Crawfish Étouffée

The name étouffée refers to “smothering” seafood with a heavy sauce. I swapped out the traditional white rice for cauliflower rice to make this very-lowcarb yet super-tasty Crawfish Étouffée. You can also omit the rice or serve the étouffée over Keto Grits.

Prep time: 10 minutes (not including time to make cauliflower rice)

Cook time: 25 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 tablespoons ghee or unsalted butter (or coconut oil if dairy-free)
• 3 strips bacon, chopped
• ½ cup chopped onions
• ½ green or red bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, smashed to a paste or minced
• ¼ cup diced tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup chicken bone broth, homemade (here) or storebought
• 1½ pounds peeled frozen crawfish tails, defrosted
• 1 to 2 tablespoons sour cream (or Kite Hill brand cream cheese style spread if dairy-free) (helps thicken the sauce)
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce, or more to taste
• Chopped fresh parsley leaves, for garnish
• Sliced green onions, for garnish
• ½ batch Cauliflower Rice (here), for serving
• Lemon wedges, for serving (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Melt the ghee in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When hot, add the bacon and sauté until crisp. Add the onions and bell pepper and sauté for 4 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.
2. Stir in the tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, paprika, cayenne, salt, and black pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add the broth and boil until the liquid has reduced a bit, about 10 minutes. Add the crawfish tails to the broth mixture and cook for 10 minutes or until the crawfish are cooked through. Stir in the sour cream and hot sauce and heat through.
3. Transfer the étouffée to a serving dish and garnish with parsley and green onions. Serve over cauliflower rice with lemon wedges, if desired.
4. This dish is best served fresh, but any extras can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes or until warmed through.