CRAWFISH ÉTOUFFÉE
If you have not had Crawfish Etouffee, you are in for a suculant treat. If available, packaged crawfish tail meat is a time saver. I am able to find whole frozen crawfish at Safeway stores here in Sonoma County, CA. They are precooked, seasoned and frozen. I rinse them before peeling them. If crawfish are not available, medium size shrimp are a good substitute.
Serves 4 Heat level: Medium Hot
1/4 lb. unsalted butter
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups white onion, diced
1 1/2 cups diced green bell pepper
1 cup celery, diced
1 Tbsp. garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. de arbol or cayenne chile powder
1 Tbsp. paprika
4–5 lbs. crawfish, remove tail meat, rinse and drain; use shells to make stock. You should end up with
about 8 oz. of meat – (see note below for stock)
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup crawfish stock or seafood stock
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. white pepper, freshly ground
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 cup scallions, sliced thin
4 cups steamed white rice, for serving (jasmine or basmati)
1. 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 chile powder and stir in the crawfish tail meat.
2. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to combine. Add some of the stock, continue 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 parsley and scallions. Side with toasted, crusty sour dough bread.
NOTE: Make a crawfish stock with leftover heads and shells; just rinse and boil them with some salt for 30–40 minutes and strain. Or substitute with a shrimp stock, made with shrimp shells or dried shrimp found in Asian markets.
Garlicky Collard Greens
- Collard greens generally require a long cooking time, but in this recipe they are steamed for 10 minutes and then sautéd. The garlic is a great match for the greens. I often use Swiss chard for this dish. The chard stems can be chopped and sautéed before adding the tender parts of the leaves.
- Serves 4
- 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
- 2 lbs. collard greens (sub. Swiss chard)
- 1 Tbsp. sherry or cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 3–4 strips crispy bacon, chopped for garnish
- 1. Wash and drain the leaves before using. Trim out the thick stems and discard. Cut tender parts into to large pieces. Place into a vegetable steamer and cook for 10 minutes.
- 2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté garlic, stirring often, until golden. Stir in chile flakes, for another 30 seconds and then add collards a little at a time. While tossing. add vinegar, salt and mix well. They should be tender when finishd.
- Serve garnished with bacon the bits. © 2022 by Larry Noggle www.peppahead.com