Crawfish Étouffée
SERVES 6 – 8
According to Acadian cooks, étouffée—which was invented in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, in the late 1920s—is the most celebrated crawfish creation of all time.
1⁄4 lb. butter
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1⁄2 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped
1⁄2 cup celery, finely chopped
1 tbsp. garlic, peeled and minced
1 tsp. salt
1⁄2 tsp. cayenne
2 cups hot Double-Rich Fish Stock
2 tbsp. cornstarch
2 lbs. crawfish tails, peeled
1⁄4 cup scallions, finely chopped, for garnish
1⁄4 cup parsley, finely chopped, for garnish
1. Melt butter in a large, heavy pot. Add onions, peppers, celery, garlic, salt, and cayenne, and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Add 1 1⁄2 cups of the stock. Stir cornstarch into remaining 1⁄2 cup stock and add to pot. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, and cook until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes.
3. Add crawfish tails and cook until warmed through, 2–3 minutes. Garnish with scallions and parsley. Serve over rice.
I was so dissapointed that the next morning, I consulted with my cajun bible, written by Chef Paul Prudhomme, and guess what?> The recipe is the same as Paul's except it calls for more oil (why??) and an extra 15 minutes of cooking the roux (again, why?)
No offense Saveur, but I think I'll stick with the experts on this one.
If you want to an etoufee recipe, check out this link:
http://cajunchefryan.rymocs.com/blog2/recipes/etouffee/
CCR
=:~)