Crawfish Etoufée

A history of the Crawfish: For many years the Little Swamp Bug (crawfish) was known as poor man's food. The crawfish boils in your back yard were where they first appeared. Legend holds that, around 1930, a local river bar in Southwest Louisiana first served this `smothered' dish.

Today, Crawfish Etoufée is a standard in any good Creole restaurant.

Note: Etoufée comes in many flavors: Alligator, chicken, shrimp, and crawfish.

1 cup butter

large white or yellow onions, chopped fine
2 green bell peppers, chopped fine
1 celery stalk, chopped fine
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 tablespoon salt
3/4 tablespoon black pepper
3/4 tablespoon red pepper
3/4 tablespoon white pepper
3/4 tablespoon Maison Louisianne Creole Spices
1 1/2 pounds Crawfish Tail Meat
2 cups fish stock
1/2 cup dark or `chocolate' roux
1 cup green onions, chopped

Melt butter and 1/2 cup of fish stock in a Dutch Oven or large pot.

Add the `Holy Trinity' (bell peppers, celery, onions) and sauté at low heat until you caramelize the `Trinity'. This will take about 25 minutes.

Stir often with a wooden spatula.

Add the rest of your fish stock and let simmer for a few minutes. At this time, add your dark roux, a little at a time, until the liquid thickens.

Then add the crawfish tails, the pepper and Maison Louisianne Creole Spices, and the garlic.

Simmer. Salt to taste.

Sprinkle green onions as garnish.

This can be served over rice, and is great over chicken or fish. Serves 6.