Cajun Shrimp Étouffée

Cajun Shrimp Étouffée is Classic New Orleans at its best. Shrimp étouffée is made with succulent shrimp cooked in a spicy roux-based sauce with the holy trinity of onions, green bell peppers, celery, and garlic. It’s a perfect dish to serve at your Mardi Gras festivities or when craving bold, spicy flavors. Serve it with rice and crusty French bread for an unforgettable meal. Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler!

What is Étouffée?

Étouffée is a roux-based dish that is typically served over rice

It is popular in both Cajun and Creole cuisines. It's made with the "trinity" and is typically finished with shrimp or crawfish.

Shrimp, sometimes referred to as prawns is a salt-water crustacean. Crawfish, on the other hand is a fresh water crustacean. Both shrimp and crawfish have a similar taste and can be used interchangeable in recipes such as étouffee.

Ingredients: Here's What You'll Need To Make This Classic New Orleans Recipe

Shrimp Étouffée uses classic New Orleans ingredients.

• The Shrimp: I guess it goes without saying that you need to use shrimp! I always use fresh shrimp. I'm fortunate to live along the Gulf Coast where fresh shrimp is plentiful.

• The Roux: Roux is the foundation for this delicious recipe. It only uses two ingredients - butter and flour.

• The Holy Trinity: Many classic New Orleans recipes use the holy trinity of onions, celery, and bell pepper. Add garlic, and you have the holy trinity with the "pope's nose"! I used a combination of red, green, and yellow for the bell pepper because that's what I had on hand. You could, however, just use green bell pepper.

• Seasonings: The only seasonings needed in this recipe are salt and Cajun seasoning. I like to use Emeril's Essence.

• The Liquid: Petite Diced Tomatoes add liquid, color, and flavor to this delicious dish, while chicken broth rounds out the flavor.

• The Garnish: When I serve this dish, I like to add a garnish of minced fresh parsley, sliced green onion tops, or a combination of the two.

How to Clean the Shrimp

I generally buy fresh shrimp with the head and shells still on (Photo 1). This way, I feel that I'm getting the freshest shrimp.

However, the most time-consuming part of making the Shrimp Étouffée is cleaning the shrimp, i.e., removing the heads (Photo 2), peeling the shrimp, and deveining them (Photo 3).

Anyone who thinks deveining the shrimp is unnecessary must have never seen how gross the vein can be! The fresher the shrimp, the easier it is to remove the vein.

I removed not only the vein on the top of the shrimp but also the much smaller vein on the bottom (Photos 4 and 5). Out of the two pounds I started with, I had just under 14 ounces of cleaned shrimp (Photo 6).

Steps to Making Shrimp Êtouffée

The second most time-consuming part of making the Shrimp Étouffée is cutting the vegetables. However, once everything is cut, the dish comes together quickly and easily.

1. I started by making a butter and flour roux in a Dutch oven. I cooked the butter and flour over medium heat until the roux was the color of peanut butter, about 5 minutes.

2. Then, I added the onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic to the roux. I cooked the mixture for about 10 minutes, stirring it often with my roux paddle.

3. After 10 minutes, I added the petite diced tomatoes, salt, and Cajun seasoning. I cooked the tomato mixture for several minutes.

4. Then, I added the chicken stock. I brought the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly until it was thickened.

I reduced the heat to low and simmered the Étouffée uncovered for about 45 minutes until the vegetables were tender.

5. When the vegetables were tender, I increased the heat to medium and added the shrimp. I cooked the shrimp for about 5 minutes until they were cooked through.

6. Finally, I added some minced parsley and stirred the mixture to ensure everything was well combined.

I served the Shrimp Étouffée with cooked white rice, freshly baked baguette, and a chilled Chardonnay. Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler - Yum!

