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Étouffée

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Étouffée
Crawfish étouffée, served at a restaurant in New Orleans
TypeStew
CourseMain
Place of originUnited States
Main ingredientsShellfish, rice

Étouffée or etouffee (pronounced [e.tu.fe] ay-too-FAY) is a dish found in both Cajun and Creole cuisine typically served with shellfish over rice. The dish employs a technique known as smothering, a popular method of cooking in the Cajun areas of southwest Louisiana. Étouffée is most popular in New Orleans and in the Acadiana area of the southernmost half of Louisiana as well as the coastal counties of Mississippi, Alabama, and eastern Texas.

Etymology

In French, the word "étouffée" (borrowed into English as "stuffed" or "stifled") means, literally, "smothered" or "suffocated", from the verb "étouffer".[1]

Description

Another version of crawfish étouffée

Étouffée can be made with any shellfish such as crab or shrimp, though the most popular version of the dish is made with crawfish, referred to in the North US as "crayfish". A sauce is made from a light or blond roux, seasoned, and simmered with the seafood. Étouffée is typically served over rice.

Depending on who is making it and where it is being made it is flavored with either Creole or Cajun seasonings. Although Creole and Cajun cuisines are distinct, there are many similarities.[2] In the case of the Creole version of crawfish étouffée, it is made with a blonde or brown roux and sometimes tomatoes are added.[3][4] A blond roux is one that is cooked, stirring constantly, for approximately 20 minutes to remove the "raw" flavor of the flour and to add a slightly "nutty" flavor, while a brown roux is cooked longer (30 to 35 minutes) in order to deepen the color and flavor.[5]

History

This recipe originated from the DeJonghe's Hotel and Restaurant in Chicago. Approximately in the 1950s crawfish etouffée was introduced to restaurant goers in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, however the date of invention of this dish has been shown as early as the late 1920s by some sources.[6][7] Originally crawfish étouffée was a popular dish in the bayous and backwaters of Louisiana amongst Cajuns in the area. Around 1983 a waiter at the popular Bourbon Street restaurant Galatoire's brought the crawfish étouffée dish in to his boss to try. At the time most of the food in New Orleans was French Creole but this Cajun dish was a hit.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ Louisianaliving.com Archived October 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Louisianafishfry.com Archived April 21, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Crawfish Étouffée". neworleansonline.com. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
  4. ^ Wuerthner, Terri. "Creole and Cajun Cookery Different Yet Similar". Retrieved Jan 4, 2014.
  5. ^ "All About Roux". Allrecipes.com.
  6. ^ "City Government of Breaux Bridge Louisiana, History of Breaux Bridge". Retrieved Jan 4, 2014.
  7. ^ "Saveur Magazine, Crawfish Étouffée". Bonnier Travel & Epicurean Group. Jan 17, 2007. Retrieved Jan 4, 2014.
  8. ^ Cason, Colleen (February 13, 2009). "From Swamp to Swank: Flavor Elevates Crawfish Étouffée", Ventura County Star. Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
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