étouffée means “smothered,” and that’s the idea. It’s not a long-cooked stew. My mother’s version of this Cajun classic is important to me not only because it’s very good, but also because of a poignant memory it always triggers. One afternoon in 1984, I brought Mama a big bag of boiled crawfish, and she made a pot of this étouffée. My father, 75 and ailing, ate a big plate of it. He remarked how good he thought it was, then went off for a nap. He never woke up. It is my fondest wish tha