Crawfish Étouffée – Girls Can Grill

Dive into the taste of Louisiana with this crawfish etouffee recipe, a hearty seafood stew that showcases Cajun cooking at its best.

What Is Crawfish Étouffée

Crawfish étouffée is a seafood stew made with crawfish tails, fresh vegetables, and seafood and chicken stock. It’s thickened with a dark brown roux made with oil and flour.

Several years ago while visiting Louisiana, I attended a crawfish étouffée festival and fell in love with the Cajun dish. It’s so hearty and completely different than beef stew or pot roast.

I love making it several times a year, especially around Mardi Gras.

• ▢ 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• ▢ 12 oz andouille sausage, diced
• ▢ 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• ▢ 1/2 cup flour
• ▢ 1 cup celery, diced
• ▢ 1 red bell pepper, diced, seeded
• ▢ 1 green bell pepper, diced, seeded
• ▢ 1 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 8 oz clam juice
• ▢ 32 oz chicken stock
• ▢ 24 oz crawfish tails, thawed
• ▢ 1/4 cup celery leaves, chopped
• ▢ 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• ▢ 1/4 cup green onions, chopped
• ▢ 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 tbsp Tabasco sauce
• ▢ 1 tsp Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning
• ▢ 1 tsp kosher salt
• ▢ 1 tsp black pepper
• ▢ 4 tbsp butter

Get Recipe Ingredients

• Brown Sausage: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a very large stockpot over medium high heat. Add the sausage and cook until brown. Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside. 

• Make Roux: Lower the heat to medium and add 1/3 cup oil and 1/2 cup flour to the pot. Whisk constantly for about five minutes until golden brown.

• Sauté Veggies: Add the celery, peppers, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about seven minutes.

• Add Stocks: Add the clam juice to the pot to deglaze the pan. Then, add the chicken stock. Allow the stock to heat up for about five minutes.

• Season: Add the sausage, crawfish tails and herbs and spices, and bring it to a boil. 

• Simmer: Add the butter and stir until melted. Simmer for at least 30 minutes. 

• Thicken: If you like your etouffee thicker, whisk 1/2 cup flour with 1/2 cup water in a bowl and add to the pot to thicken.

• Serve: Add a 1/2 cup of cooked rice to a bowl and ladle the etouffee on top. Garnish with green onions.

Calories: 536kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 18gFat: 30gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 69mgSodium: 1049mgPotassium: 577mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1198IUVitamin C: 41mgCalcium: 58mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Ingredients

• Vegetable Oil
• Andouille Sausage: This is a cajun style sausage that you’ll find in the deli section near the hot dogs.
• All Purpose Flour: This is used to thicken the broth. I haven’t tried the recipe with gluten free flour. If you do, leave a comment and let us know how it turns out.
• Trinity: The Cajun holy trinity of vegetables includes celery, bell peppers and onions. I also add fresh garlic.
• Clam Juice: You can use any type of seafood stock. I usually grab clam juice because it’s the easiest to find.
• Chicken Stock
• Crawfish Tails: Look for these in the frozen foods section. They’re already cooked and peeled.
• Fresh Herbs: I use a blend of celery leaves, parsley and green onions.
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Tabasco Sauce: Or any other brand of hot sauce.
• Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning or your favorite Cajun seasoning.
• Kosher Salt
• Black Pepper
• Butter: Salted or unsalted butter are fine.

See the full recipe card above for servings and a full list of ingredients.

How to Cook Crawfish Étouffée

While you can follow all of the below steps and cook this crawfish étouffée recipe on a stove top over medium heat, I love cooking a pot outside on my Breeo Live Fire Grill.

To prep the grill, light your coals and let them ash over. Then, add the skillet rest. Place the kettle or Dutch oven on top and push coals underneath.

1. STEP ONE: Heat the 1 tablespoon of oil in the kettle. Add the sausage and cook until brown. Remove and set aside.

2. STEP TWO: Make the roux by adding 1/3 cup oil and 1/2 cup flour to the pot. Whisk constantly for about five minutes until golden brown.

3. STEP THREE: Add the celery, peppers, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about seven minutes.

4. STEP FOUR: Add the clam juice to the pot to deglaze the pan. Then, add the chicken stock. Allow the stock to heat up for about five minutes.

5. STEP FIVE: Add the sausage, crawfish tails and herbs and spices, and bring it to a boil. 

6. STEP SIX: Add the butter and stir until melted. Simmer for at least 30 minutes. 

7. STEP SEVEN: If you like your étouffée thicker, whisk 1/2 cup flour with 1/2 cup water in a bowl and add to the pot to thicken. Give the mixture a taste and adjust the spices, if needed.

How to Serve Crawfish Étouffée

Use a ladle to spoon a large helping of étouffée over white rice. Garnish with fresh sliced green onions.

Storage

If you have leftovers, it’s best to store the etouffee separately – not with the white rice. If you store it with the rice, the rice will absorb all of the moisture.

Save leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days or in the freezer for up to six months. Reheat in the microwave or in a pot on the stove.