Blackened Catfish with Crawfish Étouffée

Ingredients:

For the Catfish:

• 2 7 to 9-ounce fresh catfish filets
• 8 tablespoons of butter, melted
• your favorite blackened seasoning, to taste
• 1 spray-can of vegetable oilFor the Crawfish Étouffée:
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 medium bell pepper, chopped
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped
• 1/2 pound of butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 to 1-1/2 cups of water
• 1 pound crawfish tails
• 1/2 cup green onions
  

Directions:

For the Catfish:

1. Dredge each filet in 4 ounces of melted butter.
2. Coat with blackened seasoning to taste.
3. Place in a hot, heavy iron skillet that has been sprayed with vegetable oil.
4. Brown each side for about 7 minutes.
5. Serve with crawfish étouffée on top. (Recipe follows).

For the Crawfish Étouffée:

1. In a medium sized pan, sauté the onion, bell pepper and celery in the butter a until they are tender or clear.
2. Add the flour, and stir until the roux has a blonde color.
3. Add the tomato paste, mix well. Add the salt, pepper, 1 cup of water, and crawfish tails. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. Adjust consistency with the remaining 1/2 cup of water if necessary.