One of my favorite restaurants is Superior Seafood in New Orleans. They have this amazing crawfish cornbread appetizer that I always get when I visit. I decided to try my hand at it and make a jalapeño cornbread topped with crawfish étouffée. This crawfish cornbread is so savory and perfect for the fall and winter seasons.
Étouffée (eh-two-fay) a French term meaning “to smother” which refers to the rich gravy that smothers and surrounds the crawfish.
Crawfish étouffée is a classic Louisiana dish with fresh crawfish tails in a buttery, rich and full flavor gravy, along with more herbs and spices. As with many native Louisiana dishes, étouffee begins with a roux and holy trinity base.
What is a roux?
Roux is a mixture of flour and fat (in this case, butter) cooked together over low to medium heat; once the mixture reaches the right consistency and color, the finished roux is used thicken sauces and gravies.
Holy Trinity
In the cooking context, the holy trinity is the Louisiana cajun and creole version of the French mirepoix; in French cooking it consists of onions, carrots and celery, whereas the Louisiana holy trinity is onions, bell peppers and celery. This combination is the foundation of many classic cajun and creole dishes, including jambalaya, gumbo, and shrimp creole.
The crawfish cornbread is so good that you’ll forget that étouffée is traditionally served with rice. I added jalapeños and cheddar cheese to enhance the spice and savory notes of the dish.
Crawfish Cornbread
Ingredients
Cornbread
Roux
Étouffée
Instructions
Make the cornbread
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Pre-heat the oven to 375°. Coat a 9x9 baking dish with cooking oil spray all over the bottom and sides of the pan.
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Combine cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt in a bowl.
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In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, butter, and eggs, and whisk until combined.
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Pour wet mixture in to the dry mixture, and slowly mix until fully combined. Be careful to not over mix.
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Fold in jalapeños and cheddar cheese until combined into the cornbread batter.
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Let cornbread batter sit for 10 minutes, then pour into the baking dish and spread it evenly.
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Bake cornbread for 30-35 minutes, or until cornbread is fully done. Remove from oven and set aside.
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Make the étouffee
Begin with making the roux by melting butter in a dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat.
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Whisk in flour, stirring continuously for 10-15 minutes until you achieve a peanut butter/milk chocolate colored roux.
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Add onion, bell pepper and celery, and stir into roux. Let cook until vegetables are tender, stirring frequently.
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Stir in garlic and bay leaf, and let cook for another minute.
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Season vegetables with Cajun seasoning and Italian seasoning , and stir.
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In a separate pot, bring stock up to a boil and then pour stock into holy trinity; whisk to combine.
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Bring mixture to a boil and then turn heat down to a simmer; adjust thickness as needed with more stock if too thin.
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In a separate skillet, melt a stick of butter over medium heat. Stir in crawfish and green onions. Sauté for 1 minute.
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Pour crawfish mixture into your étouffée base and stir; allow to cook for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
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Slice a piece of cornbread onto a plate and top with a ladle of étouffée. Garnish with more green onions.
