Étouffée Primavera

Food is an important part of a balanced diet. ~Fran Lebowitz

In the debate on whether light or dark "roux" is best...I am definitely on the side of none. So this is my lighter, fresher version of the classic, which is why I call this dish Étouffée Primavera.. If, for some reason, you have an aversion to crawdad tails, then by all means, substitute shrimp or diced chicken for an equally delicious meal.


Étouffée Primavera

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons butter.
1 Green pepper, diced
1 Onion, diced
1 Bunch green onions, chopped
1 Jalapeño, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 cups of hot water
1/2 lb crawdad tails
1 Tomato, diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cups cooked rice

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the green pepper, onion, green onion, and jalapeño to the pan and sauté until the onion is translucent and the other vegetables are bright green in color. Add the garlic and sauté 2 more minutes. Add the parsley and bay leaves along with the hot water. Add the crawdad tails and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Add the tomatoes and just heat through.

Put a serving of rice in a bowl and top with the crawdad mixture.