# Crawfish Etouffee Foamheart



## foamheart (Mar 14, 2014)

Crawfish Etouffee

Its spring on the river, most people see this weather around Easter, seems we see it this year around Mardi Gras. Either way its beautiful outside its not hot, it’s not too cool, the local college is playing sports outside again. TAILGATE!!!  If you want crawfish, you better bait your nets or take a second mortgage on your home. But it’s that time with Lent here and it is time to take stock of what is available in the garden or the freezer. Besides the most obvious boiling, the three major ways to cook crawfish are Bisque, Pie, and Etouffee. Yes there are other ways, but these three are the most common.

Etouffee is a bastardization of French and Spanish which basically means smothered food. Surprisingly there is both a Cajun and a Creole Etouffee, go figure. Of course the difference is the tomato. The nouveau Cajuns, the transplants and kids who left home to move to the cities use bell peppers and celery in Etouffee because it the holy trinity and that’s how you make Cajun food. This can be enhanced by canned soup? Yes, Piccadilly cafeteria’s world famous Etouffee uses both celery and mushroom canned soup.   But mine is the basic little old lady next door’s old time crawfish Etouffee. The one she made the day after the kids came home from running the nets all morning (too hot in the afternoon) with a sack or maybe even two of crawfish from the bar ditch along the rail road tracks. You boil that night, peeling for you and the littlest young one (you seem to adopt to feed), then peeling for the freezer, (cold beer aiding in this endeavor sizably). You only need wait for two things, crawfish and green onions, both are must haves. Its so simple and delicious, while being easy enough for a first grader to make.

First this arrived earlier this week, I got 4x this many. The freezer is full and they don't last too long.













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The above amount makes this many for the freezer! 12 bags of greens and 6 bags of whites. remember there was 4x this many....LOL













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First you melt a stick of butter, did I mention margarine only works in a few recipes and all of which were written after WWII. If you ever fear butter burning you can remove the milk fats and its called clarified, cause you can see thru it? (This is a southern belles best kept secret to making pecan pies.... Shhhhhh)













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You add a large fresh bunch of chopped green onions, tops and bottoms.













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You will need with the butter and the chopped green onions (which you can see is about 4 cups) Crawfish!













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 Turn the fire down to the very lowest setting and put on the lid. Let it muther, (there is no adverb needed here that's another type of muther!).













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When they sweat down, do not caramelize, Add flour; Flour requires a boil to thicken where cornstarch does not and flour must be cooked to remove its pasty taste where I don’t taste it with corn starch. Add some flour to the smothered onions, incorporate and then add the water. OR just make a slurry of water and corn starch and add when ready. I like the ability to add the corn starch to the near finished product when I am happy with all my fluids instead of living with the flour amount from the beginning. A chef would laugh at me. You can not measure the water and fat of the crawfish, nor the freshness and liquids in the onions.

Either way it cooks down.













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Now I would add 2 cups of good clean clear spring water, reserving 1/2 cup if you are doing Corn starch













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I started with 1/2T, but when I added the crawfish later I needed another 1T to make it right. Been awhile since I had seen fresh green onions.













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I put the lid on and allow it to cook for maybe 10 mins. when you see the piece of meat which covers the vein coming lose it done. Then you can add salt and cayenne. That's it! I will tell you I cheat, this is one of my two guilty pleasures I have to use Tony's to get that perfect taste. I ate it that way while on the road for too many years now its just how its supposed to taste. Throw in 1/2 t. of Tony's.













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That's just beautiful.......

Here's the recipe, like you need it.

*Etouffee*

1lb. peeled crawfish w/ butter (or shrimp or crab)

1/4lb. creamery butter

1 Med. bunch fresh green onions chopped

2C water

1 1/2T corn starch

1t Tonys

Salt & Cayenne

Tabasco to taste

I told you a first graders on problem making it, is getting the lid to stay down while its rendering down the onions.

Hope you get to try it some day, shrimp and/or crab is totally awesome.

Notes:

1. Friends don't feed friends crawfish that doesn't speak English, the other guys are larger but so tuff and bland. Its like those December watermelons from Mexico, they look nice.

2. Corn Starch or flour, your call. It hard though to judge the fluids to add flour early enough so it can cook.

3. If you are used to eating in the restaurant you will not notice, but.... if you got this from your house the crawfish were probably left over for a boil. If so add a touch of your crab boil to the pot to make it taste right.

4. Add tomato and its a creole Etouffee (quite common in SW Louisiana)

5. You can always add celery and bell pepper if your inner Cajun shouts holy trinity!

I guess that's it.... wait, the Bear view, again its the good china! Only the best for my friends!













