Crawfish Etouffee

 

      We're just a few days short of our departure south for the winter.  Cool, fall weather has been on us for several weeks now with fall's onslaught arrival.  This is my favorite cuisine, as well as dish, that I love to prepare.  I am surprised I haven't posted this recipe until now.  Cajun and Creole come from a culture rich in tradition and history, be it with French or Acadian influence or the contents of their roux.  Crawfish, crawdads, or mudbugs call them what you will.  This is the very definition of southern comfort food.  There are so many different varieties as you travel throughout the south, and some pretty sad ones up north.  

      This is the first Cajun dish I learned to make and the one I took the greatest pains to perfect.  This dish is a thick, savory, creamy bowl of vegetables, crawfish, and some heat.  Admittedly, there are no fresh crawfish here in Michigan, but the packaged tail meat can be found in the larger stores in Traverse City.  This is Enola Prudhomme's recipe.  I learned it years ago and we have always loved it.  It is simple to make and so good.  I'm sure there are hundreds of other delicious variations that are just as tasty.  

            As such the rest of the ingredients and prep is pretty straightforward.  This is a delicious dish and with many southern dishes requires the marriage of cornbread for the perfect meal.  I have always found Jiffy Cornbread mix to be the easiest, tastiest solution.  We do add some sugar.  

      

1 can Cream o’ shroom soup

1 lb crawfish tails (2 pounds if you LOVE 'em)

½ cup butter

1 can ROTEL

3 Tbsp. chopped garlic

½ cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped bell pepper

2 Tbsp. EVOO

Green onions

1 cup cooked rice or orzo

1 cup seafood stock or water

1 Tbsp. Tony Chachere’s

HEAT here is a matter of preference:  red pepper or other to your tastes

 

      Chop celery, green bell, garlic, onion, ROTEL, butter and EVOO into a large, deep baking dish.  I have a deep-dish cast-iron skillet that is perfect for this.  This is commonly referred to as the Holy Trinity in Cajun Cuisine.  Roast uncovered in oven at 375F for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Be careful, this pan will be VERY HOT after it has been in the oven.  

       Take out and add crawfish, water, soup, and rice; stir thoroughly and return to oven and bake for 20 minutes more.  Barb cannot digest rice, so we use orzo and add it at this point to let it cook in and soften.  

        Serve garnished with green onions.  Cornbread is usually the order of the day, but we used fresh baked 'garlic knots' to accompany our meal, not a bad choice.   

      Of course, fresh 'mudbugs' are always best and I'm sure we'll get our share this winter.

"Crawfish have ding dongs and vaginas"  

Phil Robertson

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