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Simply superb New Orleans cooking from !

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A while back, Vargr posted a recipe for Jambalaya (you can find it here: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/14195396/). Enjoying that concept,
 chrismukkah posed a challenge to this wuffy; come up with wuff's own take on Crawfish Etouffee!

This was really quite a challenge indeed, since wuff had never tasted Etouffee of any sort, and lives in land-locked Colorado where there is a conspicuous lack of fresh crawfish.

This is Vargr's first shot at the results. It wasn't precisely what Vargr was striving for, but it turned out VERY tasty! Very good indeed. Just a little too much creole seasoning, and a tad heavy on the tomato. The amounts in parenthesis in the ingredients below are what wuff would recommend, to get closer to what Vargr was aiming at. And it's what wuff is going to try on the second attempt.

Still, this is definitely good enough that others may enjoy the flavors, so Vargr is posting it up.

In addition, you get THREE recipes for the price of one! This includes not only the Etouffee, but also a recipe for Creole Rice, and one for the Creole/Cajun seasoning should you want to make your own (it's what wuff used in his Etouffee).

Note: Wuff's version of the Etouffee has a few non-traditional techniques to try to make up for using frozen crawfish imported from China - which is all wuff could find. Searing the crawfish in a screaming hot pan makes it give up a LOT of extra liquid which would otherwise dilute the sauce later. And the bacon makes up for the lack of crawfish fat and adds another layer of flavors that the frozen crawfish lose in the processing.

Vargr's Crawfish Etouffee
Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon cooking oil (use one with a high smoke point)
2 packs (12 oz ea) frozen crawfish meat
2 Strips thick bacon (applewood smoked), diced small
1 C onions, diced small
1 C celery, sliced thin
1 C green pepper, diced small
2 (1) Tbs tomato paste
1-1.5 Tablespoon Garlic, minced
1 stick butter, divided
2 Tablespoons flour
1/3 C white wine
3 C chicken broth (make up with the broth from the crawfish)
2 fresh Bay leaves
1 Tsp Thyme
1 Tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
¼ – ½ C Parsley, chopped
2 (1) Tablespoons Creole/Cajun Seasoning [See recipe below]

Hot Sauce (optional)
Green Onions, sliced (garnish)

Directions:

Flash-fry the crawfish: Drain frozen crawfish in colander. Dry with paper towels. Season lightly with Creole/Cajun seasoning (recipe below).

Heat cooking oil nearly to smoking (when the surface “shimmers”, its ready). Add crawfish and spread them out across the pan. Do Not Stir! Sear the crawfish without stirring for 2 minutes. Drain and collect juice in a 1 Qt measuring cup. Return to heat. Now, stir to expose the other sides to heat and sear another 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let it exude remaining liquid. Pour off any new liquid in the pan and collect with the previous.

Make the Etoufee sauce:

Fry bacon. Remove fried bacon to crawfish bowl, but keep the fat in the pan.

Add butter. Heat until it stops foaming. Add flour. Stir to combine. Cook to Blonde Roux (butterscotch colored), stirring frequently. Do not let the roux burn.

Add diced onion and let cook for a couple minutes, then stir in bell pepper and celery. Cook until celery and peppers are tender.

Add garlic and tomato paste. Stir and let paste caramelize for 3-4 minutes.

Add white wine, stir. Cook off alcohol (about 4 minutes), stirring occasionally.

Add Creole/Cajun seasoning. Mix in.

Pour any liquid from the bowl of Crawfish into measuring cup along with the liquid collected earlier. Make up difference with chicken stock to reach 3 cups. Whisk combined liquid and stock into pan until fully incorporated.

Add bay leaves and thyme, and cook until bay flavors are incorporated and other flavors meld (about 10 minutes).

Remove bay leaves.

Remove from heat and CAREFULLY pour sauce in blender. Cover top with towel and hold the lid on to prevent “explosions” when blending hot liquid. Pulse a couple times, then blend until creamy. (May need to run two batches, depending on the size of your blender.) Return creamy sauce to pan.

Add Crawfish and finish cooking:
Add Worcestershire sauce and seared Crawfish meat. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not over-cook crawfish, or it will get tough.

Add chopped parsley and lemon juice. Stir and heat for about a minute. Reduce heat to just keep warm.

Serve over Creole rice (recipe below). Garnish with sliced green onions. Offer hot sauce on the side to 'spike' it if desired.

Creole Rice
Ingredients:

1 quart Water
1 Cup uncooked Basmati or Jasmine Rice
3-4 Bay Leaves
2 tsp Kosher or Sea Salt
1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter

Directions:

Over high heat, add the Bay leaves to the water and bring to a boil. Add the salt when the water boils.

Add the rice, stir briefly to make sure it doesn’t stick. Don't stir it any more! If you agitate the rice too much, it gets sticky! When the water comes back to a boil, reduce heat to medium-high and cover.

Cook for about 11 - 17 minutes. Taste it at the 11 minute point. It should have some “tooth”, but a crunch is bad. Look for sort of “Al Dente” for rice. If its still 'crunchy' cook it further.

When the rice is tender, drain off all the remaining water. Remove the bay leaves.

Pour the cooked rice into a cake pan. Pat the top with the butter. Place into a 400 degree oven for about 15 minutes. The rice should be dry and fluffy with individual, not sticky, grains. Stir to distribute the melted butter.

Creole/Cajun seasoning
Ingredients:

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon white pepper
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Directions:

Mix all together. Store in a sealed jar.

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Allergy warning – please read all recipes carefully and be aware of any allergies or sensitivities that may effect your health and well-being