I had to come up with the easiest method that also has the most flavor! Here’s how I prepare my Crawfish Boil and bless my folks!
Clean ‘Em Up!
Your sack of crawfish are going to be dirty! Don’t be alarmed. They come from the swamp. So, a little dirt is expected. We pour them into large cooler and place the water hose inside it. Then, open the drainage hole. Allow the water to run for about 20 minutes or until the water in the cooler is clean.
You should be able to see the crawfish clearly. You also want to remove any dead crawfish you see floating around. If their tails are straight, they’ve gone to glory. Toss ‘em! You definitely do not want to eat a crawfish that gave up the ghost before hitting that hot water. Gross!
When filling your boiling pot with water, make sure you fill it about 2-3 inches above the half way mark.
Just Right!
You guys know I’m a flavor girl. I worked extra hard making sure these crawdaddies were seasoned to perfection. You want them to have the right amount of kick. If they’re too spicy, it’s hard to enjoy them. You want them jusssssst right! You know, like Goldilocks ole breaking and entering behind. Anyway, I like to season well! I use a mix of both Zatarain’s and Louisiana Fish Fry Products boil seasonings. Both are brands will incredible flavor! I also add one, 8 ounce bottle of liquid boil. The Garlic & Onion flavor is a tad bit less spicy than the original concentrate. It adds just the right amount of kick. If you like extra, EXTRA spicy crawfish, add another bottle.
I know what you’re thinking. “Coop, what the hell?” But, listen, you know if I don’t know anything else, I know how to add flavor to some food, okay? So, trust me on this. Do NOT skip this chicken bouillon!! Also, don’t skip the butter. Because, well, butter makes every damn thing good!
And don’t be shy with the veggies and citrus. They bring so much more out of the boil! And a secret, must have ingredient: vinegar. Plain, white, distilled vinegar. A cup will do. This makes the crawfish shells easier to peel. It also calms the smell. The scent of crawfish can linger on your fingers long after washing your hands. This little splash of vinegar takes care of that! You can even eat them inside of your house without worrying about stinking up your walls and furniture. Thank God for vinegar!
Cool Off, Cool Off
The most important part of the boil, other than choosing the right amount of seasoning, is the cooling/soaking process. Crawfish boils super fast! Within 5 minutes, they will be beautifully red and floating at the top of the pot. This is when you need to drop that temperature. 150°F is ideal for soaking. Adding in frozen corn and sausages helps. But, you need to do more to drop the temperature fast enough. If not, the crawfish will overcook and become a mush. Some like to add ice. I don’t recommend that because ice can dilute the boil and take away some of the flavor we worked so hard to build. I use the Boil Boss! It’s an innovative and easy to use ring that attaches to your water hose. It works amazingly! It dropped my Boil from 220°F to 150°F in a little over 3 minutes! It also locks in the juice. I had the juiciest crawfish of my life using this thing! Get yours here (NOT SPONSORED): https://theboilboss.com
It is said that when the crawfish sinks to the bottom of the pot, it has sucked in as much flavor as possible. But, I find that the longer you soak, the spicier they become. So, taste as you soak. I soaked for about 40 minutes. Since the Boil Boss drooped the temp, I didn’t have to worry about my crawfish overcooking. It allotted them plenty of extra soaking time.
I was intimidated about boiling crawfish. But, there’s nothing to it! Just follow my instructions and watch the video until you’re ready to confidently tackle your first boil. You can do it! And just look at the reward!!
Pour crawfish into a large cooler with a drainage hole
Place water hose into cooler and run water into the cooler with the drainage hole opened.
Remove any dead crawfish (if the tails are straight, they’re gone!)
Continue until the water in the cooler is clear
Turn on the fire and place the boiling pot on top
Fill the pot with water until it is 2-3 inches over halfway full.
And in the Zatarain’s seasoning (both powder and liquid), the Louisiana seasoning, chicken bouillon, salt, and vinegar.
Stir well.
Place the holed, steamer insert into the pot
Add in the veggies
Squeeze the juice from the oranges and lemons before toss them into the pot.
Add the butter and stir well.
Cover the pot with the lid to encourage the boil
Once boiling, add on the potatoes
Stir, cover with the lid, and allow to boil for 10 minutes.
