Crawfish Etouffee

Etouffee is French for smother. It refers to the saucepan having a very tight fitting lid that won’t let any goodness out.

Ingredients

• 1 lb crawfish meat
• 6 oz butter (unsalted)
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 1 t flour
• 3 ⁄4 c water
• 2 slices lemon (thinly sliced)
• 1 T tomato paste
• 2 garlic (clove)
• 1 t salt
• 1 T onions (green)
• 1 T parsley (flat leaf)

Instructions

1. Season crawfish meat with salt and pepper and set aside.
2. Melt the butter over medium heat, and add the onion, cooking until tender.
3. Make a roux by stirring in the flour, cook well but don’t burn it.
4. Add water, lemon, tomato, and garlic.
5. Cook the mixture slowly for about 20 minutes (you may need to add a little more water occasionally if it gets to thick).
6. When sauce is done, add the crawfish meat and cover with a tight fitting lid.
7. Cook 8 minutes.
8. Season again, to taste.
9. Add the green onion and parsley .
10. Cook for 2 more minutes.

Serve the etouffee on top of some steamed rice and accompany with garlic bread and green salad. Food Pairing: You can go dark or light with this one. Either a foreign extra stout or a good pilsner will go well. Of course, many other beers pair well with shellfish, so you could drink a German hefeweizen or Belgian golden ale as well.