Love Crawfish Etouffee? Try the New Orleans classic (RECIPE)

crawfish etouffee

Chef Chris Wilson, Emeril's Homebase Culinary Director, prepared a Crawfish Etouffee Friday during the Lehigh Valley Food and Wine Festival. (Kelly Huth | Lehighvalleylive.com)

Chef Wilson also prepared a Crawfish Boule (similar to a crawfish meatball) topped with Creole Tartar Sauce. (Kelly Huth | Lehighvalleylive.com)

Chef Chris Wilson brought Crawfish Etouffee out of New Orleans and into Bethlehem on Friday.

"Etouffee" means smothered, Wilson explained to the crowd gathered for his cooking demo at the Lehigh Valley Food and Wine Festival in Bethlehem.

Wilson, the Culinary Director for Emeril's Homebase in New Orleans, joked the dish is "a lot like a gumbo or a gravy with a lot of stuff in it."

While etouffee sounds exotic, the preparation is pretty straightforward, and Wilson shared his recipe with the audience.

A few notes before you start:

- The recipe starts with the "trinity." That's the combination of onions, bell peppers and celery that provides the backbone for many recipes in New Orleans, Wilson said.

- A roux of flour and butter helps to create a thick gravy for the etouffee.

- The protein doesn't get added to the pot until the very end so it doesn't overcook. If you can't get crawfish, shrimp can be substituted in this recipe, Wilson said.

- If you want to go a step further and create your own seafood stock (ideally with a different batch of shrimp or crawfish you're using for another recipe), you'd start by toasting the shrimp shells in a pot to release the flavor. Once toasted, cover them with water, add an acid - lemon or white wine - and then flavor the broth. Wilson says the recipe isn't exact because he changes it based on what he has on hand that day. But onions, fresh thyme and salt are what he typically grabs.

Chef Chris Wilson prepared this Banana Chocolate Bread Pudding with Mint Creme Anglaise during the Lehigh Valley Food and Wine Festival. (Kelly Huth | Lehighvalleylive.com)

Crawfish Etouffee

Yields 8 servings

Ingredients:

6 Tablespoons of butter

4 Tablespoons of flour

2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped bell pepper

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 1/2 cups fish or shrimp stock

One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Tabasco, to taste

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 pounds crawfish tails, with the fat

juice from half a lemon

1 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

cooked white rice (for serving)

Directions:

In a large, heavy saucepan melt 4 Tablespoons of butter and whisk in flour to combine well.

Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until roux is a peanut butter color.

Add onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic, bay leaves and thyme and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 6-8 minutes.

Add stock, tomatoes, salt, red pepper, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil.

Skim surface, reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add crawfish tails and fat, lemon juice, green onions and parsley and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add remaining butter and stir to combine well.

Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve over hot rice.

Source: Chris Wilson, Emeril's Homebase Culinary Director (Lehigh Valley Food and Wine Festival)

Kelly Huth may be reached at khuth@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on twitter @LVLfood. Find Lehigh Valley Food on Facebook.

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