Lawson State: Crawfish Etouffee

Ingredients:

• 1 stick (1/4 pound) butter

• 1 cup chopped onions

• 1/2 cup chopped celery

• 1/2 cup chopped bell peppers

• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes

• 1 pound peeled crawfish tails

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 tablespoon flour

• 1 cup water, or crawfish stock

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

• 3 tablespoons chopped green onions

Directions:

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, tomatoes and bell peppers and sauté until soft and golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the crawfish and bay leaves. Reduce the heat to low simmer. Stirring occasionally, cook until the crawfish begin throwing off a little liquid, 5 minutes.

Dissolve the flour in the mixture. Add to the water or crawfish stock, season with salt and cayenne. Stir until the mixture thickens, about 4 minutes. Add the parsley and green onions and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and serve. *Optional garnish: Steamed rice, chopped parsley.