Stunning Shrimp Etouffee

Even though I’m from the Midwest, I’m a big fan of Cajun food and Shrimp Etouffee is no exception.  Every time I cook it, I’m reminded of why I love it so much.  The layers of flavor provided by the holy trinity of vegetables, the dark roux, and the seafood stock all come together to make a flavor spectacle.

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Why Do I Love This Recipe?

I love that shrimp etouffee is both delicious and a full meal.  With a triplet of vegetables, a type of meat or two, and served over rice it makes the perfect trifecta to satisfy my criteria for a proper meal. It is also a pretty simple recipe which yields deep, flavorful, satisfying food. I also love shrimp, it’s one of my favorite food, and cooking your own shrimp is so easy!

Ingredients & Equipment

Ingredients

• Raw Shrimp: Raw shrimp is far superior in flavor to the pre-cooked varieties. I prefer the 21/30 sized shrimp that’s frozen and deveined. I peel them myself and use those shells to make Instant Pot Shrimp Broth and using that broth in this recipe takes it to another level.
• Seafood Broth: While I use a home made shrimp broth, any store bought broth will work just fine.  The seafood flavor really helps deepen the flavor, so try to avoid chicken broth if you can.
• The Holy Trinity Vegetables: Green pepper, onion, and celery make this wonderful, complex flavor that is impossible to duplicate. If I have to add cooked vegetables to anything, I usually go with this trio and they havent failed me yet.
• Cajun Spices: The primary spice in most Cajun dishes is a mix of spices which include paprika, cayenne, and others. Delicious, earthy, and a bit spicy, I usually go for this when I’m struggling to pick a flavor.
• Rice: I prefer medium grain rice cooked with broth instead of water to make a sort of faux dirty rice. Use whatever you have on hand, but serve this over rice. The sauce mixes with the rice to make a very tasty, very filling meal.

Equipment

• Dutch Oven: These are great for cooking Cajun foods. Big, wide, and no hot spots works so well for making roux. If you don’t have one, a big sauteed pan works great as well.
• Roux Paddle: The ultimate tool for making roux and stirring things in a flat pan. I love these and recommend them in every roux recipe.
• Check out our article here for our top 10 kitchen tools every kitchen needs.

Shrimp Etouffee Preparation

Preparing the Etouffee

1. Peel the Shrimp. Not a fun task, but finding peeled but still raw shrimp is hard, as least where I shop. Set aisde the shells to make broth if you want, it’s worth it I promise. Once peeled, toss them with your cajun seasoning and set aside. This allows the shrimp to absorb some flavor while they wait, adding yet another flavor layer.
2. Dice the vegetables. I like to cut mine pretty fine so they cook quicker and give a finer sauce in the end. Set aside the scraps from the vegetables, they can go into the Instant Pot Shrimp Broth as bonus vegetables.
3. Get your rice set up, however you cook it. I have had very little luck with cooking rice in a pot, so I have a rice maker and I never looked back.

Finally the Cooking!

1. Cook the Shrimp. Over medium heat, melt 2T butter and stir it around. Add the shrimp and cook on each side for 2 minutes. This both flavors the butter and gives the shrimp a nice crisp, which adds flavor. Dont worry, they wont be cooked all the way, just set them aside until later.
2. Make the roux. This part can be tricky since burning the roux is easy and you have to start over. That is why I keep a pint of dark roux in the fridge. It’s ready to go and smells like movie theater popcorn, its a great way to save 20 minutes and really spped up this recipe.
3. Ok fine, you actually want to make the roux. Start by adding the remaining butter and melt it over medium heat, once it’s melted reduce the heat to medium-low so you don’t have to do this twice. The butter will melt, then bubble and fizzle a bit, then it will start to brown.
4. After the butter fizzles, add the flour. There is a bit of wiggle room here, I usually start with 1:1 with the butter amount, and then adjust until the consistency is like hot peanut butter. You don’t want soup nor do you want Play-doh. Once this is right, use the roux paddle, spatula, or whisk to stir the mixture as it cooks.
5. Don’t wander off, this takes a while and is the reason I use pre-made dark roux butter. “Just keep stirring, just keep stirring…” The goal is to toast the flour to chocolate color without burning it. There’s a trick to it, and the trick is DON’T WANDER OFF!
6. Once the roux gets to the right darkness, add the diced vegetables except for the garlic. Sautee this in the dark roux until everything is golden, like 10 minutes. If it seems dry, add a bit of shrimp broth.
7. Add the garlic for the last minute, stir well to make sure it doesnt burn. Burnt garlic is gross.
8. Add the remaining ingredients and stir everything together.

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