Viva la difference!

     It can be somewhat confusing in New Orleans to know what food to order.  After all, jambalaya, gumbo and étouffée all contain the same basic ingredients: roux, shellfish, vegetables and rice.  So what's the difference?

     Gumbo is more like a soup and is always served as a first course with the rice cooked separately, sometimes on the side.  Jambalaya, like gumbo can contain chicken and/or sausage in addition to seafood but is more akin to Spanish paella which is prepared in a shallow pan.  Étouffée is thicker than gumbo.  The word itself means smothered or suffocated and describes how the seafood is prepared.  Served as a main course it is shellfish, like shrimp or crawfish, smothered in a thick sauce ladled over rice.  It is a popular dish in the bayous and backwaters of Louisiana.  Here is the recipe that I used in class:

Crawfish Étouffée

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup flour                                          1 Tbsp chopped garlic

1 cup oil                                              2 cups chicken stock, warmed

4 cups chopped onion                     2 lbs crawfish tails

2 cups chopped celery                     2 tsp seafood seasoning

1 cup chopped green pepper

Add flour to hot oil to make a dark, chocolate colored roux, stirring constantly.  Add seasoning to roux, along with onions celery, green pepper, and garlic.

In another pot with piping hot chicken stock, stir in roux gradually until blended well.  Cook for 20 minutes over medium heat.

Add crawfish, and cook an additional 10 minutes.  If desired, chopped green onions and parsley may be added 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings

Recipe courtesy of The New Orleans School of Cooking