The oil spill in the gulf of Mexico is devastating. With the news of the shrimp industry and other fishing endeavors affected, I was curious about crawfish. I had put crawfish étouffée on an upcoming menu. I have eaten it, but never cooked with it and realized I really don’t know much about crawfish. They are fresh water mud bugs…crawdads…crayfish…and therefore not harmed by the spill. They are eaten all over the world and about 400 species live in American fresh water, mainly in streams, rivers, and lakes in the southeastern states.
Now the subject of Cajun vs. Creole. Still a bit foggy, but it seems the simple answer is that Creole is the fancy restaurant food and Cajun is simple homestyle country cooking. The French influence is felt in both the names of the dishes and the techniques used. Starting with the available foods (lots of seafood) and black influences from the early settlers to the deep South they created a unique cuisine. Differences from French cuisine include the use of dark rouxs (cooking flour and oil to reach a caramel color, or darker), and the mirepoix of choice. French is onion, celery, and carrot, and in Louisiana it’s onion, celery and green bell pepper, also known as the “holy trinity.”
Étouffée is really a very simple dish. Meaning “smothered” or “suffocated” from the French translation, it is essentially a gravy with any kind of seafood or chicken served over rice. So turn on the zydeco music and pop open a beer–I understand it takes a can of beer to cook a decent roux…you drink and stir, and when the beer’s gone, the roux is ready.
With this basic recipe you can substitute shrimp, crab or cooked and shredded chicken to suit your families preferences and what you have on hand. Serve with rice and a simple vegetable on the side. It’s quick and delicious.
"the holy trinity"
Crawfish Étouffée
Serves 4
Prep time: 40 minutes
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 cloves garlic, minced, or garlic scapes, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1 cup chicken stock
1 pound cooked crawfish meat
1 tablespoon snipped chives
Heat the oil and flour in a skillet on medium to medium low heat, stirring occasionally until caramel brown color. Add the onion, pepper, celery and garlic. Sauté for 5-6 minutes until starting to soften. Add the seasoning and chicken stock. Cook, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes until thickened. Add the crawfish and heat through. Serve over cooked rice and garnish with chopped chives.
Cajun Seasoning
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Mix all together and store in an airtight jar.
