Lobster Etouffee

Cajun comfort food made easy! This creamy dish is loaded with lobster and best served over hot cooked rice. While it can be spicy, you can easily tweak the heat to your taste. This is one of our favorites - it's so flavorful!

Clearly, I am the world's worst food blogger. With my last post being back before HALLOWEEN, I missed two huge food holidays - Thanksgiving and Christmas! I was out of town two weeks in November and once I was back, it was Advent! My work seriously triples during the Advent season so blogging was put on the back burner.


Right now, Charlotte is cold and wet. Really, it's miserable. On those cold, damp days, all I want is comfort food! This lobster etouffee is perfect!

It's a very simple recipe to make so don't be intimidated. The ingredient list is longer than some of my normal recipes but it's mostly pantry staples and spices that have been beginning to be used. I used lobster, as I had some on hand I needed to use, but you could easily sub in shrimp or crawfish.

Lobster Etouffee

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup butter, plus 4 tablespoons reserved
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning or to taste
1/2 cup minced green onions, plus extra for garnish
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves, plus extra for garnish
3-5 dashes hot sauce or to taste
1 8-ounce jar clam juice
3 cups chicken stock or broth
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes (don't drain!)
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound or 4 cups lobster meat (can substitute crawfish or shrimp)

To make the roux, melt together the butter and the oil in a large Dutch oven over low heat. Whisk the flour into the melted butter/oil and cook, whisking continuously, until the mixture becomes a caramel color and gives off a nutty aroma, about 15-20 minutes. Don't be tempted to increase the heat - leave it on low.

Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic and cook over low heat until the vegetables are limp, about 5 minutes.

Add the black pepper, white pepper, cayenne pepper, Cajun seasoning, green onions, parsley, and hot sauce to taste. Stir until combined and then add the clam juice, chicken stock or broth, tomatoes with their juice, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until mixture thickens.

Add the lobster meat and cook for 3-5 minutes, being careful to not overcook. Remove from heat and add the 4 tablespoons reserved butter and stir to melt.

Garnish with the green onions, parsley, and serve over steamed rice.

Source: Foodie Crush