|
I call this crawfish etouffee a throwdown etouffee recipe. It's such a quick to fix recipe that's also quite delicious. This recipe does not use the typical Roux to thicken and takes only about 30 minutes to cook. The first time I used this recipe I felt so guilty I went to confession. Something this easy that's this good just didn't seem right. You can use shrimp in this recipe instead of crawfish if that's what's available to you or if that's what you like. If you keep some tails in the freezer you don't have a thing to worry about when hungry folks drop by. A pound of crawfish tail meat and a couple cups of rice and you're fixed. It's so easy nowadays because all you got to do is go to the store and buy some tail meat. Back about '96-'97 the crawfish tails from China started appearing on the scene. The tails from Louisiana crawfish growers were selling for $6-$8 a pound. The Chinese bugs came in at $4-$5 per lb. Naturally this created quite a ruckus that caused all the tails to stay at about $8/lb for a a couple of years. It seems like the prices have stabilized at about $8-$10/lb for the Louisiana tails. I wait till they go on sale and stock up. I've eaten crawfish that were grown in Louisiana, East Texas, and those imported from China and other places. I got to say that the tails from Louisiana have more "crawfish flavor". Don't get me wrong, all crawfish tails are good. You can't miss me when it come to a crawfish tail. It's just that the Louisiana tails have more of the fat packed with the meat. Maybe some of the fat flavors are washed away as part of the process for export from other countries. Using the imported tails for this recipe will usually result in a richer tasting etouffee. The richness of the butter and soup stand out more. I'm just glad to have year round access to the tails. I keep some in the freezer and eat them all the time. Fried crawfish tails can make a good poboy, and crawfish tails are good in a salad, too. C'est Bon mon ami! |
You can use either fresh or frozen tail meat for this recipe. If using frozen tails allow them to thaw at room temperature before proceeding. Running water over the unopened pack can speed up the thawing process quite a bit. That's what I recommend doing cause this recipe is good. Using fresh tails or after the tails are thawed you can season them, toss them well so they all get a good coating of the seasoning. Cover the dish and place the seasoned tails in the refrigerator for a half an hour or so if possible. This allows the tails to soak up the seasoning better.
Get the other ingredients ready now. Chop up the yellow and green onions, get the pot ready, open the cans (don't forget to wash the top off real good before opening). Remember to put the pot of rice on about now. The rice should take about 30 minutes to cook. Ten minutes to get the water to a rolling boil and 20 minutes for the rice to cook. Most white rice is cooked using one cup of rice added to two cups of boiling salted water. After adding the rice lower the heat to a low setting and cook covered for 20 minutes. For this crawfish etoufee recipe you'll need to cook two cups of rice. So double the amounts mentioned. You can also use the Success brand, boil in a bag rice. Mix up a good green salad with some fresh spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers. A glass of wine also goes real good with this recipe. The best wine I've found to go with this etoufee is Boone's Farm brand Sangria flavor. I ain't no highroller and I don't floor show. Don't forget some bread or rolls to sop the gravy with.
|
Ingredients
OK now, let's go with it. If you didn't read the first part of this recipe you need to. Over a medium high heat, melt the butter in a heavy pot (saucepan) that's big enough to hold what you're going to put in it. Add the chopped onions and saute them till the yellow onion is translucent (that's like waxed paper) and tender. Stir them constantly to keep them from burning. Add the seasoned crawfish tail meat (they're in the icebox, right?) and mix real good. After about a minute, add the can of soup and stir it in real good then add the can of Rotel tomatoes and mix it good. Lower the heat to low/medium, cover the pot and get the plates ready. Stir the etoufee often and simmer over a low heat about 20 minutes. It's done bro. Serve over a plate of rice and enjoy it with the salad and wine. This recipe also has sight appeal. The colors of the tomatoes, green onions, and the soup make something as pretty as it is good. |