Crawfish Etoufee
I am a granddaughter of New Orleans.
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I have never lived there. I don't speak Creole. Or French (with any level of proficiency) but my life has been filled with powdered-covered beignets, thick étouffées, spicy jambalayas, crunchy pralines, savory filé and lots of stories about my family and culture that originated in the Crescent City.
My grandfather was from New Orleans. After being recruited by St. Augustine's University in Raleigh, he and my grandma made a life in North Carolina. He was the track and field, football and gymnastics coach at Winston-Salem State University back in the 1960s and early 70s.
Every year my immediate family and I go on a week-long trip to spend time with one another, relax, rejuvenate for the upcoming year and just enjoy life. Last year, we decided to go back to our roots and visit New Orleans. When is the best time to visit? Mardi Gras season, of course! Last year was my first time enjoying New Orleans as an adult.
This year, the Millers are heading back down to the bayou for Mardi Gras and I need to get ready.
I'm getting ready with some gumbo and crawfish étouffée.
Etouffée means "smothered". Basically, you're smothering the vegetables and meat in a roux and seasonings. You can make an etouffée out of anything, I suppose. Typically, it's made with shellfish. So, we'll go with that.
The Mardi Gras parades are the best part of the season. It's not about the beads and showing your boobs to get them. It's a family event! Everyone takes coolers full of food and drink, camp chairs, ladders (to see over the crowds of people), reusable grocery bags to take home all of the goodies and beads you catch from the floats.
Mardi Gras means "Fat Tuesday" in French. Mardi Gras (also called Shrove Tuesday) is more than just the day before Ash Wednesday. It's a lifestyle, a culture, a series of events, parties, parades and masquerade balls that begin on January 6 (also called Twelfth Night or the Twelfth Day of Christmas) and lasts until Ash Wednesday, which is 46 days before Easter Sunday.
I can't wait to get back to NOLA and share my adventures with you. Be sure to follow me on Twitter OR Facebook so you can get live updates on Mardi Gras 2013!
Laissez les bons temps rouler! (Lay say lay bohn tohn roo lay)
Let the good times roll!
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My grandfather was from New Orleans. After being recruited by St. Augustine's University in Raleigh, he and my grandma made a life in North Carolina. He was the track and field, football and gymnastics coach at Winston-Salem State University back in the 1960s and early 70s.
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| My uncle, enjoying Mardi Gras |
This year, the Millers are heading back down to the bayou for Mardi Gras and I need to get ready.
Crawfish Étouffée
Yield: 4-6
Every year my immediate family and I go on a week-long trip to spend time with one another, relax, rejuvenate for the upcoming year and just enjoy life. Last year, we decided to go back to our roots and visit New Orleans. When is the best time to visit? Mardi Gras season, of course! Last year was my first time enjoying New Orleans as an adult.
This year, the Millers are heading back down to the bayou for Mardi Gras and I need to get ready. I'm getting ready with some gumbo and crawfish étouffée.
Ingredients
- 8 T(1 stick) butter
- 1 cup EACH finely chopped onions, bell peppers, celery
- 1 T Creole seasoning
- 1 T flour
- 1 cup fish or vegetable stock, warm
- 2 bay leaves
- 1lb crawfish tails
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- 2 T chopped parsley
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large skillet on medium-high heat.
- Add onions, celery, peppers and cook until soft, 15-20 minutes.
- Add flour and cook for 10 minutes, until a light blonde color.
- Whisk in stock, add bay leaves and turn heat up to High to bring the pan to a simmer.
- Reduce heat to low for 25 minutes.
- Stir in crawfish, green onions and parsley. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with rice.
Calories
415.99Fat (grams)
25.97Sat. Fat (grams)
15.37Carbs (grams)
11.66Fiber (grams)
1.94Net carbs
9.73Sugar (grams)
4.21Protein (grams)
35.02Sodium (milligrams)
1276.72Cholesterol (grams)
222.65Please consult a healthcare professional or dietician about nutritional needs for your diet. I am a communications professional, not a physician.
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| Crawfish tails with creole seasoning |
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| Blonde roux mixing with the "trinity" |
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| Chopped green onions, waiting for the pan |
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| ♪♫Jambalaya and a crawfish pie and filé gumbo 'Cause tonight, I'm gonna see my ma cher a mi-o♫♪ |
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| Year-long beaded tree decoration |
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| Harry Connick, Jr. is in this photo |
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| At Pat O'Brien's, with the original Hurricane |
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| A balcony decorated for Mardi Gras |
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| A St. Charles Ave streetcar. Made in NORTH CAROLINA! |
Laissez les bons temps rouler! (Lay say lay bohn tohn roo lay)
Let the good times roll!
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About the author
Nikki Miller-Ka
Ms. Miller-Ka is a classically trained chef with a BA in English from East Carolina University and a Culinary Arts Associate Degree from Le Cordon Bleu-Miami.
Formerly, she’s worked as a researcher, an editorial assistant, reporter and guest blogger for various publications and outlets in the Southeast. She has also worked as a catering chef, a pastry chef, a butcher, a baker, and a biscuit-maker. Presently, she is a food editor, freelance food writer, and a tour guide for Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tours.
I've never been to NOLA. It's on my bucket list though. It does seem that other places are getting into the Mardi Gras tradition, but sadly it seems to be all about drinking and not about tradition and culture.
ReplyDeleteMake it happen, Rachel! It's such a wondrous place! I feel that Mardi Gras has turned into St. Patrick's Day and it's all about the drinking and wearing of green. I am not enthusiastic about or connected to that "holiday" any more than most, but I'm all about some drinking and having a good time (in a family-friendly environ).
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