Crawfish is indicative to Louisiana but now you can find crawfish all over, just make sure to look for Louisiana crawfish.  I try to buy extra bags of the crawfish tails when they are in season, to have year round. This popular dip takes minutes to prepare and everyone LOVES it. And, if you have extra (you probably won’t), serve over rice the next day!

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Crawfish Dip and Crawfish Pizza-Easy Louisiana Crawfish Recipes

Crawfish Goes Southwestern:  Freezer friendly recipe  Also, Southwestern Guacamole

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From Holly Clegg’s trim& TERRIFIC Gulf Coast Favorites Cookbook-all Louisiana and southern recipes for everyday cooking.

My Favorite Crawfish Enchiladas Cooking Video

Crawfish Etouffee

After adjusting back into school after winter break, I realized how much I missed my southern foods!  Within one week I made Crawfish Etouffee and Chicken and Sausage Gumbo both from my mom’s Gulf Coast Favorites book.  All of my friends at school love southern cooking and hover around my kitchen when I am cooking.  I always love to share southern recipes, because my friends always rave about how tasty the recipes are.  Both recipes took very little time and were full of flavor.  The only downside is that seafood is extremely expensive in St. Louis.  After a few grocery bills, my parents cut my southern craving down to only a few seafood recipes per month!

Crawfish Etouffee recipe from Holly Clegg’s trim&TERRIFIC Gulf Coast Favorites Cookbook

The key ingredients in this popular Louisiana staple are tender crawfish simmered with onion, green pepper, and garlic stared with a light roux.   This easy to follow recipe will quickly become part of your Cajun recipe repertoire.

Makes 4 (1-cup) servings

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 cup fat-free chicken broth

1 tablespoon paprika

1 pound crawfish tails, rinsed and drained

Salt and pepper to taste

1 bunch green onion tops only, finely chopped

1.  In large nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, melt butter, stir in flour.
2.  Cook over medium heat until light brown, 5–8 minutes, stirring constantly. Add onion, green pepper, and garlic, sauté until tender, 5 minutes.
3.  Gradually add chicken broth, stir until thickened. Add paprika and crawfish. Bring to boil.

4.  Reduce heat, cover, cook 20–25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Salt and pepper to taste.
5.  Stir in green onions, cook another few minutes.

Nutritional information per serving: Calories 210, Calories from fat (%) 31, Fat (g) 8, Saturated Fat (g) 4, Cholesterol (mg) 170, Sodium (mg) 257, Carbohydrate (g) 13, Dietary Fiber (g) 4, Sugars (g) 4, Protein (g) 22, Diabetic Exchanges: 1 carbohydrate, 3 lean meat

Terrific Tidbit: The browned flour and oil creates a roux that gives the etouffee that deep rich flavor.

Missing the South – Crawfish Etouffee

Watch Holly prepare Crawfish and Sweet Potato Bisque on her November cooking segment on This Week in Louisiana Agriculture.  Here is the recipe for Crawfish and Sweet Potato Bisque

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Holly’s trim&TERRIFIC Kitchen on This Week in Louisiana Agriculture

Well, sometimes there is a recipe that just seems to pop up and get requested again and again–that is whythis fantatic soup made my list of 2009 favorites–yes, a crawfish recipe.  Look for a package of crawfish tails in your seafood market or freezer section–if you aren’t from Louisiana–don’t think we actually sit there and peel the crawfish–we purchase bags of crawfish tails!  Be sure to look for Louisiana crawfish tails…and if you can’t find crawfish, you may substitute shrimp or make this a vegetarian Sweet Potato Bisque, as this soup is so flavorful it can stand on its own.  This satisfying sweet potato based soup with a hint of sweetness and touch of curry highlights crawfish with a pleasing and unbeatable flavor.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 cup molasses
1/2 teaspoon ground curry powder
4 cups fat-free chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can sweet potatoes (yams), drained, or 1 cup fresh sweet potatoes, cooked, mashed
1/2 cup fat-free Half & Half
1 pound crawfish tails, drained and rinsed
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
1.  In large nonstick pot coated with nonstick cooking spray, heat oil, sauté onion, green pepper, celery, garlic until tender, 7-10 minutes.
2.  Stir in flour, stir one minute. Add molasses, curry, chicken broth, and sweet potatoes, bring to a boil.
3.  Reduce heat, cook 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add Half & Half and crawfish, season to taste.
4.  Continue cooking 5 more minutes or until heated thoroughly.

Makes 8 (1-cup) servings
Food Facts

Calories 189
Calories from fat (%) 13
Fat (g) 3
Saturated Fat (g) 0
Cholesterol (mg) 78
Sodium (mg) 300
Carbohydrate (g) 27
Dietary Fiber (g) 3
Sugars (g) 8
Protein (g) 14
Diabetic Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 1 1/2 very lean meat

TERRIFIC TIDBIT: Bisque is a thick, creamy, rich soup. Don’t let the name intimidate you.

Extraodinary Soup: Crawfish and Sweet Potato Bisque