Crawfish Etouffée

WITHOUT QUESTION, LOUISIANA CRAWFISH (AND never say “crayfish” in Creole/Cajun country, unless you want eyebrows to rise) is one of the most noble delicacies of the South, and never are “crawdaddies,” or “mudbugs,” or “yabbies” more appreciated than when used to make a rich, aromatic, classic étouffée. For me, no trip to New Orleans is complete without a visit to the venerable Bon Temps Cafe for the crawfish étouffée, and on the rare occasion when I can find fresh crawfish outside the region, my thoughts are automatically directed to making this sumptuous dish. Frozen, peeled crawfish tails in 1-pound bags are increasingly available in finer seafood markets around the country, but if you can’t find them, small fresh shrimp are almost as good—and sometimes even better (if frozen crawfish tails are not processed exactly right, they can have a fishy taste).

MAKES: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 1⁄4 cup peanut oil
• 1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1⁄2 medium green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
• 1 large ripe tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1⁄2 cups bottled clam juice
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1⁄2 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled
• 3 scallions (part of green tops included), chopped
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 pound frozen peeled crawfish tails (or small fresh shrimp), peeled and deveined
• 4 cups cooked rice

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the peanut oil over high heat until it begins to smoke, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the all-purpose flour to the hot oil and whisk briskly and constantly to make a roux. Cook until the roux is reddish brown and smooth, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Be careful not to let it burn.
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the finely chopped onion, finely chopped green bell pepper, chopped celery, chopped tomato, and minced garlic. Stir until well blended.
4. Return the saucepan to the heat and reduce the heat to low. Gradually add the clam juice, stirring continuously.
5. Add the melted butter, dried basil, chopped scallions, cayenne pepper, and fresh lemon juice to the saucepan. Stir well to combine.
6. Simmer the sauce until the vegetables are tender and the sauce has thickened, approximately 20 minutes.
7. Add the frozen peeled crawfish tails (or small fresh shrimp) to the sauce. Stir and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the crawfish (or shrimp) are pink and tender.
8. To serve, mound equal amounts of cooked rice in the middle of 4 serving plates. Spoon the crawfish mixture around the rice.