Once you've properly thawed frozen crawfish, there are just a few more things to keep in mind when incorporating them into your étouffée. They retain more water than fresh crawfish, and the extra moisture can alter the thickness of the étouffée sauce when you add them. If the sauce is too watery, all that bold flavor loses its chance to marry the crawfish to the rice, and all the ingredients will be left swimming in a soup that just doesn't taste complete.
Commercial frozen crawfish is precooked, so add them at the end of your étouffée recipe. Next, assess the sauce. The moisture retained by frozen crawfish can vary based on how they were treated. Most companies treat crawfish by spraying them with water in a process called purging to improve their appearance (by plumping them up), and to make them smell and taste fresh.
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