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Started By
Message
Need Etouffee Suggestions
Posted on 11/27/18 at 10:49 am
Posted on 11/27/18 at 10:49 am
Tried my hand at a seafood etouffee for the first time the other night. Outside of screwing up the damn roux, thereby throwing off the color and texture of the dish, it turned out pretty damn tasty.
I used trinity, shrimp, lump crab, diced andouille, diced tomatoes, clam juice, pinot grigio, and spices.
Curious what you LA folks think I would be best served to add next time? I wanted to use crawfish instead of shrimp but the only thing I could find was a pack of frozen crawfish from Spain...wasn't sure how they'd taste.
This was my first attempt at a roux. I totally butchered it by using too much butter. I stood there and stirred that mofo for 40 mins before giving up on it changing colors or thickening . I decided to watch a youtube video after cooking and I realized just how bad I screwed it up. The videos all showed pastes, mine was liquid. I'm a transplanted Yankee so roux are not something I grew up eating, cooking, or learning about. Lesson learned!
I used trinity, shrimp, lump crab, diced andouille, diced tomatoes, clam juice, pinot grigio, and spices.
Curious what you LA folks think I would be best served to add next time? I wanted to use crawfish instead of shrimp but the only thing I could find was a pack of frozen crawfish from Spain...wasn't sure how they'd taste.
This was my first attempt at a roux. I totally butchered it by using too much butter. I stood there and stirred that mofo for 40 mins before giving up on it changing colors or thickening . I decided to watch a youtube video after cooking and I realized just how bad I screwed it up. The videos all showed pastes, mine was liquid. I'm a transplanted Yankee so roux are not something I grew up eating, cooking, or learning about. Lesson learned!
Posted on 11/27/18 at 10:53 am to mmmmmbeeer
I've used store bought frozen crawfish in a pinch before and what I did was thaw them and add a pinch of our seafood seasoning used in boils to kick up the flavor of the crawfish. Most of the processed crawfish from outside La. are either steamed or parboiled before peeling with little to no flavoring in the water.
Posted on 11/27/18 at 11:14 am to mmmmmbeeer
quote:
I used trinity, shrimp, lump crab, diced andouille, diced tomatoes, clam juice, pinot grigio, and spices.
hmm.
I just make a roux with butter and flour, sautee the trinity, add crawfish tails with the fat, then add water or stock to thin it out just a bit.
Posted on 11/27/18 at 11:18 am to TH03
quote:
I just make a roux with butter and flour, sautee the trinity, add crawfish tails with the fat, then add water or stock to thin it out just a bit.
Same here, but heavy on the onions. Finish with a little green onion and parsley...season with Tony's, red and black pepper, plus garlic.
Posted on 11/27/18 at 11:20 am to mmmmmbeeer
quote:
Need Etouffee Suggestions
Get a new recipe. There's way too much going on with that. Butter roux, trinity, seafood, stock and some basic herbs is all you really need. And no etouffee roux should take 40 minutes, it's not gumbo.
Posted on 11/27/18 at 11:36 am to Trout Bandit
I used the clam juice and wine in place of stock and, really, I liked the briny, dry flavor that combo brought to the dish....used about about 8oz of each.
I guess what I'm learning is I am not really making etouffee, just some bastardized version of it.
I guess what I'm learning is I am not really making etouffee, just some bastardized version of it.
Posted on 11/27/18 at 11:39 am to OTIS2
quote:
Finish with a little green onion and parsley...season with Tony's, red and black pepper, plus garlic.
I'm like you, otis, these are a given in nearly everything I cook.
Posted on 11/27/18 at 12:54 pm to mmmmmbeeer
quote:I love andouille, but I don't usually associate it with etouffee.
I used trinity, shrimp, lump crab, diced andouille, diced tomatoes, clam juice, pinot grigio, and spices.
If you're going to put tomato product in, I wouldn't use diced. I think etouffee should be smooth, not chunky.
Posted on 11/27/18 at 1:04 pm to mmmmmbeeer
if you want a small victory etoufee-wise, there is a shortcut/crutch you can use in a pinch.
(purists...avert your eyes)
it provides body, flavor and helps emulsify the butter/oils you use. i dont use it but i know plenty who do, and it does make a decent etoufee. just a couple spoonfuls straight out of the can.
(purists...avert your eyes)
it provides body, flavor and helps emulsify the butter/oils you use. i dont use it but i know plenty who do, and it does make a decent etoufee. just a couple spoonfuls straight out of the can.
Posted on 11/27/18 at 1:51 pm to mmmmmbeeer
Roux is not really what gives an etouffee its color, because you are supposed to make a blonde roux. The tail fat is what is supposed to give it the orange color. However I usually don't have any so I just add a tiny bit of tomato paste for that (I know...tomatoes...blasphemy etc). The small amount of paste doesn't really affect the flavor. It's more for the aesthetics.
You only needed those first two ingredients dude. All that other stuff does not belong in an etouffee...crab maybe.
Shrimp are fine dude. Don't get those nasty frozen foreign crawfish.
Yep. Once you understand what the mixture should look and feel like when stirring, it's easy to make. Next time, just add more flour if you don't get that paste texture.
I don't doubt it did, but that doesn't make it etouffee. It sounds pretentious, but it's true.
