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Crawfish Étouffée

Name: Crawfish Étouffée
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 lb crawfish tails, with fat if available; 1/2 cup unsalted butter; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 1 onion, chopped; 1 green bell pepper, chopped; 2 stalks celery, chopped; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 2 cups seafood stock; 1 tsp Cajun seasoning; 1/2 tsp cayenne; 1/2 tsp dried thyme; Salt and black pepper; 3 cups cooked white rice, for serving; 2 tbsp chopped parsley, for garnish

Tender crawfish tails smothered in a buttery, spiced roux sauce, spooned generously over steamed rice.

⏱ 20 minPrep time

🔥 30 minCook time

🍽 6Servings

🏷 DinnerCategory

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Crawfish étouffée is the signature dish of south Louisiana — tender crawfish tails smothered in a buttery, roux-thickened sauce with the holy trinity and plenty of spice, spooned over a mound of white rice. ‘Étouffée’ means ‘smothered,’ and that’s exactly what happens.

Smothered, the Louisiana way

Tender crawfish tails in a rich, buttery roux sauce with the holy trinity, served over white rice.

Louisiana / Cajun-Creole recipes →

Step by stepInstructions

Melt the butter in a large pot and whisk in the flour. Cook, stirring, until the roux is light golden, about 6-8 minutes.
Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
Slowly whisk in the stock, then add the Cajun seasoning, cayenne, and thyme. Simmer 15 minutes until thickened.
Stir in the crawfish tails and cook 5 minutes more, until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve over rice, garnished with parsley.

💡 Chef tips & storage

Cook the roux to a light golden color for étouffée — it should be rich, not dark. Add the crawfish just to warm through; overcooking makes them rubbery.

Recipe details

Prep20 min

Cook30 min

Servings6

CategoryDinner

PublishedAugust 16, 2026

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →

Crawfish Étouffée

Smothered, the Louisiana way

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💡 Chef tips & storage

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Crawfish Étouffée

Smothered, the Louisiana way

Step by stepInstructions

💡 Chef tips & storage

Rate this recipe

Recipe details

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

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