We’ve been enjoying crawfish etouffee on special occasions for years. We are strongly in the camp who believe an etouffee is not a tomato based red sauce. You can boil and peel your own crawfish tails for the best results, but it is much easier to buy them frozen at the grocery. Look for Louisiana tails for the best quality, but Spain produces good crawfish too. Be sure to get some good French bread and toast it up with a little butter to really complete the dish.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup bacon grease
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 large white onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 4 stalks celery, sliced thin
• 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Cayenne pepper, to taste
• Hot sauce, to taste
• Sport pepper sauce, to taste
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups shrimp stock
• 2 lb crawfish tails, frozen
• 1 cup green onions, chopped
• 2-3 tablespoons dry sherry
• 2 cups rice
• Fresh parsley, chopped for garnish
• French bread, sliced and toasted with a little butter

Instructions

1. Thaw crawfish tails. Add cayenne pepper, hot sauce, and sport pepper sauce as they thaw.
2. Using the bacon grease and flour, make a brown roux. Be careful not to burn it by keeping the heat low and constantly stirring.
3. Add chopped vegetables and remaining seasonings. Cook until vegetables soften. Gradually stir in the shrimp stock and let simmer for 15 minutes or until thickened.
4. Add crawfish, green onion, butter, and sherry. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
5. Cover the pan, remove from the heat, and let stand for 15 minutes.
6. Serve over a hot mound of rice with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and a slice or two of French bread on the side.