And the key to making a great etouffee is using a good seafood stock.
quote:
I used trinity, shrimp, lump crab, diced andouille, diced tomatoes, clam juice, pinot grigio, and spices.
You only needed those first two ingredients dude. All that other stuff does not belong in an etouffee...crab maybe.
quote:
I wanted to use crawfish instead of shrimp but the only thing I could find was a pack of frozen crawfish from Spain...wasn't sure how they'd taste.
Shrimp are fine dude. Don't get those nasty frozen foreign crawfish.
quote:
This was my first attempt at a roux. I totally butchered it by using too much butter. I stood there and stirred that mofo for 40 mins before giving up on it changing colors or thickening . I decided to watch a youtube video after cooking and I realized just how bad I screwed it up. The videos all showed pastes, mine was liquid.
Yep. Once you understand what the mixture should look and feel like when stirring, it's easy to make. Next time, just add more flour if you don't get that paste texture.
quote:
it turned out pretty damn tasty.
I don't doubt it did, but that doesn't make it etouffee. It sounds pretentious, but it's true.
And the key to making a great etouffee is using a good seafood stock.
This post was edited on 11/27/18 at 4:01 pm
Posted on 11/27/18 at 1:52 pm to mmmmmbeeer
quote:
I guess what I'm learning is I am not really making etouffee, just some bastardized version of it.
It sounds more like a seafood stew to me. Nothing wrong with that.
Posted on 11/27/18 at 2:17 pm to mmmmmbeeer
I just made a batch last week. blond roux, trinity, pope, couple of bay leaves, some tomato paste, cajun seasoning (EE), chicken stock, lobster base, shrimp. Served over blackened catfish and basmati rice. Pretty simple dish, really.
This post was edited on 11/27/18 at 2:18 pm
Posted on 11/27/18 at 2:32 pm to cgrand
quote:The cream of shrimp is clutch.
cgrand
Posted on 11/27/18 at 2:44 pm to sjmabry
all it really is is "seafood base"...but it does add salt so plan accordingly. and SUB is right on about the crawfish fat, without the fat in the bag of tails getting etouffee right is difficult. again, this is where the shrimp soup helps tremendously
if you are in SE LA and can get good, local frozen tails with fat, you dont need it. if you are out of town, it makes a good etoufee possible
if you are in SE LA and can get good, local frozen tails with fat, you dont need it. if you are out of town, it makes a good etoufee possible
Posted on 11/27/18 at 3:48 pm to mmmmmbeeer
I use no roux. Just crawfish smothered in copious amounts of trinity. G. onion and parsley to finish. To thicken a bit, I turn off the heat, throw in unsalted butter and let it emulsify.
Posted on 11/27/18 at 5:09 pm to OTIS2
What Otis said. If you want tomato in your etouffee, use a teaspoon of tomato paste. for most, that would be plenty.
However, I vote for Otis's recipe.
However, I vote for Otis's recipe.
Posted on 11/27/18 at 5:35 pm to mmmmmbeeer
Most people mean crawfish etouffee if they say they’re making an etouffee, but among French speakers in SE LA, the word is more broadly used to refer to a cooking method....To etouffee something is to smother it, Ask the people DTB (by which I mean Bayou Lafourche), and they’ll talk of etouffee des patates (smothered potatoes usually with onions and garlic), etouffee du macaroni (a slightly wet dish made w elbow noodles and a protein like shrimp or sausage often w green olives), or smothered cabbage and so on.
The general idea is to brown onions and perhaps bell pepper, celery and usually garlic in butter or pork fat/bacon grease then add a main ingredient and a small amount of liquid. Cooking time depends on the ingredient added.
The “canonical” crawfish etouffee starts the same way, most ppl add a tablespoon or two of tomato paste to brown once the onions have sufficient color. This evolved to add color and body because pre-peeled crawfish aren’t as fatty as home-peeled crawfish, and it’s the crawfish fat that truly makes crawfish etouffee into something special.
The general idea is to brown onions and perhaps bell pepper, celery and usually garlic in butter or pork fat/bacon grease then add a main ingredient and a small amount of liquid. Cooking time depends on the ingredient added.
The “canonical” crawfish etouffee starts the same way, most ppl add a tablespoon or two of tomato paste to brown once the onions have sufficient color. This evolved to add color and body because pre-peeled crawfish aren’t as fatty as home-peeled crawfish, and it’s the crawfish fat that truly makes crawfish etouffee into something special.
Posted on 11/27/18 at 6:00 pm to mmmmmbeeer
quote:
I used the clam juice and wine in place of stock and, really, I liked the briny, dry flavor that combo brought to the dish....used about about 8oz of each.
I've never used wine in etoufee, and a cup seems like an awful lot.
I do mine like TH03 and Otis--no andouille, no diced tomatoes. As someone said, if you want it redder or more tomatoey, use a little tomato paste.
Posted on 11/27/18 at 6:50 pm to mmmmmbeeer
Oven roux. 350, 1.5 hours, stir every 20 minutes, foolproof.
And like another poster said, you have way too much going on.
And like another poster said, you have way too much going on.
This post was edited on 11/27/18 at 6:52 pm
Posted on 11/27/18 at 8:55 pm to mmmmmbeeer
Billy Boy’s from Donald Link’s Real Cajun is the best I’ve had. Relies on having a good bit of the fat though.
This post was edited on 11/27/18 at 9:55 pm
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