ByDavid
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
This Cajun Shrimp Etouffee is a favorite in south Louisiana…
and a great way to celebrate Mardi Gras!
This post may contain paid links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.
With Mardi Gras quickly approaching, I’ve really been craving Cajun and Creole food like you wouldn’t believe! Etouffeeis one of my favorite Creole-style comfort foods, and since it’s been unbearably cold this winter, I decided to whip up a batch for dinner. Before moving to Louisiana a number of years ago, I’d never really heard ofetouffee. I didn’t even know how to pronounce it (it’s ay-too-fay in case you’re wondering). Perhaps I had seen it on the menu at a Cajun/Creole restaurant, but I had no idea exactly whatetouffee was. But after living in south Louisiana for a few years, I couldn’t help but develop a taste for etouffee! And the best part is thatit’s surprisingly easy to make. This recipe can be made with any type of shellfish, and crawfishetouffee is by far the most popular down in Louisiana. But seeing as how I now live in upstate New York, crawfish tails aren’t exactly easy to come by. Sure, I can order them online, and I often do try to keep some in the freezer for a special meal. I was all out of crawfish, so I went with shrimp this time…and it was really tasty! (I’ve also seen recipes with crab, but I’ve never actually tried crabetouffee.)
I find that a lot of folks fear Cajun and Creole cuisine because they don’t like spicy foods. Spicy doesn’t necessarily mean burn-your-tongue-off hot. I’m not sure where the misconception came from that pouring cayenne pepper on a dish all of a sudden makes it Cajun. This Shrimp Etouffee recipe doesn’t even call for cayenne pepper. (Of course, you could add some if you like heat…but I often don’t use cayenne in this dish.) I do, however, use a creole seasoning, and cayenne is one of the many spices that go into this blend. But I find that most creole seasonings will not burn your mouth off. (Just make sure to taste a little bit before adding it to the recipe, and then just adjust the amount to your own personal taste.) I typically end up serving this ShrimpEtouffee with a bottle of hot sauce…that way people can add as little or as much heat as they want.
The real flavor for this etouffee starts with making a roux. If you’ve never made a homemade roux before, don’t be afraid of it! It’s just butter (or oil) and flour cooked on a very low heat for about 20-25 minutes. The catch is that you’ll need to stir the roux quite often to keep the flour from burning. You can keep working on other things in the kitchen and just frequently stir the roux, but you can’t exactly wander off. And make sure the heat is on low!
The next layer of flavor comes from sauteing the diced onion, celery, and bell pepper in the cooked roux. (Like most Louisiana dishes, this ShrimpEtouffee uses onion, celery, and bell pepper as the base…aka “the Holy Trinity of Cajun Cooking.”) After that, just toss in some tomatoes, spices, and shrimp…and you’ve got a delicious, authentic Creole dish that’s perfect for celebrating Mardi Gras!
I have some more Louisiana-inspired recipes coming in the next couple of days, but in the meantime, check out this Chicken and Sausage Gumbo and this Cinnamon King Cake!
Shrimp Etouffee
This CajunShrimp Etouffeeis a favorite in south Louisiana…and a great way to celebrate Mardi Gras!
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 608kcal
Ingredients
For the Shrimp Stock
- Shells from 2 lbs shrimp
- ½ cup onion coarsely chopped
- 1 celery stalk coarsely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves coarsely chopped
- top and bottom of 1 green pepper
- ½ Tbsp black peppercorns
For the Shrimp Etouffee
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- ¼ cup + 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- ½ cup diced onions
- ¼ cup diced celery
- ¼ cup diced green bell pepper
- 1 Tbsp Creole seasoning
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
- 1 - 1¼ cups shrimp stock see above
- 2 pounds shrimp peeled and deveined
- ½ cup sliced green onions plus more for garnish
- 3 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley plus more for garnish
- 1 cup white rice uncooked (i.e. 2 cups cooked white rice)
- hot sauce to taste
Instructions
For the Shrimp Stock
Place all ingredients in a medium-sized dutch oven or pot. Add 6 cups of water, or enough water to cover the ingredients. Bring water to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and allow mixture to simmer for 45 minutes. Skim off any foam on top of the pot, and then pour mixture through a fine-mesh strainer.
For the Shrimp Etouffee
Melt the butter in a large fry pan or skillet over low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for 18-20 minutes or until roux turns thick and medium-brown in color. (Note: It is very important to cook over low heat and stir frequently to prevent the roux from burning.)
Add the onion, celery, and green pepper, and cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring often.
Add the Cajun seasoning, paprika, salt, minced garlic, and tomatoes; continue cooking over medium heat for another 2 minutes, stirring often.
