This meal is a little bit like jambalaya, but not quite (thus the name). It's also kind of similar to etouffe (aye-two-faye). There are lots of recipes all over the internet for classic Jambalaya and Etouffe made from scratch (using fresh crawfish for example). My absolute favorite is on Andrew Guidroz II's Cajun Homepage at www.coonass.com, but running a quick search on +recipe +cra*fish +etouffe will bring you dozens more.

Unfortunately for most of us, that 25lb sack of live crawfish you've been looking for at your supermarket is probably right over there next to the alligator burgers -- there just ain't no such thing available. This very simple-to-prepare recipe uses more easily found ingredients and produces an excellent meal full of Gulf Coast flavor and ambience. Unlike the Louisiana Cajun style, the flavor of this version is subtle and not very spicy at all. That makes it suitable for your less adventurous guests and family members who may be hesitant to try regional cooking. Just add cayenne pepper or hot sauce (Tabasco, Pickapeppa, etc) to suit your personal taste.

½ green bell pepper ½ yellow or orange bell pepper 1 medium onion 2 or 3 fresh mushrooms, sliced 4 tablespoons butter ¼ tsp. coarse-ground garlic powder (or a clove of garlic, minced 1 can (10½  oz.) of condensed Cream of Shrimp soup 1 lb. (two 8-oz. packages) frozen cooked crawfish tail meat (you can find this in the frozen fish section next to the frozen shrimp and the faux crab/lobster meat) Creole seasoning to taste (I like Tony Chachere's Cajun Seasoning myself, but other brands will do just fine)

Melt the butter in a heavy, 2-quart or better covered pot or kettle.

Chop the onion and bell peppers coarsly (about 1-inch pieces) and saute carefully along with the mushroom slices just until the onions turn clear. Don't let the butter turn brown.

Add the garlic. Then add the crawfish meat and stir. If you can't even find frozen crawfish meat where you live, you can substitute cooked, peeled, frozen shrimp instead. Crawfish tails are about half the size of your little finger, so don't go getting the big expensive shrimp -- the little shrimp salad variety is fine. You could even get away with using that imitation lobster-like substance, cut into appropriately-sized chunks.

Allow this mixture to get hot, then stir in just half the can of Cream of Shrimp soup, adding more as needed to maintain a nice, thick consistancy.

Serve over rice. If you can actually find cooked crayfish in your supermarket or fish store, a couple of the little fellas, whole, make a nice garnish. Arrange on a green salad vegetable leaf with a mushroom cap between them and your family/friends/etc will be amazed at your artistic touch.  

You can extend the Gulf Coast mood even further by serving okra as the vegetable with this, and cornbread muffins are always in good taste (hushpuppies or johnnycakes are even better!) 

This recipe serves 4 to 6 people