So we had some friends over last weekend for supper, and I wanted to show off.
I know. It's a sickness.
Anyway, we made Mr. Bill's Catfish Etouffee, a recipe we got from an old friend in South Texas. Here it is - enjoy.
1.) grilled catfish filets, one per serving
2.) Perry's Crawfish Etouffee Recipe, below: (p.s., note from Ally: I don't actually know Perry, but I found this recipe online and it was delicious.)
"Perry's an old friend from back home whom I've known since we were 18 and freshmen at Lye-ola. He's a fellow La.-to-L.A. expat too, and has a fine étouffée recipe himself. It's presented here, as he wrote it out for me and stuck on our refrigerator when we were college roomies, with colorful instructions and descriptions intact. :-)
1 pound crawfish tails, with fat
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
1 medium - large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons bell pepper, minced
1/2 stalk celery, minced
Green onion tops
Fresh parsley
2 teaspoons tomato paste
Cayenne pepper
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt
2 tablespoons flour
1 - 2 cups water
Melt butter in pot, add flour and stir like hell. Add onions, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Cook until tender, and keep stirring. Add crawfish fat, if possible, and cook down 10-15 minutes. Add tails and tomato paste, then add water. Cook down for 20 minutes or so, but be careful not to overdo it. Add salt and peppers to taste. Cook a little more, then add chopped green onion tops and parsley and cook till ready.
Note: Some directions and amounts are intentionally vague ... use the challenge.
Yield: Meal for 4 men or 6 pansies."
3.) Rice
Spoon a big heaping of rice on a plate, throw on a filet, and then cover with etouffee. We served ours with warm french bread and spring onions.
Superfly.