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Crawfish ettouffee, corn on the cob, fresh sweet NC Cole Slaw, and a piece of po-boy bread.

Fresh green onions just shouts ettouffee to me..... and the fresh cabbage ... well slaw is too simple.

Hope you enjoy it.


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## pc farmer (Mar 14, 2014)

Only if I could get crawfish here.   

Great post Foam.


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## WaterinHoleBrew (Mar 14, 2014)

Hey Foam, my lord bro that is awesome....  Oh how I wish I could get fresh crawfish up north here....  That is just a sight for sore eyes I tell ya what !!  Nice job man, very nice.....  I assume your shipping me a bowl next day air, right  :ROTF.  Great job !!  

Take care,
Justin


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## bigwheel (Mar 14, 2014)

Looks good. Thanks for sharing. I tried to follow a gumbo recipe calling for Oleo Marjoram one time...gave me hot grease burps for two weeks. Dont think that stuff is healthy for a person. I like to use light olive oyl with a little butter added to it. That dont bother me a bit and keeps the butter from burning too. I am a Cajun at heart ya know? Hey do anybody know what separates coon asses from dumb asses?


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## ajbert (Mar 14, 2014)

My second favorite way to eat crawfish, right behind a big family crawfish boil!


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## foamheart (Mar 14, 2014)

c farmer said:


> Only if I could get crawfish here.
> 
> Great post Foam.


Thank you kindly Mr. CFarmer.


WaterinHoleBrew said:


> Hey Foam, my lord bro that is awesome.... Oh how I wish I could get fresh crawfish up north here.... That is just a sight for sore eyes I tell ya what !! Nice job man, very nice..... I assume your shipping me a bowl next day air, right
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thank ye Thank ye Justin

Guys one of the best etouffees I ever made was in a ity bity place called Tatum, NM. I made it because on of the locals had a beautiful garden (That in itself was a huge accomplishment, annual rainfall is like 7inches a year). Anyway, She had some beautiful green onions and didn't know what to do but eat them raw with pintos. Very small, very rural, real cowboy country, White meat what's that?

Anyway I used chopped chicken tenders and it was dang tastee! LOL... first time I ever saw anyone eat etouffee over tatters though.....


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## foamheart (Mar 14, 2014)

bigwheel said:


> Looks good. Thanks for sharing. I tried to follow a gumbo recipe calling for Oleo Marjoram one time...gave me hot grease burps for two weeks. Dont think that stuff is healthy for a person. I like to use light olive oyl with a little butter added to it. That dont bother me a bit and keeps the butter from burning too. I am a Cajun at heart ya know? Hey do anybody know what separates coon asses from dumb asses?


And ya know there are folks that put beans in chili? LOL..... it is whatever floats your boat. But beans in chili, there should be a law!


AJBert said:


> My second favorite way to eat crawfish, right behind a big family crawfish boil!


I like 'em all, maybe when the crawfish come in I'll do a pie, I don't lub anyone here enough to make a bisque.....LOL  A Bisque is a serious act of a mothers love.


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## disco (Mar 14, 2014)

My wife had a feed of crawfish years ago and still raves about it. If you offered her this she would leave me for some. 

Disco


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## venture (Mar 14, 2014)

Omg!

We could quibble over flour or cornstarch.  We could make a case for Creole at times.

But you folks down in Cajun country sure know how to make my mouth water!

Good luck and good smoking.


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## bigwheel (Mar 14, 2014)

We normally get invited to a big craw dad boil up here later in the year around late May. The host drives 40 miles on the other side of Shreveport to buy a bunch of tow sacks fulls of big old nice ones them Cajuns are trying to horde for themselves. They send the small skunky tasting models to God's Country ya know? Its a big old deal with free whskey and beer bbq etc. It gets crazy. Sure hope that guy aint mad about something and forget to invite us this year. Hey Foam you know anybody who gets caught putting beans in chili in these parts gets strung up to the nearest tree..if somebody happens to recall where is one. Now I ate lunch with an Iowa Native near each day for 20 years. Now they eat real funny. He demands kidney beans in his chili. Those folks are nuts huh?


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## foamheart (Mar 14, 2014)

Disco said:


> My wife had a feed of crawfish years ago and still raves about it. If you offered her this she would leave me for some.
> 
> Disco


Mudbugs are fine, Like AJ said they are really made to be a boiled family, neighbors and friends event with corn and new potatoes and onions..... and whatever the latest current fav fruit or veggie may be. I have seen party crews come to West Texas and feed 100's nay 1000's of people. Its rarely like it used to be. I have see a weddings catered with boiled crawfish.... think about sitting and sucking crawfish heads in a tux or a white gown!

