Marie’s Catfish Crawfish Shrimp Courtbouillon Recipe

It’s pronounced koo-bee-yon here, and this is what you’ll need.

1 stick of REAL butter

1 large (or ~3 regular-size) sweet onions chopped

3 ribs celery chopped

~3 cups seafood stock or water

2 small cans tomato paste

Roux (if jarred, Kary’s)

1 can of Rotel

3 to 5 cloves of fresh garlic, chopped

1.5 lb.  catfish fillets (larger/fatter the better)

1 lb peeled Gulf shrimp

1 lb crawfish tails w the fat

Your favorite Cajun Seasoning blend for a good start (I like Zateran’s, The Stuff, NuNu’s, MaD)

Additional seasonings you may want to add during the final tasting: salt, cayenne, garlic powder, black pepper

First, melt yourself a stick of real butter and toss in those sweet onions and celery; sauté till onions are clear. Add 2 cups of water or, if you’re feeling fancy, seafood stock. Next up, stir in 2 cans of tomato paste and one can of roux (yep, use the tomato paste can to measure.)  If you’re going the jarred route, Kary’s roux is my fave. Cook that into creaminess on med-low, then dump in that can of Rotel & add the garlic.  Cook on med-low for 30 min.

Now, start seasoning with a Cajun seasoning blend—Zatarain’s, NuNu’s,  or MaD will never steer you wrong.  Sprinkle that till you hear the voice of your Cajun ancestors whispering, “Dat’s enough, cher.”  If you don’t have any whispering ancestors, start with a tablespoon…  (You’re gonna want to taste and tweak toward the end anyway)

Let this mixture bubble away on low for “at least” another hour until it thickens up into a rich, dreamy gravy. Add liquid as needed, just keep cooking it down into thickness again.  About 45 minutes in, taste it… I’m typically adding black pepper and a bit of salt at this point.  Possibly more cayenne if you like that kick… then cook some more..The longer you cook it, the more the flavors will color one another.   This sauce needs to be thick since it’s going to be blended with a more watery counterpart.

While that gravy’s cooking, grab that precious bag of crawfish tails. Always pour a little water into the bag to rinse and keep all that flavorful yellow “fat” that sticks to the bag. Season the crawfish tails in a bowl, and mix in the water and fat from the bag for maximum flavor impact. Set aside.  In a separate pot, lightly season your fish and shrimp with the Cajun blend you chose and cook them gently in just enough water to barely cover. When the fish & shrimp are just about cooked (it doesn’t take long), invite the crawfish tails to the party. They’re already cooked, so they just need a warm hug from the pot. Most of the water will have cooked off, and when it’s done, turn off the heat.

Here comes the fun part: take your thick, luscious gravy and gently pour it into the pot of fish/shrimp/crawfish which should still have a little stock/bouillon. Now, being careful not to break up the fish, we never “stir,” at this point—we gently shake the pot to blend.

Spoon this Cajun masterpiece over steamy rice, with some corn maque choux on the side,  and voilà, another Cajun comfort food.