|  Comment:
This great recipe comes from my dad, the
late Antoine “Royley” Folse Sr. Daddy passed away Saturday,
February 26, 2005, at the age of 90. I don’t think anybody
ever made a better crawfish stew. When we were kids, we would often
spend Sundays at the old Zeringue camp in St. James, La., where
he would cook this fabulous dish. I am so thankful for those moments
Daddy and I shared, and it is my duty to share with you one his
best recipes.
Ingredients:
- 5 pounds crawfish tails
- 1 cup crawfish fat (optional)
- 2 cups crawfish claws (optional)
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1½ cups vegetable oil
- 1½ cups flour
- 2 cups diced onions
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced bell peppers
- ¼ cup minced garlic
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 3 quarts water
- 2 bay leaves
- Louisiana hot sauce to taste
- 1 cup sliced green onions
- 1 cup chopped parsley
Method:
In a 12-inch cast iron skillet, heat ¼ cup vegetable oil
over medium-high heat. Drain crawfish tails in a colander, reserving
fat and natural juices. Sauté tails 5–10 minutes or
until curled and heated thoroughly but not overcooked. Season with
salt and pepper then set aside. In a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven,
heat remaining oil over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour, stirring
constantly until dark brown roux is achieved. Add onions, celery,
bell peppers and garlic. Sauté 3–5 minutes or until
vegetables are well caramelized. Stir occasionally to prevent vegetables
from scorching. Pour in tomato sauce and cook 3 minutes. NOTE: Daddy
always reminded me that this is no spaghetti sauce. The tomato sauce
is used to turn the sauce a nice, rusty color. Slowly add water,
1 quart at a time, until thick stew consistency is achieved. You
may not need to add all of water at once. Add crawfish fat, reserved
drippings and bay leaves. Season liquid lightly with salt and pepper.
Bring stock to a rolling boil then reduce to simmer and add sautéed
crawfish, including pan drippings. Simmer stew approximately 45
minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not boil. Additional water may
be needed during cooking process to retain volume and consistency.
Once stew is full-flavored, adjust seasonings with salt, pepper
and hot sauce. Add green onions, parsley and optional crawfish claws.
Cook 15–20 minutes or until desired richness is achieved.
Adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve over steamed white rice.
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