Crawfish Étouffée

2 pounds crawfish tails

1/4 pound butter

1 cup minced onion

1/2 cup minced bell pepper

1/2 cup minced celery

2 tablespoons crawfish fat

2 cups cold water

1 tablespoon corn starch

1/4 cup chopped green onion

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Creole seasoning blend, to taste

Salt, to taste

Pinch dried thyme

Pinch dried oregano

1 bay leaf

 

Season the crawfish tails with salt, plus a little black and cayenne pepper. Heat the butter in a saute pan and saute the onion, bell pepper and celery until the translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the crawfish fat (or extra butter if you don't have any), plus 1-1/2 cups water. Add the Creole seasoning, thyme, oregano, bay leaf and crawfish tails. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Dissolve the corn starch in the remaining 1/2 cup water and add to the mixture. Add the green onions and parsley, and cook an additional 5 minutes. Serve over hot long grain rice.

YIELD: Dinner for 8, with leftovers.