I found myself coming home from the suburbs the other night on the Metra train with a dead phone AND a dead laptop. Fortunately someone had left a newspaper on the seat so I had something to keep my occupied. Since we’re getting close to Mardi Gras, the paper’s food section was all about Cajun and Creole cooking. This recipe for shrimp etouffe sounded delicious – and after giving it a try, I’d agree it is!
1 stick butter (8T)
2 large green peppers
2 large onions
1 celery rib
2 cloves minced garlic
1 T flour
2 lbs crawfish tails (that’s what the recipe called for – I actually used 1 lb of shrimp and 1 lb of chicken thighs)
1/2 c water
1/4 c chopped parsley
1/4 c chopped green onion tops
salt & pepper
Melt the butter in a large saute pan. Add veggies and garlic and saute for 20 minutes, until the veggies are soft but not browned.
The original recipe said to sprinkle in the flour at this point, and stir until thickened. However when I made it, there was no moisture to speak of yet at this point. I sprinkled the flour anyway and proceeded.
Add the meat, water, parsley & green onions and cook until meat is done. Season with salt and pepper.
The recipe says to add more water if you want a brothier dish; but I found that the water content continued increasing as it cooked. So don’t add any water until you’ve finished cooking the meat.
Serve over white rice.