In 2017 I visited New Orleans for a work conference. On my last day there, I had crawfish étouffée for the first time. It was so good that it made a lasting impression on me. Last year, I tried the crawfish étouffée from a new-ish Cajun restaurant where I live. Unfortunately, I was not impressed. To be fair, it was not bad, I was just comparing it to a rose-tinted memory of a dish made by the actual authorities on the dish. Nonetheless, the experience inspired me to make étouffée myself.

I used the Serious Eats recipe for shrimp étouffée since it's a bit difficult to get crawfish where I live. It consists of two major operations: making a shrimp stock and making the étouffée itself. The base of the stock is made from the shells of the shrimp used later in the main dish. It is a relatively quick stock since you are only extracting flavor and not gelatin like a bone-based stock or broth. However, it still helps to split the two operations up in time. The recipe also makes enough stock for two batches of étouffée. So, I froze one quart for a future use.

All of which brings us to the present day where I was searching for something to make and remembered the special purpose shrimp stock that had been in my freezer for a year. Making the étouffée itself is pretty simple, it's just make a roux, sweat some Cajun trinity vegetables, add spices and the stock, simmer until vegetables are soft, and cook your meat in the sauce. In my opinion, the most impactful step is making the roux. I like a "peanut butter" colored roux because it adds a complex, nutty flavor without overshadowing the other flavors. This time, I also added some home grown garlic scapes as a garnish. Finally, serve with rice and a dry white wine.