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Papua New GuineaFlavors · Breaux Bridge
Thick stew of crawfish tails cooked in a light roux-based sauce with onion, celery and bell pepper, served over white rice. It is one of the dishes of the Cajun cuisine of southern Louisiana.
Traditional dish from Breaux Bridge, Luisiana
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
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Crawfish étouffée — Breaux Bridge, the United States
Étouffée means “smothered” in French, and the name describes the preparation: crawfish tails cook slowly over low heat, almost covered, in a thick sauce. One version uses the base of many Louisiana dishes: a light butter-and-flour roux and the “holy trinity” of onion, celery and bell pepper.
The dish comes from Acadiana, the southern Louisiana region where Cajuns—descendants of French-speaking Acadians—live. Breaux Bridge, near Lafayette, promotes itself as the crawfish capital of the world and is traditionally linked to the popularization of étouffée in restaurants.
Étouffée is served over white rice, with a French roll on the side, and the fresh crawfish season usually runs from January through June. Breaux Bridge holds a crawfish festival in early May, sometimes beginning in late April.
Breaux Bridge , Luisiana
Crawfish tails, butter, flour (light roux), onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, stock, cayenne pepper; white rice.
Served over white rice in a deep plate, with a French roll on the side.
Year-round; with fresh crawfish mainly from January to June, depending on the season.
Your questions
It means “smothered” in French: crawfish tails cook slowly in a thick sauce.
Étouffée is a thick stew with little liquid, focused on a single main ingredient like crawfish; gumbo is more liquid, like a thick soup, with multiple ingredients.
Fresh crawfish are usually more available from January through June, depending on seasonal conditions.
Flavors of the United States
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