Spiced Crawfish Étouffée with Jasmine Rice

By AislePrompt Editorial · Published 2026-06-08 · Updated 2026-06-08

A comforting Louisiana-inspired stew featuring crawfish tails simmered in a rich roux-based sauce served over fragrant jasmine rice. This Southern US-inspired seafood recipe, ready in about 45 minutes, pairs crawfish tails, unsalted butter, all-purpose flour for a weeknight-friendly dinner that comes together with one pan and minimal cleanup. Each serving lands at about 480 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

• 12 oz crawfish tails
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• to taste salt
• to taste black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked jasmine rice
• 3 cups water
• 3 tbsp chopped green onions

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Instructions

1. Step 1: Rinse 1 1/2 cups uncooked jasmine rice under cold water. In a medium saucepan, combine the rice with 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes until water is absorbed and rice is tender.
2. Step 2: Meanwhile, melt 4 tbsp unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Whisk in 3 tbsp all-purpose flour to create a roux. Stir continuously for 5-6 minutes until the roux turns a light brown color and smells nutty.
3. Step 3: Add 1 cup diced onion, 1/2 cup diced celery, 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper, and 3 cloves minced garlic to the roux. Cook for 5 minutes until vegetables are soft and fragrant.
4. Step 4: Stir in 2 cups chicken broth, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning, 1 tsp dried thyme, and 1 bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes to thicken.
5. Step 5: Add 12 oz crawfish tails to the sauce and simmer for an additional 5 minutes until heated through. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
6. Step 6: Remove the bay leaf and serve the crawfish étouffée over the cooked jasmine rice, garnished with 3 tbsp chopped green onions.