Quick question, are any of you folks fans of cajun and or creole cooking? Well, if the answer is yes, then c’est si bon! Because today we are going to be making a classic Southern Louisiana dish in honor of the upcoming Madi Gras festival. And what better dish to celebrate this occasion with than a nice big serving of delectable shrimp etouffee!
Now, for those of you that weren’t born on the bayou, you might be wondering, what the hell is etouffee? Well, etouffee is nothing more than a classic Cajun/Creole cooking technique in which seafood, or sometimes chicken, is simmered in a roux-based sauce. In fact, the word etouffee means “smothered” because essentially you are smothering food in a sauce and cooking it in it. But it doesn’t end there. You see in order to make the dish “etouffee” you typically have to pour this smothered food in a bowl over rice. Thus providing you with a fairly hearty meal. Sounds pretty good right? So if you’re all ready then let’s get into today’s recipe.
Tips, Trick & Suggestions
- The most classic versions of etouffee tend to feature crawfish as the main seafood item. However, crawfish are fairly hard to come by here in Colorado, which is why I always use shrimp. But if you do live somewhere where good quality fresh crawfish are sold then, by all means, use that instead.
- Today we are going to be making a brown roux for our sauce. But that’s not to say that brown roux is the only type of roux one can use in this dish. Many Cajun families will use a dark brown roux, or even a blond roux instead it really comes down to personal taste. So if you want to learn a little more about making roux and the differences between the types then I suggest you check out our lesson on roux.
- While you can use chicken or even vegetable stock for this recipe I highly recommend that you make your own shrimp stock. It will taste much better.
Shrimp Etouffee Recipe
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients
2 Lbs of shrimp, peeled & deveined
½ Large onion, medium diced
1 Green bell pepper, Medium diced
1 Celery stick, medium diced
3 Garlic cloves, minced
2 Cups of shrimp stock, or chicken stock
1 Tablespoon of either cajun, or creole seasoning
1 Tablespoon of paprika
2 to 4 Cups of cooked rice
Salt to taste
For the roux:
¼ Cup of flour
¼ Cup of neutral-flavored oil
Garnish:
Hot sauce
Parsley
Green onions
Instructions
- Make the roux: Get out a 4 to 6-quart pot place it over medium-high heat and add in the oil. Once the oil is hot add in the flour and quickly whisk the ingredients are together, we don’t want any lumps! Then keep whisking the mixture for 15 to 20 minutes until it forms into a brown roux.
- Saute the vegetables: Toss in the onion, celery and bell pepper and mix them into the roux. Then sautee them for roughly 4 to 5 minutes. Toss in the garlic and continue sauteing for another minute.
- Add the stock and seasonings: Slowly pour the stock into the pot making sure the roux gets mixed into the stock. You can also add more stock if you prefer the sauce to be a little bit thinner. Finally, add the seasoning and paprika stirring them into the sauce.
- Add and cook the shrimp: Toss in the shrimp, stir them into the sauce and let them simmer for roughly 7 to 10 minutes.
- Plate the shrimp etouffee: Get out a large flat bowl and mound some rice into the middle of it. Then pour some of the shrimp along with the sauce around the rice. Finally garnish the dish with some chopped parsley leaves, green onion, and a couple of shakes of your favorite hot sauce.
- Enjoy!
Shrimp Etouffee Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Lbs of shrimp peeled & deveined
- ½ Large onion medium diced
- 1 Green bell pepper Medium diced
- 1 Celery stick medium diced
- 3 Garlic cloves minced
- 2 Cups of shrimp stock or chicken stock
- 1 Tablespoon of either cajun or creole seasoning
- 1 Tablespoon of paprika
- 2 to 4 Cups of cooked rice
- Salt to taste
For the roux:
- ¼ Cup of flour
- ¼ Cup of neutral-flavored oil
Garnish:
- Hot sauce
- Parsley
- Green onions
Instructions
- Make the roux: Get out a 4 to 6-quart pot place it over medium-high heat and add in the oil. Once the oil is hot add in the flour and quickly whisk the ingredients are together, we don't want any lumps! Then keep whisking the mixture for 15 to 20 minutes until it forms into a brown roux.
- Saute the vegetables: Toss in the onion, celery and bell pepper and mix them into the roux. Then sautee them for roughly 4 to 5 minutes. Toss in the garlic and continue sauteing for another minute.
- Add the stock and seasonings: Slowly pour the stock into the pot making sure the roux gets mixed into the stock. You can also add more stock if you prefer the sauce to be a little bit thinner. Finally, add the seasoning and paprika stirring them into the sauce.
- Add and cook the shrimp: Toss in the shrimp, stir them into the sauce and let them simmer for roughly 7 to 10 minutes.
- Plate the shrimp etouffee: Get out a large flat bowl and mound some rice into the middle of it. Then pour some of the shrimp along with the sauce around the rice. Finally garnish the dish with some chopped parsley leaves, green onion, and a couple of shakes of your favorite hot sauce.
- Enjoy!
Check out these other blogs for more inspiration
From Ask Chef Dennis
