Cajun crawfish ragout with okra

Ingredients for 5 servings:

• 500 g crayfish, shelled
• 250 g onion(s)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 stalk(s) celery, preferably with leaves
• 2 bell peppers, green
• 400 g okra, fresh, alternatively from the jar
• 1 bunch of spring onions
• 1 bunch parsley, chopped
• 1 chili pepper(s), fresh
• 400 ml tomatoes, chopped, from the can
• 600 ml stock (crab stock)
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp thyme, dried
• e.g. salt and pepper
• e.g. Tabasco, green or red
• Oil for frying
• 300 g rice

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 55 minutes

light Cajun recipe

The preparation varies slightly for fresh okra and canned okra. Peel and roughly dice the onions and garlic. Clean the bell pepper and celery root and cut into bite-sized pieces. Roughly chop the celery leaves. Also chop the white and light green parts of the spring onions, setting the dark green part aside. Wash the fresh okra, trim off the stem, and cut crosswise into 2-3 pieces. As the okra cooks, a juice will run from the okra, which thickens the stew. If only canned okra is available, add it shortly before the end. Heat oil in a large pot, sweat onions and garlic until translucent. Add the celery root and sauté gently for a few minutes. After about 5 minutes, briefly sauté the bell pepper and spring onions. Deglaze with the stock and canned tomatoes, then stir in the fresh okra. Add the spices and thyme and simmer gently for about 15 minutes. Now add the rice. Attach the chili pepper to a string and hang it in the pot, tying the end of the string to the pot handle. Slice the dark green spring onions into rings. Chop the parsley. At this point, drain the okra from the jar, reserving about 5 tablespoons of the liquid. Add both, stir, and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat. Stir in the spring onions and crab meat and let it simmer for a short while. The crabs should not be cooked for long, or they will become hard. Fish out the chili pepper and discard. Season to taste with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and green or red Tabasco. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with the cooked rice (it’s best to use deep plates and line the serving spoons). Tip: This stew also tastes good with other ingredients, such as mussels, shrimp, Cabanossi, or diced smoked ham. Traditional Cajun dishes are thickened with a roux—a mixture of flour and lard. In this case, we save a lot of calories because the okra acts as a thickener for the stew.