Crawfish Étouffée Steamed Rice (Printable)
Savory crawfish in a spiced sauce paired with fluffy steamed rice, showcasing authentic Creole flavors.
# Ingredient List:
→ For the Crawfish Étouffée
01 - 1 lb crawfish tails, peeled and cleaned
02 - 4 tbsp unsalted butter
03 - 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
04 - 1 medium onion, finely chopped
05 - 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
06 - 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
07 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 2 cups low-sodium chicken or seafood stock
09 - 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
10 - 2 tsp Creole or Cajun seasoning
11 - 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
12 - 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
13 - 1/2 tsp dried thyme
14 - 2 bay leaves
15 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
16 - 2 green onions, sliced
17 - Salt and black pepper to taste
18 - Juice of 1/2 lemon
→ For the Steamed Rice
19 - 1 cup long-grain white rice
20 - 2 cups water
21 - 1/2 tsp salt
# Steps:
01 - Rinse rice under cold water until water runs clear. In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water and 1/2 tsp salt to a boil. Stir in rice, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15–18 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork before serving.
02 - In a large skillet or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 4–6 minutes to make a medium roux that is light brown with nutty aroma. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute.
03 - Gradually stir in stock, scraping up browned bits. Add drained tomatoes, Creole seasoning, paprika, cayenne, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
04 - Stir in crawfish tails and cook for 5–7 minutes until heated through. Remove from heat and discard bay leaves. Stir in parsley and lemon juice.
05 - Spoon steamed rice onto plates or bowls. Ladle crawfish étouffée over rice. Garnish with green onions and extra parsley.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The roux creates an incredible depth of flavor that makes this dish taste like it simmered all day
- Its incredibly forgiving and comes together in under an hour
02 -
- Burning the roux happens to everyone, but if you catch it early you can rescue it by immediately removing from heat and stirring in cold stock
- The sauce will thicken as it cools, so it should look slightly thinner than your desired consistency when hot
03 -
- If crawfish are unavailable, shrimp work wonderfully and actually cook faster
- Make a double batch of the roux base and freeze half for an easy weeknight meal