When I was in my 20's and worked in the Senate, I had some friends move to Louisiana to work some local political races. I was thrilled- New Orleans had always been towards the top of my travel bucket list and a place I was dying to visit. I wasn't particularly drawn to Mardi Gras- but I definitely wanted to experience the French Quarter, Bourbon Street, drink hurricanes (which I found out I am unfortunately allergic to- which is a long story in and of itself)- and eat my weight in gumbo, boudin, po' boys, crawfish, beignets, and gallons of étouffée. There is no doubt that I love food in general- but I really, really love creole food. It's spicy, bursting with flavor, full of peppers and onions- and often loaded with crawfish and other seafood. I was in heaven!
After finding an absolute steal on langoustine- a European crustacean kind of like a cross between a lobster and a crawfish- I wanted to come up with a delicious étouffée like the ones I sampled in New Orleans. This Langoustine Étouffée is an amazingly rich, complex, slightly sweet and spicy dish- and it is incredibly easy to make at home!
Langoustine are a really easy ingredient to work with- but being in Northern Colorado, they aren't something I come across often. Since Trader Joe's just opened in Fort Collins, however, I rediscovered my love for them! I usually shirk from buying pre-cooked seafood, but I've never had any fishy flavor with their langoustines, and at $7.99, it is a total steal and a relatively inexpensive addition to make this dish budget friendly for a dinner party (compared to other seafood options).
A big part of the flavor of this dish comes from layering lots of sautéed peppers and onions, as well as making a roux to thicken the tomato based sauce. This adds a little time to the cooking- but don't rush it. All you need to do is stir occasionally to be sure they don't burn- but give them time to brown and break down. This won't take more than 30 minutes- pour yourself a cold beer, and give it time!
You can also make the étouffée a little before serving- just add a little more stock to make it a bit thinner so you can keep it heated on the stove until you're ready to go- and leave the langoustines off until the end. This will prevent the dish from drying out or the fish from getting too gummy.
Since I'm using pre-cooked langoustine from Trader Joe's, you really just want them to heat up - you do NOT want to overcook them. If you're using fresh langoustine (lucky you!!) or crawfish, add them in with about 5-8 minutes on high to cook until they are opaque and pink- like shrimp.
Stirring your mixture is a really important part of this dish. It's not going to look all that delicious in the beginning- it will look a bit pale. But give it time to cook down, and rich delicious flavor will build on itself as your étouffée color begins to get deeper and darker.
Langoustine Étouffée
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 bell peppers, diced
- 2 onions, diced
- 8 cloves of garlic, diced
- 2 tbsp flour
- ½ cup milk or cream
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup fish stock
- 2 tsp emeril's essence
- 12 oz. langoustine tails- cooked or uncooked, add 5 minutes for uncooked
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp+ tabasco sauce
- 1 cup rice
- cilantro, to garnish
Instructions
- In a large, heavy pan, heat olive oil on medium until shimmery.
- Add onions and peppers, stirring occasionally, until browned.
- Add garlic.
- In small pan, combine flour and milk and heat on medium, stirring constantly, until mixture browns slightly to create a roux.
- Add roux to vegetables, let sautee and stir occasionally for two minutes.
- Add stock, spices and tomatoes, cook on medium until sauce browns and reduces to a gravy consistency.
- Cook rice in another pan- 1 cup of long grain white rice to two cups of water.
- When rice is ready, scoop a rounded ½ cupful into a bowl, and top with étouffée.
- Garnish with cilantro or parsley and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Amount Per Serving Calories 197Sodium 134mgCarbohydrates 32gFiber 2gSugar 3gProtein 4g
Christy
This looks lovely, but not making a proper, chestnut brown roux, will rob you of that magnificent depth of flavor that Etouffee is loved for. (Always the first part of any Etouffee recipe, browning the fat and flour, then sautéing the veg in the roux.) Other than that, it looks delightful.
Kathryn Griffin @TheDedicatedHouse
This looks so delicious! Thank you for sharing. You are one of the features at the Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House. Here is the link to this week's bash. http://www.thededicatedhouse.com/2015/03/make-it-pretty-monday-week-131.html Have a lovely week. Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse
Diane Williams
I love the look of this dish. So classy. Thanks for linking this post to the #PureBlogLove link party! The party is live every Thursday at 8 p.m. and runs through the week end. i'm hosting at http://www.homemadefoodjunkie.com. Can't wait to see more your ideas!
Ashleigh
Happy Thursday and thank you so much for linking up with OMHG WW! Please come and share with us again next week! xx Ashleigh @SimplyWright
Oh My Heartsie Girl
My husband would love this recipe, we used to visit a restaurant in San Antonio that served Etouffee!!
Thanks for stopping by to link and share on The Oh My Heartsie Girl WW this week!!
Have a great week, Karren
Ashleigh
Pinned!! Oh my goodness, this looks amazing! Thank you for sharing! Have a wonderful week and please come share and link up with me now!! http://www.wrightsimply.com/2015/03/those-messy-leprechauns-wordless.html
xx Ashleigh @SimplyWright
Mandi
I LOVE creole food. I grew up an hour from the Louisiana border so I know exactly what it means to stuff yourself silly! Pinned. =) I can't wait to try your recipe!
Analida's Ethnic Spoon
This looks lovely and very Louisiana. Pinned and stumbled!
Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti
This looks fabulous! I often see llangoustines for sale at Costco but did not know what to make wioth them. I'll try this recipe!
Jen and Emily @ Layers of Happiness
This looks so comforting an delicious! So much color and flavor! I'm obsessed! 🙂
Thalia @ butter and brioche
I've always been attracted to New Orleans.. and all the incredible food from there. Never have I heard of langoustine etouffee before but it sure does look delicious & something I would LOVE!