Slowly whisk in the shrimp stock, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches the thickness of gravy.
Mix in the shrimp and green onions; cover the pan and reduce heat to low. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until shrimp are cooked through.
Add the parsley and stir until well combined. Serve over steamed white rice; garnish with additional sliced green onions, parsley, and hot sauce.
Notes
Instead of making your own shrimp stock, you can substitute canned shrimp or seafood stock instead.
Related Posts
- Chicken Creole Soup
- Seafood Gumbo
- BBQ Shrimp and Grits
- Corn Maque Choux with Smoked Andouille Chicken Sausage
Spiced® is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associate Programs and other affiliate services. This means thatspicedblog.com receives a small commission by linking to Amazon.com and other sites at no cost to the readers.
I have never ever heard of Etouffe before, but it surely looks awesomely yummy! Love all the spices. White rice is a staple in our cuisine and this looks so good, I bet my husband will love it! Thanks for sharing David!
Reply
Oh, you’ve got to make some etouffee, Wendy! It’s basically a delicious sauce served over rice. The hardest part is making the roux, but it’s only hard because you can’t hurry it up by increasing the heat (it’ll burn if you do). I hope you get a chance to make it!
Reply
I have said I need to make Étouffée, but just haven’t yet. It seriously sounds amazing! My MIL and I were just drooling over your gorgeous recipe! AND she now wants to make it for sure:-) Beautiful, Hugs, Terra
Reply
Thanks so much, Terra! This is hands-down one of my favorite recipes ever…you totally need to make it! Just take your time making the roux and the rest of it is super easy. Enjoy!!
Reply
I just tried this recipe and it was pretty good! Thank you! I had etoufee when I did an internship in Louisiana and haven’t had it since so I’ve been wanting to learn how to make it – my only question or trouble was the roux…it wouldn’t brown. I got it to a dark yellow but that was it and that was over 30 minutes. Can you give any suggestions? I feel like I am missing some flavor because it didn’t brown like it should have.
Thanks!!Reply
Hey Jasmine! I absolutely love this etouffee recipe, and I love Cajun food! Thank you so much for making it. 🙂 So making a roux is definitely one of the key pieces of this recipe (and for many other Cajun recipes, too). It’s a long, slow process. If you go hotter on your stove temperature, then it will cook faster…but you run a serious risk of burning the roux. (You know it’s burnt if little black specs start to show up in it.) At that point, you really should just dump it and start over. That’s why I like to go a little lower on the heat, but it takes a long time. Here’s the thing, though: you think it’s doing nothing for a long time, and then all of a sudden it starts to brown very quickly. I put 18-20 minutes in the recipe, but that time varies greatly based on the heat of your stove. Lower heat takes longer but ensures that you don’t burn the roux. I made this recipe a couple of weeks ago, and I recall the roux taking a solid 30+ minutes. It’s just a slow process. But that’s where the flavor comes from. Give it a shot again! Making a roux from scratch is one of those ‘harder’ kitchen skills to master, but it can totally be done with a little practice. It sounds like you were almost there last night! Like I said, it goes from yellow to brown to dark brown very quickly once it does start to turn color. I hope this helps. It’s so difficult to explain how to make a roux…much easier to just stand there and show someone in person! If you do try again, keep me updated on the process. I’m happy to edit the instructions above if you have tips for other readers, too. Have a great weekend!
Reply
Thank you so much! I will definitely be trying this recipe again – I’m determined to master the roux! I just need to be prepared for the time that it takes lol
Reply
Awesome! Yes, roux is not a fast process…but it’s where all of that delicious flavor comes from. Plus, it’s pretty cool to say that you know how to make your own roux! 🙂
Reply
Hi David! Still poking around your site and I am getting hungry! I have crawfish tails in the freezer and they are screaming at me now! I make red beans and rice with Andouille and smoked pork at least once a month – my husband, who is not a true fan of beans, actually asks for it! And, OMG, bread pudding with bourbon sauce! I really wish I lived in New Orleans, the only drawback is I would weigh twice what I do now! 🙂 Might be worth it!
Reply
Haha…you and me both, Dorothy! I loved my time living down in south Louisiana, and I would love to get back down there. Red beans is one of my all-time favorites, too. My wife likes them, but I absolutely love them! And this etouffee is another favorite. We actually made this not long ago, but we switched it up and made chicken instead. (We had some friends coming over that couldn’t eat shellfish.) Bread pudding + bourbon sauce? Don’t get me hungry like that on Monday morning…I’m still working on my coffee! Haha!
Reply
