Catfish Etouffée

Although the classic Cajun stew, étouffée, is usually made with crayfish, it’s also delicious with catfish. The cooked butter-and-flour mixture, also called a brown roux, gives the sauce a nutty flavor. We added a bit of reduced-fat sour cream and stewed tomatoes to make the sauce rich and flavorful without a lot of extra calories or fat. Serve with brown rice.

READER'S COMMENT:

"Delicious and easy! "

4 servings

Active Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Nutrition Profile

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 large onion, sliced
1 cup sliced celery
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 14-ounce can stewed tomatoes
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
1 pound catfish fillets, cut into 4 portions
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream

Preparation

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring until the flour is brown and fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add onion, celery, bell pepper, tomatoes and cayenne (if using); bring to a simmer. Cover and cook on medium-low, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are very soft, about 15 minutes.
Sprinkle catfish with salt and place in the saucepan on top of the vegetables. Reduce heat to maintain a low simmer, cover and cook until the catfish is just cooked through and opaque, 8 to 10 minutes more. Remove from the heat.
Remove the catfish from the pan with a slotted spoon. Stir sour cream into the vegetables. Serve the catfish over the stewed vegetables.

Nutrition

Per serving: 265 calories; 14 g fat (5 g sat, 5 g mono); 67 mg cholesterol; 14 g carbohydrates; 20 g protein; 3 g fiber; 454 mg sodium; 738 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (60% daily value), Potassium (21% dv).

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 3 lean meat, 1 fat