I guess our memories are always better but, I saw my Pop's company have a crawfish boil for the local 'region'. They brought in 4 each 3/4 ton reefer trucks full of sacks! The best part was the one guy, there is always one in every company, well they popped his hubcaps and filled them with shells and put 'em back on.....ROFLMAO... that is a great story too!

Or spending a lazy hot day playing in the bar ditch with the other neighborhood guys while crawfishing for supper.

Its not just a food, it was a way of life. It sounds strange but its true.

If SWMBO'd leaves, I doubt she gets the wine? LOL......


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## disco (Mar 14, 2014)

Foamheart said:


> Mudbugs are fine, Like AJ said they are really made to be a boiled family, neighbors and friends event with corn and new potatoes and onions..... and whatever the latest current fav fruit or veggie may be. I have seen party crews come to West Texas and feed 100's nay 1000's of people. Its rarely like it used to be. I have see a weddings catered with boiled crawfish.... think about sitting and sucking crawfish heads in a tux or a white gown!
> 
> I guess our memories are always better but, I saw my Pop's company have a crawfish boil for the local 'region'. They brought in 4 each 3/4 ton reefer trucks full of sacks! The best part was the one guy, there is always one in every company, well they popped his hubcaps and filled them with shells and put 'em back on.....ROFLMAO... that is a great story too!
> 
> ...


That's the only thing she wouldn't get including parts of my physiology.


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## foamheart (Mar 14, 2014)

Venture said:


> Omg!
> 
> We could quibble over flour or cornstarch.  We could make a case for Creole at times.
> 
> ...


I am like you are, tomatoes, bell peppers, celery. flour, if you've crawfished and boiled and peeled, you'll pretty much always eat what is offered with a smile. Its all good, its just all good different. How can that be bad?


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## foamheart (Mar 14, 2014)

bigwheel said:


> We normally get invited to a big craw dad boil up here later in the year around late May. The host drives 40 miles on the other side of Shreveport to buy a bunch of tow sacks fulls of big old nice ones them Cajuns are trying to horde for themselves. They send the small skunky tasting models to God's Country ya know? Its a big old deal with free whskey and beer bbq etc. It gets crazy. Sure hope that guy aint mad about something and forget to invite us this year. Hey Foam you know anybody who gets caught putting beans in chili in these parts gets strung up to the nearest tree..if somebody happens to recall where is one. Now I ate lunch with an Iowa Native near each day for 20 years. Now they eat real funny. He demands kidney beans in his chili. Those folks are nuts huh?


 It takes all kinds.... but how ya know it is not good if ya don't try it?


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## smoking b (Mar 14, 2014)

Looks really good Foam!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





    Crazy ex girlfriend's dad was a trucker & when he would pass through Louisiana a couple times a year he would bring back a bunch of crawfish & steam them. You had to watch out for the pregnant ones lol. I catch them in the cricks around here in the summer but it's hard to get a good batch of them  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





   You have motivated me & I will try my best to get a good haul this summer! Thanks


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## bigwheel (Mar 14, 2014)

I accidentally ate a kidney bean one time. So I know about that kinda stuff..lol. Hey sounds you the feller who would know about this. I used to really love the red beans and rice from Popeyes..which I know them are some member of the kidney bean family..so no need to nag about that. Anyway I have been on quite a few wild goose chases over the years to clone some sorta similar. Got a any clues on that? I also have about a millon standarized cajun/creole recipes on a CD so if anybody needs any exotic mainly old timey recipes give me a holler. Now nearly all them require tweaking of course.


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## link (Mar 14, 2014)

Foam, that looks just awesome! I wish I could taste that here in MI.


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## foamheart (Mar 14, 2014)

Red beans is just red beans, add the trinity, add the water add the beans when the water boils, add the Andouille or sausage, cayenne and a bay leaf. When the water boils out add more boiling water. Add salt just before serving, I always heard salt makes the beans tuff, I don't know about that, but I agree that seasoning is usually wasted until about the last 15 to 30 mins. But that's just my idea. I do know if you par boil the beans with 1T of soda it will cut the cook time by removing the bean's husk. I always do white beans that way for a more creamy turn out.


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## foamheart (Mar 14, 2014)

Disco said:


> That's the only thing she wouldn't get including parts of my physiology.


LOL, its just the way of life.


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## foamheart (Mar 14, 2014)

Smoking B said:


> Looks really good Foam!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


When I was a wee little lad, knee high to a grass hopper, we lived in NC and all the kids would take a piece of bacon on a string and head to the creek to catch crawdad's. No we never ate 'em, but it was fun. And when the "Beverly Hillbillies" had that episode where they was smoking crawdad's in the park with all the hippies....... My Pop would laugh ta me.


