Etouffe is an American Cajun dish typically made with crayfish or shrimp, but it works great with any firm textured fish. A true Cajun might make this with catfish, but mahi-mahi, cod, or grouper are excellent choices too.

The Cajun trio of onion/bell pepper/celery is what gives it the distictive flavor. We have made this with dehydrated bell peppers. Not as good, but a very workable substitute when away from fresh veggies. With a little planning, celery and onions last a long time. Since fresh made stocks are hard to come by we keep a stock of “Better than Bouillion” products in assorted flavors that work great in recipies such as this.

This is one of those recipes that is even better the next day as leftovers when the flavors have a chance to mix and mellow..

Ingredients

• 1 cup enriched white or brown rice
• 2 c water
• 4 Tbls flour
• 1/4 c cooking oil
• 1 c chopped yellow onion
• 1/2 c chopped green bell pepper
• 1 c chopped celery
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 c of clam, fish, or chicken broth
• 1 c tomatoes, coarsely chopped or One 14 oz can of diced tomatoes, with juice.
• 1 Tbls Cajun seasoning
• 1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 lb fish fillets, cut into 1 inch pieces.
• Dash or two of your favoriate hot sauce
• 1/4 c chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Directions

1. Combine rice and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes (30 to 40 minutes for brown rice), or until done.
2. While rice is cooking, heat flour and oil in a large saucepan over low-medium heat stirring constantly until it is highly aromatic and a medium caramel in color. 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Stir in onion, celery, green bell pepper, and garlic; cook over medium heat until the vegetables are soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in broth and tomatoes. Season with Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, bay leaf, black pepper, and salt. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, then adjust seasoning if needed.
4. Stir in fish and parsley. Simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove bay leaf.
5. Add hot sauce to taste, and serve over the rice.