Frequently Asked Questions

Other Classic New Orleans Dishes

If you're looking for amazing classic New Orleans recipes to make for Mardi Gras or any time for that matter, you should also check out the following:

• Cajun Chicken Fricassee - This recipe is the Cajun version of the French Chicken Fricassee that is made with a traditional roux, and contains the holy trinity highlighted with Cajun seasonings. It’s easy to make and incredible to taste!
• Red Beans and Rice - In New Orleans, red beans are a cultural tradition dating back hundreds of years. Through the years, Red Beans and Rice was the quintessential dish associated with Mondays.
• Spicy New Orleans Jambalaya -Nothing speaks classic New Orleans cuisine like Spicy New Orleans Jambalaya. Laissez les Bons Temps Rouler with this delicious one-pot meal that’s perfect for Mardi Gras or any time for that matter.
• Beef Grillades and Smoked Gouda Grits -Beef Grillades (pronounced ɡree-yahds) and Grits is a classic New Orleans dish. The beef is cooked in a flavorful gravy accented with the Trinity of onion, celery, and bell pepper until it is fork tender.
• Pasta Jambalaya - Replace the rice in a traditional jambalaya with pasta to create an unforgettable meal!
• Spicy New Orleans Shrimp Creole - Shrimp Creole is a classic New Orleans dish with both Spanish and French undertones. It consists of shrimp cooked in a spicy mixture of diced tomatoes and the trinity of onion, celery, and bell pepper.

This is an update from January 18, 2019. I added new pictures and a video. Also, I updated the text a bit.

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Shrimp Étouffée

Shrimp Étouffée is Classic New Orleans at its best. It’s perfect for Mardi Gras with spicy shrimp cooked in a delicious roux-based sauce.

4.74 from 19 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mardi Gras, New Orleans, Southern

Servings 6

Calories 289 kcal

Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter (See Tip 1)
• ¼ cup (1.25 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped bell peppers
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup petit diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 Tablespoon Creole seasoning
• 2 cups chicken stock (See Tip 2)
• 2 pounds large head-on shrimp (See Tip 3)
• 2 Tablespoons minced parsley leaves
• Cooked white rice for serving
• Minced parsley or thinly sliced green onion tops for garnish (optional)

Instructions

 

• Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add the flour and stir continuously to make a roux. Stir the roux over medium heat until the color of peanut butter, 5 to 7 minutes. (See Tip 4)
• Add the onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic to the roux; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. (See Tip 5)
• Add the tomatoes along with the salt and Creole seasoning. Cook the tomatoes for 2 to 3 minutes and then whisk in the chicken stock.
• Bring the mixture to a boil stirring constantly until thickened. Reduce heat to low; simmer the Étouffée uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Can be made in advance up to this point.
• Heat Étouffée over medium heat; add the shrimp, stirring to evenly distribute. Cook the shrimp for 5 to 7 minutes, or until they are cooked through. Add the chopped parsley and stir to combine.
• Serve immediately over cooked white rice; garnish with minced parsley or sliced green onion tops. Yield: 4 to 6 servings. (See Tip 6)

Video

Tips/Notes

1. I like to make the roux with butter. However, you could also make the roux the more traditional way by using oil instead of butter.
2. I like to use low sodium chicken broth. That way, I can adjust the salt more easily to my preference.
3. Large shrimp are categorized as 16 to 20 count per pound. Peeled and deveined results in about 14 ounces. If possible, use fresh shrimp. However, if you don't have the option of fresh shrimp, you can use frozen. Just allow them to thaw by placing the shrimp in a colander and running cold water over them.
4. Watch the roux carefully - it can burn very quickly. Also, stir the flour and butter constantly.
5. The addition of the trinity will stop the roux from getting any darker. Therefore, make sure that the roux is the desired color before adding the vegetables.
6. I always serve the Shrimp Étouffée with rice. I like to pack the rice in a 2.75-inch round mold. If you don't have a mold, you could also use a large ice cream scoop or just spoon the rice into the dish.
7. You can make the Shrimp Étouffée ahead of time up to the point of adding the shrimp. Shrimp cook very quickly and can become rubbery if cooked too long. Therefore, add the shrimp at the very last minute.

Nutrition

Calories: 289kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 35gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 398mgSodium: 1734mgPotassium: 468mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 755IUVitamin C: 34.2mgCalcium: 257mgIron: 4.3mg

Keyword Shrimp Etouffee

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