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## foamheart (Mar 14, 2014)

link said:


> Foam, that looks just awesome! I wish I could taste that here in MI.


 Thank ye, and I wish ya could too!


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## bdskelly (Mar 15, 2014)

Nice bugs n gravy Kev. Makes me lonesome for N.O.

b


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## foamheart (Mar 15, 2014)

BDSkelly said:


> Nice bugs n gravy Kev. Makes me lonesome for N.O.
> 
> b


Thought ya might be ready for a change from gumbo.

BTW whatcha come up with on the tamale steamers?


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## moikel (Mar 15, 2014)

I love it . Crawfish are yabbies here,whole range of different species state by state. Many memories of catching them on a bit of meat tied on the end of string or pots. This was before they started farming them & cross breeding .They are stupid prices in the market but no muddy taste.

 We used to bring home chaff bags of them maybe 10 pound not bad for kids,& put them in an old bath for a day or so to get the muddy taste out. My mother not so thrilled but with her laundry full of critters but it kept us out of her hair.


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## bigwheel (Mar 15, 2014)

Well not be interupting any Cajun nostalgia here but us on the correct side of the Sabine was raised up on fried craw dad tails rolled in corn meal. Also sometimes called buck shot. Portion control was essential since they aint real big when they come out of the Crisco. Or as Granny say in her Hillbilly cookbook:

Figger eight to a plate,

Unless somebody is late.

Then give them four,

And they won't never be late any more.


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## foamheart (Mar 15, 2014)

Moikel said:


> I love it . Crawfish are yabbies here,whole range of different species state by state. Many memories of catching them on a bit of meat tied on the end of string or pots. This was before they started farming them & cross breeding .They are stupid prices in the market but no muddy taste.
> 
> We used to bring home chaff bags of them maybe 10 pound not bad for kids,& put them in an old bath for a day or so to get the muddy taste out. My mother not so thrilled but with her laundry full of critters but it kept us out of her hair.


With all the things people could think of when mentioning Louisiana, I pretty much figure crawfish is always one of 'em. Just like Mardi Gras and Bourbon St., crawfish are always there.

BTW you ever notice that they are crayfish everywhere except Louisiana? LOL

Cold beer and boiled yabbies' sounds good to me.


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## leah elisheva (Mar 15, 2014)

Foamheart your posts are such a treat!!!

From the step by step to the anecdotes and stories and tips, it's all so very enjoyable!

And it's fun to learn about this delicacy! Something new to me indeed!

Fantastic is your stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy weekend!!!!!!!!!

Cheers!!!!!!!! - Leah


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## dirtsailor2003 (Mar 15, 2014)

Excellent use of crawdads Foam! Need to get my pots out and go find me some! When I lived at the beach we used to go to a Park on the Siletz River called Moonshine park. There were nice warm rocks to sit on and sip hooch. We'd toss whole chickens on a string into the river. Pull them in every 15 minutes or so shake off the bugs into five gallon buckets till we had a few full!!! So good!!! Stop by the Oyster farm on the way home and have an Oyster and crawdad feast!


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## foamheart (Mar 15, 2014)

Leah Elisheva said:


> Foamheart your posts are such a treat!!!
> 
> From the step by step to the anecdotes and stories and tips, it's all so very enjoyable!
> 
> ...


Thank you Leah, I had to add something, its just butter and crawfish and onions..... doesn't call for a very big space to explain it.......


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## woodcutter (Mar 16, 2014)

Amazing post! We have them around here in lakes and creeks and I always wondered about different ways to make them. It is great to see the masters version!


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## foamheart (Mar 16, 2014)

Woodcutter said:


> Amazing post! We have them around here in lakes and creeks and I always wondered about different ways to make them. It is great to see the masters version!


Thank you sir, but not a master, just a coonazz.


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## bdskelly (Mar 16, 2014)

Foamheart said:


> Thank you sir, but not a master, just a coonazz.


Um yes. But a masterful one at being  that.


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## foamheart (Nov 12, 2014)

Its back! Looks like a possible impending freeze maybe tomorrow night. Sooooooo......... Grab the green onions before they go.

Lets just show some pictures. I actually forgot I had posted this before.













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And the last ........ here's lookin at ya Bear!













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Garden Salad, Brocolli, Crayfish Bisque, and Garlic toast.

Sorry for repetition, but I had the pictures already....... <chuckles>


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## bdskelly (Nov 14, 2014)

Sorry for the repetition? You should be sorry for not inviting me down there for dinner!  Looks great Kev.  b


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## foamheart (Nov 15, 2014)

Thanks sir......... The cold will end the onion season......


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