This Cajun crawfish etouffee recipe is loaded with meaty crawfish tails smothered in a rich gravy with spices and fresh herbs, served over rice. It's huge on flavor and easy to make. One of our very favorites!
Crawfish Etouffee Recipe
We're cooking up a big pot of warm, comforting Crawfish Etouffee in the Chili Pepper Madness kitchen, my friends. Would you care for a bowl? Come on and join us!
Crawfish étouffée is a simple dish of sweet and meaty crawfish served up in a rich and flavorful gravy that is made from a quick roux. The dish includes the Cajun holy trinity of onions, bell peppers and celery, along with lots of garlic, spicy Cajun seasonings, and fresh chopped herbs.
The name itself, étouffée, is a French term meaning "to smother" which refers to the rich gravy that smothers and surrounds the crawfish.
This is food from the heart, a staple of Louisiana, and with one bite, you'll be hooked for life.
Crawfish Season
Crawfish season in Louisiana typically runs from November through July, depending on the weather. Cooking crawfish is typically done in a boil, like a crawfish boil, with lots of corn and seasonings.
Crawfish today is hugely popular in etouffee, which I know you're going to love.
Let's talk about how to make crawfish etouffee, shall we?
Crawfish Etouffee Ingredients
- Butter. Or you can use peanut oil or other vegetable oil.
- All Purpose Flour.
- Vegetables. Onion, Celery and Bell Pepper (the Cajun Holy Trinity) + Garlic. I like to use jalapeno peppers in place of the bell pepper for some extra heat in my etouffee.
- Cajun Seasonings. Try my homemade Cajun seasoning blend. Or you can use Creole seasonings or seafood boil seasoning.
- Cayenne Pepper. Optional, for additional spice factor.
- Salt and Black Pepper. To taste.
- Stock. Use either chicken stock, seafood stock, or vegetable stock. Homemade crawfish stock is awesome!
- Louisiana Crawfish Tails.
- Fresh Chopped Parsley.
- For Garnish. Extra chopped parsley, green onions, spicy chili flakes, hot sauce.
- Cooked Rice. For serving, if desired.
How to Make Crawfish Etouffee - the Recipe Method
Make the Roux. Heat a large pan or pot to medium heat and melt the butter. Add the flour and stir to make a roux. Stir constantly for 5 minutes, or until the roux turns a copper color. Do not let the roux burn. A Dutch oven is great for making etouffee.
See my post on How to Make a Roux.
Cook the Vegetables. Add the onion, bell peppers, celery and garlic. Stir and cook for 5 minutes to soften.
Stock, Seasonings, Simmer. Stir in the Cajun seasonings, cayenne, salt and pepper to taste, and stock or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, to let the flavors develop. I like to simmer 30 minutes.
Crawfish and Parsley. Add the crawfish tails and warm them through. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley.
Serve the Etouffee. Serve over white rice (if desired) and garnish with extra parsley and spicy chili flakes.
Boom! Done! Your crawfish etouffee is ready to serve. Looks so good, doesn't it? Man, we love this recipe. Who doesn't love a tasty etouffee?
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Raw Crawfish. If using raw crawfish, cook the peeled tails with with the onion, peppers and celery, then continue with the recipe. The tails will cook through during simmering.
- Extra Ingredients. Bay leaves are a nice flavor addition here. You can also make this recipe with tomatoes for more of a Creole version.
- Other Proteins. You can make this recipe with other seafood, like fish or shrimp. Try my awesome shrimp etouffee recipe. So good! It's more of a Creole version.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my crawfish etouffee recipe. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you. Keep it spicy!
Cookbook Recommendation
If you enjoy Louisiana cooking, including Cajun and Creole cuisine, I have found this book very informative with lots of great recipes and techniques.
- Louisiana Real and Rustic, by Emeril Lagasse
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
- Shrimp and Grits
- Cajun Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
- Creole Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
- Cajun Pasta with Shrimp and Smoked Sausage
- Shrimp Creole
- Cajun Corn Maque Choux
- Jambalaya Recipe
- Hoppin’ John
- Cajun Red Beans and Rice
- Creole Chicken
- Chicken Fricassee
- Boudin Balls
- Crawfish Boil
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Crawfish Etouffee Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter or use peanut oil
- 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 medium bell pepper chopped (I use jalapeno for spicier)
- 1 stalk celery chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasonings or to taste
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional, for spicier
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups chicken stock or use seafood stock
- 1 pound crawfish tail meat par-cooked
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- FOR GARNISH: Extra chopped parsley, spicy chili flakes, hot sauce
- Cooked rice for serving if desired
Instructions
- Heat a large pan or pot to medium heat and melt the butter.
- Add the flour and stir to make a roux. Stir continuously for 5 minutes, or until the roux turns a copper color. Do not let the roux burn.
- Add the onion, peppers, celery and garlic. Stir and cook for 5 minutes to soften.
- Stir in the Cajun seasonings, cayenne, salt and pepper to taste, and stock or broth. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes to let the flavors develop, stirring occasionally.
- Add the crawfish tails and warm them through.
