3 lbs. of peeled crawfish tails + packing juices             (Check the weight on the packs!  Bernard’s are only 12 ounces, so you need four)

3 large sweet onions            (Real Vidalia’s are the best followed by honey yellow and regular yellow)

2 large bell peppers

2 tablespoons of minced garlic

1 bundle of green onions (as a garnish)

2 sticks of salted butter

Approximately 4 tsp. of cornstarch (to thicken the juice)

4 cups of waterPat’s (or Tony’s “Salt Free”) Cajun seasoning

Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce

Balsamic (or any other sweet, dark) vinegar

TabascoPaprika        

Salt Coarse black pepper 

Clean and puree the yellow onions and bell peppers in a food processor.  Set them aside in a medium container. Melt one stick of butter in eight quart Magnalite oval roaster (or the near equivalent) over medium heat.  When the butter is melted, add the peeled tails, packing juices, 1 tablespoon Lea & Perrins, Pat’s seasoning, Tabasco, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of paprika for a rich, red color.  (Go easy on the Pat’s and Tabasco if kids or non-Cajuns are eating.)  Increase the heat, stir and sauté the tails uncovered for three to four minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat. Using a slotted spoon, move the tails to a cool container leaving the cooking juices in the pan. Combine the left over juice in the pan with the additional stick of butter, the pureed onion/bell pepper mix, 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, 1 additional tablespoon of Lea & Perrins, and 1-2 additional tablespoons or paprika for color.  Sautee the mixture over medium-high heat for 10 – 12 minutes or until it has a dark, uniform appearance and consistency.  Keep the pan covered for this part, but stir the mixture frequently to prevent burning. Dissolve 2 teaspoons of cornstarch in 16 ounces of cool water and set aside for later.   When the vegetables are ready, add the cooked tails to the vegetable slurry and heat over medium to a slow boil.  Slowly add the first two cups of the cornstarch/water mixture while stirring and maintaining the slow boil.  Repeat for the next two cups of the cornstarch/water mixture.  Cover and cook at a low boil for at least one hour.  Garnish with chopped green onion tops.  Serve over steamed rice. ·                            A “camp style” etouffee has a thinner consistency, diced vegetables instead of pureed, and more meat.  Use only 2 teaspoons of cornstarch in 4 cups of cool water and one extra pack of tail meat.·                            For the thicker, “restaurant style” add additional 1-2 tsp of cornstarch in 4 ounces of water as needed.  The etouffee can be thickened at any time during the final hours.·                            It’s wonderful with fresh shrimp, too.  I like to use 4 ½ to 5 pounds of headless (or 6 pounds of head-on) shrimp.  It takes about 4 pounds of cleaned shrimp to have a good taste.·                            Avoid the temptation to make it too spicy or hot.  Cayenne turns most people off.  

Joe Orsulak, MD