Crawfish Étouffée with Butter and Creole Seasoning

By AislePrompt Editorial · Published 2026-06-17 · Updated 2026-06-17

A rich, buttery étouffée featuring fresh crawfish tails simmered in a flavorful Creole sauce with onions, bell peppers, and celery. This Southern American-inspired seafood recipe, ready in about 45 minutes, pairs unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, onion, finely chopped for a weeknight-friendly dinner that comes together with one pan and minimal cleanup. Each serving lands at about 380 calories and feeds 4, so it slots cleanly into a weekly meal plan and pairs well with a quick salad or grain on the side. Tap "Plan a meal with the AI" below to drop this recipe into your week and send the ingredients straight to Instacart. Nutrition values are approximate, calculated from USDA FoodData Central (fdc.nal.usda.gov) — verify against ingredient labels for any health-driven dietary plan.

Ingredients

• 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 medium (1 cup) onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup celery stalks, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb crawfish tails, cleaned
• 2 cups shrimp or seafood stock
• 1 tbsp Creole seasoning
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp chopped green onions
• for serving cooked white rice

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Instructions

1. Step 1: In a heavy skillet over medium heat, melt 6 tbsp unsalted butter. Whisk in 4 tbsp all-purpose flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 7-9 minutes until the roux turns a caramel brown color and emits a nutty aroma.
2. Step 2: Add 1 cup finely chopped onion, 1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper, and 1/2 cup finely chopped celery. Sauté for 5 minutes until vegetables soften and become fragrant.
3. Step 3: Stir in 3 minced garlic cloves and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
4. Step 4: Pour in 2 cups shrimp or seafood stock, then add 1 tbsp Creole seasoning, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
5. Step 5: Add 1 lb cleaned crawfish tails and cook for 4-5 minutes until heated through.
6. Step 6: Serve the crawfish étouffée over cooked white rice and garnish with 2 tbsp chopped green onions.