Smothered Shrimp Etouffee

 

I'm going to tell you how to make this wonderful dish from scratch and I'm going to also suggest alternatives for making it quicker and still super delicious!! Let's first talk about shrimp. I get in the habit of making stock when I have certain ingredients available even though I may not need stock at that very moment. I make it and freeze it. So anytime I make shrimp for dinner, I use the shells to make stock! Yum! So you may see me cooking fried shrimp for po'boys one night, but you will also see my stock pot boiling away off to the side. I'm a great multi-tasker!! I do the same with chicken, steak or lamb bones. So, back to shrimp. With my lovely stock making habit, guess what I had on hand? Yep! Shrimp stock ready to go. If you don't have any pre-made you can make your own on the spot with the shells from this recipe. Just plan to add 1 hour of prep time. Alternatively, you can use store bought chicken stock for a quicker meal. Still wonderful, but just a little different flavor. 

Shrimp Stock:

Shells from 1 lb of Shrimp

1/2 bell pepper

1/2 onion

1 celery stick

1 carrot

2 garlic cloves

1 bay leaf

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Handful of fresh mixed herbs like parsley, thyme, oregano, basil, dill, sage etec.

1 gallon of water 

Optional: plus pretty much any vegetable in my fridge that needs to be used like a tomato, fresh herbs, jalapeno, red onions, a little cabbage, a couple of brussels sprouts, shallot, mini sweet peppers, potato etec. 

In a stockpot add all the ingredients halved. No need to cut small as liquid will be strained. Add water to cover and boil for 1 hour or more. Add water as it evaporates during cooking time. Make with ingredients listed only or add the optional vegetables if you have some on hand that need to be used. More vegetables equals more flavor. No fresh herbs on hand? No problem just use dried herbs 1/2 tsp of each. 

Reserve 3 cups for the Etouffee and freeze the rest. 

What is Etouffee? Etouffee is french for suffocated or smothered. It is similar to Gumbo but thicker and less soupy and served with one type of shellfish (typically, but I break the rules sometimes 😉) and like gumbo, comes with a side of rice. 

Let's prep the rice. I had Jasmin white rice on hand and followed the package directions.  While that cooks lets make the roux! 

INGREDIENTS:

6 TBS butter

5 TBS All-purpose Flour

1 white onion, chopped fine

1 red bell pepper, chopped fine

1 celery stalk, chopped fine

4 garlic cloves, diced

3 tsp cajun seasoning

1 lb of cleaned and peeled shrimp

Salt and pepper to taste

4 cups cooked white rice

Garnish: green onions, parsley and fresh squeezed lemon wedge

Serves 4

Melt Butter in a large saucepan over med heat. Add flour slowly while whisking making a smooth texture. Continuously whisk for 10 min or until it turns a beautiful caramel color. Next, add the (unofficial) holy trinity (fine chopped onion, bell pepper, and celery. We use red bell instead of a green bell because of sensitivity. Feel free to use green, yellow or orange.) Mix and cook for 10 min, stirring often. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. 

Slowly add 3 cups of shrimp stock, whisking to incorporate.  Stir in cajun seasoning. 

Add cleaned and peeled shrimp and cook until shrimp is pink and cooked throughout and curled. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper to taste. 

Add 1 cup of rice to each bowl. Top with Etouffee and garnish with sliced green onion fresh parsley and a squeeze of a fresh lemon wedge. Enjoy with your favorite New Orleans beer like Andygator. Yum!