Étouffée!

There are some New Orleans signature dishes you can get anywhere. Many restaurants have some version of “Jambalaya”, and pretty much every sub shop can make a “Po’Boy.” And then, there is Étouffée…

This one is for the dedicated purists, you don’t mess around with Étouffée unless you are serious about your Louisiana cuisine. This is a must have Louisiana dish that decorates the menu of nearly every well-established French Quarter eatery. Although everyone first thinks New Orleans whenever Cajun and creole staples are brought up, the story goes that this dish came from none other than the Crawfish capital of the world. That’s right, Breaux Bridge Louisiana. You haven’t heard of it? Then clearly, you’re not eating enough crawfish…Dating back to the 1920’s, this dish was a local favorite that utilized the areas abundant love and healthy supply of crawfish. With the all-important trinity vegetables as the base, this dish then builds up with garlic, blonde roux, crawfish and the usual Cajun heat and spices. Culminating in a thick and rich sauce so tasty you’ll want to smother anything edible you can get your hands on with it. Speaking of smothering, thats actually where the name “Étouffée” comes from. From the French verb meaning “to smother.” So, go ahead and pour it all over your rice. Serve it with crawfish or make it with shrimp. Cook it with crab if you like. But whatever you do, Smother it well my friend. ~ Chef Bennett