Crawfish Etouffee

Ingredients

6 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 1/2 cups fish or shrimp stock
1 cup peeled, seeded and diced tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Tabasco to taste
2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 pounds crawfish tails, with the fat
Juice of half a lemon
1 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Cooked white rice for serving

Instructions

In a large, heavy saucepan melt 4 tablespoons of the butter and whisk in flour to combine well. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until roux is a peanut butter color. Add onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic, bay leaves and thyme and cook until vegetables are soft, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add stock, tomatoes, salt, red pepper, Tabasco and Worcestershire Sauce and bring to a boil. Skim surface, reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add crawfish tails and fat, lemon juice, green onions and parsley and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining butter and stir to combine well. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve over hot rice.

Yield: 8 servings