Monday, March 24, 2014

Ruby Tuesday Too - Louisiana Crawfish - March 24, 2014




My month long trip to the South in January was a wonderful visit to friends and family.
I was also delighted to feast on some of my favorite foods, from grits to barbecue to 
raw oysters to catfish and, of course, as I had hoped, Louisiana crawfish were in
season when I arrived in New Orleans.

Crawfish prices have certainly gone up!!  Nearly fifty years ago, when I started
nursing school at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, you could buy boiled crawfish,
three pounds for a dollar.  This past weekend, because of recent cold temperatures,
crawfish cost six dollars a pound at the Louisiana Crawfish Festival!

Crawfish, or crayfish, or "mudbugs" as some call them are freshwater crustaceans
that look like small lobsters.  They are found mainly in brooks and streams with
fresh water running through, to meet the huge demand, the main source is through
aquaculture.  Lousiana produces most of the world's crawfish.

With the tail being the only really edible part ( the claws provide barely any meat ),
you have to eat quite a bit to feel full.  Crawfish are GOOD eating, though,
and it is easy to consume several pounds!

In case you've got crawfish handy, here's a recipe from the Food Network,
compliments of Emeril Lagasse.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/crawfish-etouffee-recipe2.html

Crawfish Etouffee

21 Reviews 

Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2001
SHOW:  The Essence of Emeril

EPISODE:  CAST IRON

Total Time:  1 hr 50 min    Prep:   30 min     Cook:    1 hr 20 min

Yield:8 servings

Level:Intermediate 

CATEGORIES 

Crawfish Main Dish Southern

Ingredients

6 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

2 cups chopped onions

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 1/2 cups fish or shrimp stock

1 cup peeled, seeded and diced tomatoes

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Hot pepper sauce

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 pounds crawfish tails, with the fat

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 cup chopped green onions

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Cooked white rice, for serving

Directions

In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter and whisk in flour to combine well
Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until roux is a peanut butter color.

Add onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme and cook until vegetables are

soft, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add stock, tomatoes, salt, red pepper, hot sauce, and

 Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil.

Skim surface, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring

occasionally.

Add crawfish tails and fat, lemon juice, green onions, and parsley and cook for 15 to 20

 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining butter and stir to combine well. Taste and adjust

 seasoning if necessary. Serve over hot rice
.
Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/crawfish-etouffee-

recipe2.html?oc=linkback

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crayfish


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17 comments:

  1. Oh, your pictures of crawfish brings back so many memories!
    I love crawfish and Cajun kitchen, some of the finest food of the world.
    So good to hear you managed to spend January down there.
    Cheers,
    Merisi

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I started out my trip in Tampa, then went to Atlanta and Columbus, Georgia, then on to New Orleans. I gained ten pounds that month but it was worth the indulgence. In New Orleans, I really splurged!! Soft shell crabs, raw and grilled oysters, crawfish boiled and etoufee, wonderful desserts. Good thing I lost forty pounds in India last year and now I have to get this ten pounds off/

      Delete
  2. Used to catch them in the creek when I was a kid, but I've never eaten them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are several crawfish restaurants up here in the Sacramento area so I plan to try one of them soon. I love them. Myy friend used to fly them out from New Orleans but that was way too expensive.

      Delete
  3. Now if I was eating anything like that, I'd have to have it shelled and not look too much like the whole fish!
    I shouldn't really be eating fish at all really as it seems a bit hypocritical!
    Maggie x

    Nuts in May

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I used to hate eating anything that had its eyes showing,..crab, lobster, crawfish, etc...but I outgrew my aversion if it tasted good and I was going to miss out!!!

      Delete
  4. «Louis» remembers feasting on crawdads when he visited a friend in Lake Charles, LA. At the time, they were fabulous - but he can't eat any kind of seafood anymore. He's developed an allergy to anything that comes out of the water... :-(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would hate to have a seafood allergy..so far, in my 69 years, I'm only allergic to a few grasses, etc...get the sniffles but nothing else...oh, yes, cats and rabbits have my eyes watering, too.

      Delete
  5. Thanks for the recipe. Your shot is so appealing, Carmen.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Lina...it didn't take me long to finish off that plate of crawfish and I had a softshell crab, grilled oysters and a couple of other things, too.

      Delete
  6. so yummy!!! wish to have some.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I would love to have it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Very delicious. I've consumed many pounds, especially in my youth when they weren't expensive...raw oysters, too, which I really love...and escargot!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I can't eat any kind of fish but I can understand that you would want to eat these in New Orleans. Love your spring header.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you for the recipe, Carmen :)

    ReplyDelete
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    ReplyDelete