Carefully remove the steamer insert
Pour crawfish into the insert on top of the potatoes.
Carefully place insert back into the pot.
Cover with a lid and boil the crawfish for 5-7 minutes
Turn the fire off.
Add in frozen corn and/or sausage to help cool the boil.
Stir until the temp inside the pot has lowered to 150°F *see video and info above for instructions*
Cover and allow the crawfish to soak for at least 30 minutes; or until the corn and sausage is done, and the majority of the crawfish has sunk to the bottom of the pot**
I need some more party food recipes on this thing. Deviled eggs came to mind. Classic and always a win. Adding crawfish though? Yeah…check this out.
First things first…boil the egg properly. NO GREENISH, GRAY rings around the yolks. I’m going to walk you through the steps on getting perfect, hard-boiled eggs every time.
How to boil eggs:
Make sure the water covers the eggs by 1 inch over.
As soon as the water comes to a rapid, rolling boil, remove the pot from the heat and cover it with a lid. Keep the eggs in the water for 15 mins.
Pour off the hot water and add the eggs to a bowl of ice water.
Allow the eggs to soak in the ice bath for 8-10 mins.
See. Easy, right? And it works like a charm.
I used a food processor to blend my filling. If you don’t have one, no worries. Just be sure to finely dice the ingredients and mix well.
I highly suggest that you make these at least 8 hours before serving. A day before is recommended. The flavor gets better with time.
Yes. You read right. Today, we are making Crawfish Beignets! I combined two of Louisiana’s beloved food items. Many traditional recipes for Crawfish Beignets resulted in more of a Crawfish Hushpuppy than a Beignet. So, I challenged myself to come up with an easy recipe that produced fluffy and soft beignets with a spicy, cheesy crawfish filling. I think I did it!
These are big biscuits, so we have to make sure we fry them longer to ensure that they aren’t doughy in the middle. I fry at 325 degrees F. This will allow the beignets to cook thoroughly without burning the outside.
Traditional beignets are topped with a sprinkling of powdered sugar. I decided to mimic the sugar and sift grated Parmesan on top!
Serve with Remoulade. It complements the flavors perfectly!
Look at that texture! These are very filling as well. One beignet per serving is more than enough.
Longest title for a recipe ever! I win! But, listen, this might just be my favorite meal to prepare. This dish is very popular among restaurants in my area. And I pretty much always order it every time. The sauces vary. Different cheeses and seafood are used. Sometimes crawfish, some places shrimp, or either lump crabmeat. I’m down with it all!
My goal is to show my Cookies that restaurant quality meals can easily be made at home. I’ll show you how.
Easy, right? Feel free to customize this recipe with your favorites. However, I really want you to try it my way using the pepperjack cheese sauce. So delicious! Serve it over potatoes, pasta, or even asparagus. It’s the perfect date night dinner at home!
Love,
B. Coop
Blackened Red Snapper with a Pepperjack Crawfish Cream Sauce
It’s okay to get lost in this sauce….just in time for V-Day!!
My Crawfish Alfredo Recipe is bomb! Most of my best recipes are beautiful accidents. So, a little background on this dish. March 2016, my town and the surrounding areas were literally underwater. A massive flood! So, many lost homes, clothing, etc. But, thank God lives were spared! During this time, roads were closed, so I was trapped inside. Boredom led me to my kitchen, per usual, and this baby was born….
Keep in mind that short-cut extruded pastas like penne, rigatoni, and cavatappi absorb more sauce, so double this recipe if you’re using any of those. Oh and top with chopped green onions. Hope you try and like this!
Lobster mac and cheese is delightful. But, here in Louisiana, crawfish is king, baby! I wanted to show you how I make easy, quick, and cheap mac and cheese! But, crawfish were on sale at the store, so ding, ding…crawfish mac and cheese! Watch me tease you….
Easy right? It’s completely sinful, but God is sooo good! So, is this recipe. Try it.
Okay, a few of my seasoned cookies wanted an etouffee recipe using a roux. I gotcha babe! I even gave my visual learners a recipe video! AND an amazing baked Catfish recipe too! All in one! See, I told y’all I love ya!! Check it out!
Watch me tease you….
