Crawfish Étouffée

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

1 quart shrimp stock
1/2 cup flour
1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
3 scallions, sliced thin
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
4-6 servings white rice
4-6 lemon wedges

Instructions:

Make the Shrimp Stock: Melt 1 tablespoon butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add shrimp shells, 2 cups onion, 1/2 cup celery, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until shells are spotty brown, about 10 minutes. Add water, smashed garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs and bring to just a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain shrimp stock through fine-mesh strainer set over large bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Wash and dry pot.
Make the Roux: Toast flour in now-empty pot over medium heat, stirring constantly, until just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Whisk in remaining 8 tablespoons butter until melted and combined with flour. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until deep brown, 4 to 6 minutes.
Make The Étouffée: Add bell pepper, remaining onion, remaining celery, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Add paprika, cayenne, minced garlic, and minced thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and their juice and cook until dry, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in 4 cups shrimp stock until incorporated (reserve any remaining stock for another use). Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 25 minutes.
Season shrimp with salt and pepper, add to pot, and simmer until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in scallions and Worcestershire. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over rice with hot sauce and lemon wedges.