Austral 9/20/2003

1/2 c oil or margarine

1/2 flour

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 large celery stalk, finely chopped

3 fat cloves garlic, minced

2 1/2 c fairly rich shrimp broth

1 T lemon

1/2 c crawfish fat (substitute 3-4 T

crawfish liquid or crawfish stock)*

1 T lemon juice

1 t salt (omit if using crawfish stock)

1 T fresh parsley (1 t dried)

1/2 t cayenne pepper

1/2 t black pepper

1/2 t thyme

1 bay leaf

1 lb frozen crawfish, all liquid included

2 large scallion tops, sliced

cooked converted rice

Make a medium dark roux by whisking the flour into the oil over medium

heat and cooking, stirring constantly, until the mixture is the color

of chocolate. Add the onion along with the celery and garlic, and

sautee over medium low heat until vegetables are tender, about 10

minutes. Slowly add the shrimp stock, and bring to a boil. Lower heat

to a simmer, and add lemon juice, crawfish fat/stock/liquid, and the

spices. Simmer 15 minutes. Add the crawfish and any liquid, bring to

a rapid simmer, reduce to a low simmer, add the scallions, and simmer

just until the crawfish are tender, about 10 minutes. Adjust

seasonings. To serve, mound some rice in a plate, and ladle some of

the etouffee on top. This recipe makes about 4 servings.

Note: Crawfish fat gives the dish its characteristic flavor. In New

Orleans, it can be bought in the stores, but it\'s tough to find

elsewhere, so substitute. If you do find it, keep it refrigerated, as

it is very perishable. By crawfish liquid, I mean any run off from

frozen crawfish. Whenever you use crawfish for another reason (making

Cajun popcorn, say), you should save any liquid from the inside of the

package that remains after defrosting. This liquid is mainly water,

but it will be orange in color from the crawfish fat and meat.

Finally, to make crawfish stock, take a dozen or so crawfish heads left

over from a crawfish boil, and cover with some of the left over cooking

liquid or water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for

several hours. At the end of simmering, strain the stock, and reduce

in half. Be careful when using this stock because it will be very

salty. Omit any salt from the recipe, and adjust at the end.

COLLECTION: Cajun Recipes