re: Etouffee - tomatoes or no tomatoes?

It depends if you have saved the fat, which gives etouffee it's color. I usually don't, so I put a little tomato paste in just to add some color to the dish. It looks more appetizing than the grayish base that you end up with without tomato paste. A little tomato paste doesn't affect the flavor.

Now, if we are talking diced tomatoes? Hell no.