Do you like Dutch oven cooking? How about Prawn or Shrimp Etouffee? How about taking a walk around the campus of your favorite university? Well, grab your favorite dutch oven and follow me. When we’re done, you’ll have a great lip-smacking gift that will have all your friends running back for more. You better cook extra biscuits because with a rich recipe like this you’re going to want to savor every drop. What you will need:
- A 4-5 gallon Jambalaya pot or a 12-20 QT Dutch oven. My philosophy has always been that I’d rather have a dutch oven that’s too big than one that’s too small.
- A controllable heat source, either the top of an oven or a propane burner.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup of flour
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped or 1 can Rotel tomatoes (do not drain)
- 2 cups water or fish broth or clam juice
- 1/2 teaspoon basil
- 1/4 teaspoon thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 pounds crawfish, peeled (shrimp may be substituted)
- 1 cup chopped green onions, including leafy greens
- 4 teaspoons hot sauce – your preference or replace with a pinch of cayenne pepper
Step One: Make a Roux! This is one of the most important parts. One of the things that makes this recipe so rich in flavor is the fact that I make a roux from scratch. If you’ve never made a roux before, relax, it’s not that hard. You just need to pay close attention to the job at hand or things can go wrong. The key to making a good roux is to cook it long enough to get a deep brown color with rich flavor, but cook it slowly enough so it doesn’t burn. A charred roux makes the etouffee taste bad. To make a roux, heat your dutch oven or jambalaya pot over high heat, then add the oil. Heat the oil until very hot and add the flour, salt and black pepper. At this point, reduce the heat slightly and stir the mixture with a large spoon or paddle. IMPORTANT: DO NOT LET THE FLOUR STAND FOR A LONG TIME WITHOUT MOVING IT OR YOU WILL BURN YOUR ROUX!!! Stir almost continuously until your roux reaches your desired color, the darker the roux the richer the flavor. This should take several minutes. Remember, patience is a virtue and it takes patience to make a roux.
Step Two: Start Mixing the Ingredients At this point, toss the bell pepper, onion, garlic, and celery, one at a time, into the Dutch oven. Your redhead will “dry,” but don’t worry. Cook these items until they begin to soften. Remember to stir frequently to avoid burning the dish or the roux sticking to the dutch oven.
Step Three – Add the Tomatoes, Spices, and Water After the onions and peppers start to soften, add the water, tomatoes, basil, thyme, bay leaf, and cayenne or hot sauce. Cook over medium high heat. Stir well, then reduce the heat, cover the dutch oven or jambalaya pot, and simmer for about fifteen minutes. The broth should thicken a bit.
Step Four – Add Crabs or Shrimp After simmering for about fifteen minutes, remove the lid from the dutch oven and add your meat of choice to the dish. Bring this to a slow boil and cook for five to ten minutes uncovered.
Step Five: Remove and Serve After boiling for about ten minutes, remove the dutch oven from the heat source and remove the bay leaf from the dish. Replace the lid on the plate and let stand until ready to serve. An indicator of how long to let the dish rest is to prepare the rice while the dish rests.
Step Six: Serve and watch your guests come running back for more. This dish is delicious when served with fresh homemade crackers and served over rice. Garnish with the chopped green onions. Follow it up with a lemon meringue or lemon ice box cake.
