Crawfish and Shrimp Etouffee

adapted from Emeril Lagasse

1 stick unsalted butter

2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1 pound peeled crawfish tails

10-12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 tsp minced garlic

2 bay leaves

1 Tbsp all purpose flour

1 cup water

1 tsp Kosher salt

Pinch of cayenne

2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley

3 Tbsp chopped green onion

Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the onions, celery and bell pepper and saute until the vegetables are wilted, about 10 -12 minutes.

Add the crawfish, shrimp, garlic, and bay leaves to the vegetable mixture. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook the mixture for another 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Dissolve the flour in the water. Stir it into the crawfish mixture along with the salt and cayenne. Continue stirring until the mixture thickens, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and green onions. (Reserve a few teaspoons of parsley and green onion to use as garnish.) Cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.

Serve the etouffee over steamed rice.