Every time I cook Cajun or Creole I’m in awe of the balance and strength in the cooking there; it’s one of the few places in the United States with a long-standing cuisine all its own. This dish, étouffée, is one of that cuisine’s crown jewels.
What Is Étouffée?
Étouffée basically means “smothered,” and it is a common cooking technique in the South; a fricassee is the same deal. You make a flavorful sauce and cook a meat or fish in it, not so long as a braise or stew, and not so short as a sauté. Shrimp étouffée brings together all of the hallmarks of Louisiana cooking: Seafood (help our own shrimpers by making sure you use Gulf shrimp for your etouffee), a flour-and-oil roux, the “Holy Trinity” of onion, celery and green pepper, traditional Cajun seasoning and hot sauce.
The Étouffée Dispute
Debates rage over whether étouffée ought to have a roux in it, whether you can use more than one seafood (wouldn’t that be a gumbo, then?), and whether to use tomato or not. We went with a roux, one seafood, Tabasco, and no tomato. You can alter this recipe to suit your own preferences. You’ll note the long prep time in this recipe—that is mostly for peeling the shrimp shells for the stock and then for simmering that stock. If you use canned or pre-made stock, your prep time will go down to about 20 minutes.
Want More Great Louisiana Recipes?
Shrimp Gumbo with Andouille Sausage Oyster Stew Slow Cooker Jambalaya Bread Pudding Chicken Gumbo with Andouille Sausage
Shells from 2 pounds of shrimp 1/2 large onion, chopped Top and bottom from 1 green pepper 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 celery rib, chopped 5 bay leaves
For the étouffée
1/4 cup vegetable oil or lard 1/4 heaping cup flour 1 large rib celery, chopped 1 green bell pepper, chopped 1 to 2 jalapeño peppers, chopped 1/2 large onion, chopped 4 garlic cloves, chopped 1 pint shrimp stock, clam juice, or fish stock 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning 1/2 teaspoon celery seed 1 tablespoon sweet paprika Salt 2 pounds shrimp, peeled (save the shells for shrimp stock) 3 green onions, chopped Hot sauce, such as Crystal or Tabasco, to taste
You will only need about 2 cups of stock for this recipe. Use the leftover stock for soup, risotto, etc. It will last in the fridge for a week or frozen for up to three months. Add the Cajun seasoning, celery seed and paprika and mix well. Add salt to taste, then mix in the shrimp. Cover the pot, turn the heat to its lowest setting and cook for 10 minutes.
