INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

To make the roux: Heat oil in a heavy skillet until hot. Gradually stir in
the flour and stir constantly until the mixture turns brown. Be very
careful you don't burn roux.
Saute the onions, garlic, celery, and Bell pepper in the roux for five
minutes.
Add the tomatoes, stock, basil, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil,
stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and simmer for fifteen minutes or
until it thickens to a sauce.
Add the hot sauce, crayfish, and scallions and simmer for an additional
five minutes or until the crayfish/shrimp are cooked. Remove the bay leaf
and serve.
Serving Suggestions: Serve with celery seed coleslaw, green beans, and corn
bread.
Variations: Use shrimp or lobster meat in place of the crayfish
Comments:
1. For the inexperienced, making the roux can be tricky . . . be certain
stir the roux constantly (I mean constantly!) or it will burn (if you see
dark flecks forming in the roux, its burnt and it is best to throw it out
and start over). Think of it this way - until you've done it a few times,
operate under the following edict: "You can't stir the roux too much" Cook
roux until it turns "peanut butter brown" or darker.
2. Use only fresh tomatoes, even if they're the supermarket hothouse
variety. The first few times I made this stuff it was awful; I later
learned why - I had substituted canned tomatoes for fresh tomatoes.
3. Instead of the required thyme, and basil try substituting the following:
one tablespoon of Paul Prudhomme's Poultry Magic. Also, amount of increase
Louisiana Hot Sauce to two tablespoons; in its original form, this recipe
is pretty tame!
4. Serve over cooked rice with homemade biscuits (I use Bisquick for now .
. . I looking for a "from scratch" equivalent if anyone has suggestions!
Recipe by: "The Whole Chile Pepper Book" by Dave Dewitt and Nancy Gerl
Posted to recipelu-digest Volume 01 Number 254 by James and Susan Kirkland
<kirkland@gj.net> on Nov 13, 1997

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