Paleo Crawfish Étouffée

Hi friends!

It’s Thanksgiving week which means the holidays are in full swing! My focus has become non existent with all of the fun coming! I just have to get through ONE more week until I am patiently boarding flight to Caleb. Our communication is finally consistent and the weeks are so much more fun now that I know phone calls are coming!

Are you ready for Thanksgiving!? I am bringing Paleo Chocolate Pecan Pies this year and I am so excited to eat them! I came across this recipe in an email and I had to have it given that I only needed one ingredient, coconut sugar! It was a sign! Other than that,

My Mom has asked me to bring the Green Bean Casserole and in all honesty, I don’t know whether I should feel offended or honored by this request.

Story time–

Green Bean Casserole is the Favara “reject dish”. It wasn’t until my mother asked me this year that I came to this realization. So it’s like this, Robin is either asking as “for the love of God, can you just bring a basic and normal casserole” -OR- “Sure, you can bring the Green Bean Casserole *insert evil laugh*”. About 7 years ago my Mom began giving the Green Bean Casserole to a guest. Due to the time in our lives, most of these guests were Girlfriends of the family. I swear to you, we have seen some interesting creations. Each of these guests just wanted to contribute to the family and I can never compliment them more for going the homemade route.

We have received the fresh, uncut and uncooked, Green Bean Casserole, a cheesy green bean concoction, a truffled-garlic Green Bean Casserole, Green-Green Bean Casserole (think kale and spinach), and a spoiled homemade casserole (okay, this one really doesn’t count but it makes the list better). To the gal who said “I don’t really eat Green Bean Casserole or know how to make it but I thought “everything is better with cheese!”– YES.

Last year my Mother asked my Sister-in-Law, Kara, to make it and she was so determined that she made two. The first one didn’t make it to Thanksgiving as it spoiled sometime between Longview, over night with us in Conroe, and Champion/Spring with my parents. I am telling you, Robin curses the one she grants this dish to. Kara saved the day by quickly following the recipe on the back of the soup cans which is honestly all that the only two people who eat it want. I think that is what makes it so hilarious. Without my mom and oldest brother, none of us would notice a thanksgiving without Green Bean Casserole. However, each year the one given this task goes above and beyond to make a homemade casserole.
So, at last, the torch has finally made it way to me. What have I learned in 7 years? Nothing. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

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Étouffée! If you’ve been with me a little while you are most likely up to date with my desire to have Cajun love in my blood. I absolutely love gumbo and etouffée and that one sauce over fish about something with a train. Oh my goodness, I want all of the heat! Unless I am throwing the baby out with the bathwater, I just don’t gravitate towards these dishes when out. Between the flour roux, oils, and particular veggies, Cajun cooking isn’t always worth it.

I began playing with Étouffée since January. We had a cajun themed New Years at my parents and I came with Shrimp Étouffée. I used coconut flour and tomato paste and although it was alright, it wasn’t “it”. I played a little more and around Mardi Gras, I thought I had it. Until, we ordered in at work for Fat Tuesday and the real stuff was undeniable. Since then I have forgotten about it until the weather began getting cooler and i craved comfort food. With Caleb gone, I have had plenty of time to watch countless hours of youtube videos and read different recipes and techniques. I have learned some serious tricks to gumbo and etouffée. I have made this recipe three times this last month and finally, I feel so confident in it. I must credit the videos and stuck up cajun cooking websites for teaching me two things:

1. Never use tomato paste or sauce.
2. Always thin your roux with water that you soaked your protein in.

I hope you find this étouffée as comforting as the real deal.

• Servings: 6
• Time: 45 Minutes
• Difficulty: Medium
• Print

Ingredients

• 1/2 Cup Blanched Almond Flour
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 3 Tablespoons Ghee
• 1 Green Bell Pepper
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 1 Onion
• 5 Garlic Cloves
• 4 Celery Stalks
• 1 Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 lbs of Crawfish, shrimp, or seafood blend
• 1 Cup of Water

Directions

1. Begin by soaking the chosen protein and water in a large bowl. Do not drain or clean the protein prior to soak.
2. In a large skillet, melt the olive oil and ghee. Slowly whisk in almond flour. Continue whisking to avoid burning the flour. Whisk until the mixture darkens and becomes a golden brown.
3. Add the chopped bell peppers, onion, garlic, and celery to the roux. Stir to incorporate and continue cooking until the vegetables are translucent, about 15 minutes.
4. Thin the mixture by slowly adding the water from the soaked protein. Begin by adding 1/2 cup of the water until you reach the desired consistency.
5. Season the sauce with the remaining spices.
6. Add the protein to the mixture, continuing to simmer until the protein is cooked through. Note: If using precooked crawfish or shrimp, adjust the cook time to warm the fish to avoid over cooking it.
7. Serve alongside, or over, cauliflower rice and top with sliced green onion.