Crawfish Stew for a Crowd

Sherrybeth's Note:

This is a GREAT recipe to serve about 30 people. We have made it at church suppers, for tailgaiting parties, patio parties and various other get togethers and it always gets a good review. We serve it over rice AND the recipe can easily be reduced to feed a much smaller crowd.

• Total Time: 2 hrs
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 30

• 10 lbs crawfish tails
• 20 onions , chopped
• 5 bell peppers , chopped
• 10 tablespoons flour
• 3 cups shallots , chopped
• 1 cup fresh parsley , chopped
• salt , pepper and Tabasco to taste
• cooking oil
• water
• cooked rice (hot)

Directions:

1. In a pot big enough to hold 20 lbs. (roaster or dutch oven is one way to do it), heat 1/8 inch of oil (if your crawfish tails don't have much 'fat' on them, you might wish to add a little more oil).
2. Fry crawfish in the oil, one layer at a time, until they become crusty, but not brown. Remove the crawfish from the oil and drain on paper towels.
3. Once all of the crawfish are fried, add the onion and peppers to the oil and saute' them until they are clear. You can add more oil if you need to.
4. Return the crawfish tails to the pot with the onions and peppers. Add the flour, slowly, stirring until smooth and adding more oil if needed to help make the mixture smooth.
5. Gradually add water until mixture becomes like a stew consistency.
6. Stir in shallots, parsley and seasonings and bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly to prevent sticking.
7. Boil rapidly for 10 minutes.
8. Turn off, cool slightly and serve OR if you are serving it later, after it has cooled, place it in the refrigerator and reheat before serving.
9. Serve over rice.