Crawfish Étouffée

Ramp Rice

Chef Drake Leonards of Eunice | Houston
Yield: One Family’s Worth

Adapted by StarChefs | November 2019

INGREDIENTS:

Shellfish Stock:
2 cups Spanish extra virgin olive oil
10 pounds crab bodies, smashed
5 pounds onions, diced large
2½ pounds carrots, diced large
2½ pounds celery, diced large
1 quart tomato paste
1 bunch thyme
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
3 gallons shrimp shells

Sauce Étouffée:
(Yield: 8 gallons)
4 pounds butter, cubed
5 quarts finely chopped onion
2 bell peppers, diced small
2 quarts small diced celery
1 cup finely chopped garlic
2 cups tomato paste
1 cup tomato fillets
6 bay leaves
2 teaspoons dry thyme
1 teaspoon ground allspice
2 quarts flour
2 cups dry vermouth
1 tablespoon chile flakes
5 ounces salt
3 ounces Creole spice

Rice:
1 pound butter, cubed
onion, finely diced
4 bay leaves
4 quarts jasmine rice

Ramp Purée:
½ cup Spanish olive oil
8 bunches ramp greens
4 bunches parsley, coarsely chopped
Salt

Ramp Rice:
2 cups grated Parmesan
2 ounces butter, melted

To Assemble and Serve:
(Yield: 4 servings)
½ ounce butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
2 pounds crawfish
½ teaspoon fresh thyme
Finely chopped green onion
Petite tarragon
Petite celery

METHOD:

For the Shellfish Stock:
In a large, heavy pot, heat olive oil. Add crab pieces, crawfish, and mirepoix. Sauté until deeply browned. Deglaze with water if fond gets too dark. Add tomato paste and aromatics. Cover with water and simmer 1 hour. Use an immersion blender to purée mixture. Add shrimp shells and water to cover. Bring to boil, turn off heat, and steep 1 hour. Strain through a chinois.

For the Sauce Étouffée:
In a large rondeau, melt butter, add onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic. When caramelized, add tomato paste, tomato filets, bay leaves, thyme, and allspice; cook down. Add flour and stir to thoroughly combine. Cook 1 minute. Deglaze with vermouth. Cook 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients plus 8 gallons Shellfish Stock. Decrease heat to low and simmer 2 hours.  

For the Rice:
Heat oven to 350°C. In a squarehead pan over medium heat, melt butter and sweat onion and bay leaves. Add rice and parch. Add 5 liters water, bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer. Cover with a sheet tray and place in oven for 15 minutes. Stir, re-cover, and cook in oven 15 minutes more. 

For the Ramp Purée:
In a pot over medium flame, heat oil. Add ramps and parsley and cook until soft. Transfer to a Vitamix blender and purée. Season with salt. Pour into a half-hotel pan set over an ice bath. Chill.  

For the Ramp Rice:
In a bowl, combine parmesan, butter, Rice, and Ramp Purée, completely coating Rice.

To Assemble and Serve:
In a pot or large pan over medium heat, melt butter and sweat garlic and shallots. Add tomatoes and cook until just soft. Add 3 cups Sauce Étouffée, crawfish, and thyme and bring to boil. Decrease heat and keep warm. Serve topped with Ramp Rice and green onion. Garnish with petite tarragon and celery.  

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