- Remove from heat and stir in the parsley.
- Serve over white rice (if desired) and garnish with extra parsley and spicy chili flakes. Don't forget the hot sauce!
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 2/4/22 to include new information and video. It was originally published on 8/2/21.
Michael J. Kuzma Sr. says
First time cooking it and I enjoyed the taste!
Mike H. says
Great to hear, Michael. Thanks!
Kerri says
I love this recipe have made it several times now. I leave out the Cayenne pepper because it’s too spicy for my family. But other than that I make it as directed. Such great flavor and easy to make. Thank you
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you're enjoying it, Kerri! This is Patty's favorite, too. She asks for this all the time. Thanks!
Ann Baker says
A solid 5-stars on this recipe! Used homemade shrimp stock and crawfish tails from Bayou Pigeon, LA. Also, love the Cajun Seasoning spice blend from The Spice House. Flavors were off the chart delicious, and the crawfish was very tender. Can't wait to make again!
Mike Hultquist says
Very nice, Ann! I love to hear it. This is one of our very favorites and I'm happy you enjoyed it! Cheers!
Vee Matula says
This right here is good eating!! I did add a small peeled and diced tomato before I put broth in. Only because I had some fresh picked black krims. For real thanks for sharing ya recipe!
Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, Vee! One of our favorites for sure! Thanks!
G says
I made it and it was great. next time I am going to add a small amount of tomato sauce, just to see how that makes this recipe taste.
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks, G! I enjoy the addition of tomato as a tasty way to change it up. Enjoy!
Christy says
Deeply caramelize your tomato paste, when using, it makes all the difference!
Jessica says
I just made this and oh my gosh it was so goooood. I used raw frozen crawfish tails so I sautéed them in butter first and once cooked added to the sauce, and continued to simmer for a few minutes. I had to use red bell pepper and not green (which I assumed what it was calling for) as it was what I had on hand and didn’t want to go to the store. And dried parsley instead of fresh.
It was diviiiiiine. Thanks for sharing. I’ve never made this and it was a complete success!!!
Mike Hultquist says
Wonderful! Glad you enjoyed it, Jessica! We really LOVE this dish. So good!!
W. Naquin says
Crawfish etouffe is not roux based . Crawfish stew is roux based .Etouffe is butter based and may be thickened a little with flour but there is no roux . I was born and raised in Thibodaux,La and enjoyed both to this day
Mike Hultquist says
Thanks. This is a recipe I learned at a cooking school in New Orleans, and they called it Etouffee, though I've since learned from new Cajun cookbooks that most don't use a roux, but do use it in stew. One of my cookbooks does use a roux, but includes tomatoes. It's hard to find very consistent information. That said, I should update the recipe to call it more of a "Crawfish Stew" and update my "Crawfish Etouffee" dish.
Elaine Montgomery says
Renaming it is not necessary. I believe she doesn’t understand the definition of roux. It’s merely a combination of butter and flour used as a thickener.
Angie says
Loved it!(.)
Mike H. says
Thank you!
Damon says
I tried this recipe and it was incredible. I did not add any salt except for what was in the cajun seasoning as I am trying to reduce my sodium intake. I also bought a cajun seasoning that had ~180mg of sodium per 1/4 teaspoon. I am definitely going to make this many more times.
Mike Hultquist says
Outstanding! Glad you enjoyed it, Damon! Also, you can make your own seasoning so you can control the salt better. Here is a link to my Cajun Seasoning Recipe: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-recipes/spice-blends/homemade-cajun-seasoning/
Byron says
I wish I could post a pic here because it's not often my version looks exactly like yours but it does. Really good, thanks!
Mike H. says
I am so happy to hear that, Byron! Do you use Facebook? You could share your photo with me there maybe. 😉
Anne says
sorry, what does par cooked mean for the crawfish tails? like have the frozen crawfish tails be thawed?
Mike Hultquist says
It's previously cooked crawfish for this recipe. Yours are likely cooked. Yep, thaw them and use as directed. Enjoy, Anne!
Golden Bolden says
I made this for dinner 01/11/24 and I had no leftovers. It's just my husband, his mother and myself. We care for my MIL and she usually eats like a bird, but last night she asked for 3rds and each time she wanted the same amount, so think 3 child portions. My husband and I both went for seconds. There was only enough to make one lunch for today.
Mike Hultquist says
Outstanding! Sounds like everyone loved it! I love to hear it. Thanks for sharing this! =) =)
Beth says
Best recipe ever! I live on the Gulf Coast 3 hours from New Orleans, and everyone raves about my étouffée every time I serve it, which is frequently during Mardi Gras season. I usually double or triple the recipe and add shrimp, bay scallops, and grouper shopped into bite-sized pieces. The only other thing I do differently is that I cook the roux until it is a light brown, about 30 minutes, stirring constantly. I’m lucky enough to be able to get seafood fresh off the boat where we live. This is truly a very special recipe for festive occasions. Thank you, Mike, for sharing your expertise!
Mike H. says
You are very welcome, Beth - I am really happy to hear that!