Shrimp Etouffee
Shrimp etouffee is a juicy entree smothered in rich, flavorful gravy boasting authentic Cajun flavors. Its bold spices are incredibly mouthwatering, and it’s super easy to make!
I totally appreciate easy, quick, and tasty meals. But if you want to put something more exciting on your table, this shrimp etouffee recipe is a great place to start. The French make delicious food, but throw in an African and Creole kick for a truly unforgettable combination.
Once you taste it, you’ll want it on a weekly rotation. So, while planning your weekly menu, add homemade Creole seasoning to your spice list. The mother of all Southern spices adds depth and richness, is quick, and easily customizable.
What Is Shrimp Etouffee?
You are probably thinking, what on earth is étouffée? I love French. The verb etouffée is much prettier than smother. But you’re not here for French 101, right?
Shrimp etouffee is different than shrimp creole. Juicy shrimp smothered in a thick spicy sauce dress up steaming white rice for a delicious one-pot meal. On the other hand, shrimp creole is a thinner, stew-like sauce that isn’t quite as spicy. However, both are equally delicious because the tomatoes, onions, celery, bell pepper, and garlic add a rich flavor.
How to Make Shrimp Etouffee
Shrimp Stock
- Sauté – Add a teaspoon or two of butter to a saucepan or skillet. Toss in the shrimp shells, the remaining onion, garlic, and celery scraps, and aromatics like bay leaf and thyme, and saute for 5-7 minutes, constantly stirring to prevent burning. (Photo 1)
- Simmer – Add about 5 cups of water to it. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and let it simmer for 20 minutes. (Photo 2)
- Strain – Remove from heat and strain using a sieve. Set stock aside. (Photo 3)
Etouffee
- Roux – Whisk melted butter, oil, and flour until smooth in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook on medium heat, stirring continuously, for 10-12 minutes or until you achieve the desired color. Please don’t walk away from the stove because it might burn. (Photos 4-5)
- Sauce – Add the onion, green pepper, and celery, and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently. (Photo 6)
- Herbs – Then add garlic, thyme, and bay leaf – continue stirring for another 2 minutes. (Photo 7)
- Season – Toss in about a cup of chopped tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, and Creole seasoning. Cook for about 5 minutes. (Photo 8)
- Add Stock and Shrimp – Gradually pour in about 2 cups of shrimp stock, bring to a boil, and simmer. Add the shrimp and simmer for five more minutes. Or season the shrimp with Creole seasoning, sauté for about 5 minutes, and throw it in at the last minute—both options work. (Photos 9-10)
- Adjust the soup’s thickness and flavor with more shrimp broth or water, hot sauce, and salt. (Photo 11)
- Serve – Stir in the green onions and chopped parsley. Serve over hot rice. (Photo 12)
Recipe Variations
- Seafood etouffee. Crawfish and shrimp étouffée is incredible if you can get some fresh crawfish when it’s in season. But, hey, clams, oysters, mussels, lobster, and crab sound terrific.
- Vegetarian etouffee. Vegetable broth instead of seafood broth and baby portabellos, oyster mushrooms, tempeh, and eggplant instead of seafood are all good.
- Paleo version. Use ghee instead of butter, arrowroot powder instead of flour, and yuca fries instead of rice.
- Turn up the heat with an extra dash of cayenne pepper.
Tips and Tricks
- The key to a great etouffee is the roux. Some people like the brown roux for deeper, bolder flavors, but I prefer the blonde roux for two reasons. First, it takes less time, and second, it has a milder flavor than the darker one.
- Cook the roux over medium to low heat with constant whisking. Don’t stop even for a second to avoid burnt roux.
- Shell-on shrimp is best because the shells make a quick, easy, and flavorful stock.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
This incredible dish is the perfect make-ahead because the flavor is even better the next day. Make it the day before, let it cool, then store it in the fridge or freezer. Make your rice and reheat your shrimp etouffee on the stove when ready to serve. Keep your leftovers the same way.
What Goes With Shrimp Etouffee
Homemade garlic bread, fried okra, spicy green beans, skillet cornbread, and basmati rice all love to be with shrimp etouffee. King cake is a superb finish with a cup of coffee.
More Awesome Seafood Recipes to Try
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”8ucJfXsH” upload-date=”Mon Aug 06 2018 19:57:54 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)” name=”Shrimp Etouffee” description=”Shrimp Etouffee — Juicy shrimp dish smothered in rich and flavorful roux sauce made with rich authentic southern flavors and an incredibly delicious taste. Easy recipe with big bold flavors!!!”]
This blog post was originally published in June 2017 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Shrimp Etouffee
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons (28ml) canola oil
- 2 tablespoons (28g) butter
- ¼ cup (30g) flour
- ½ medium onion, diced
- ½ cup (70-75g) diced green bell pepper
- ⅓ cup (35-40g) chopped celery (1-2 stalks)
- 2 teaspoons (10g) minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon (1g) thyme (fresh or dried)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup (200g) chopped tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon (5g) Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon (1g) smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoon (8g) Creole seasoning
- 2 cups (500ml) seafood broth (or sub with water)
- 1 pound (453g) shrimp, peeled and deveined (reserve the shrimp shells)
- 1 teaspoon (5g) hot sauce (optional)
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 2-3 tablespoons (8-12g) parsley, chopped
Instructions
Shrimp Stock
- Add a teaspoon or two of butter or oil to a saucepan or skillet. Then, toss in the shrimp shells, remaining onion, garlic, and celery scraps, and aromatics like bay leaf and thyme.
- Sauté for 5-7 minutes, constantly stirring to prevent burning. Add about 5 cups of water to it, and simmer it for 40 minutes or up to an hour.
- Remove from heat and strain using a sieve. Set stock aside.
Etouffee
- In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine melted butter, oil, and flour until smooth.
- Cook on medium heat, stirring continuously, for about 10-12 minutes or until you've achieved the desired color. Don't walk away during this process because it might burn.
- Add the onion, green pepper, and celery, and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Then add garlic, thyme, and bay leaf—continue stirring for another 2 minutes.
- Next, toss in about a cup of chopped tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, and Creole seasoning, and let it cook for 5 minutes.
- Gradually pour in about 2 cups of shrimp stock, bring to a boil, and let it simmer. Add the shrimp and simmer for 5 more minutes. Or season the shrimp with Creole seasoning, sauté for about 5 minutes, and then throw them in at the last minute. You've got two options here – both work.
- Adjust the soup's thickness and flavor with more shrimp broth or water, hot sauce, and salt.
- Stir in the green onions and chopped parsley, and serve over hot cooked rice.
Tips & Notes:
- Just like gumbo and jambalaya, it’s made with the Southern holy trinity. But the roux isn’t as dark as the one for gumbo.
- Feel free to use crawfish instead of shrimp. You could even use chicken if you’re allergic to seafood. Just make sure to cook the chicken well.
- If you want to add crab to this recipe, cut down on the shrimp or double everything else, minus the shrimp.
- The key to success for this dish is the roux. Some people like the brown roux for deep, bold flavors, but I prefer the blonde roux for two reasons: First, it takes up less time, 5-7 minutes, to get rid of the flour’s raw flavor. And second, it has a slightly nutty taste, not as strong as gumbo, but equally tasty in its own right.
- If you have the patience and persistence and want that brown roux flavor, go for it. Don’t let me stop you.
- Be sure to cook it over medium to low heat with constant stirring and whisking. Don’t stop for a second, or you might end up with a burnt roux.
- Shell-on shrimp are best, if possible. Don’t let the shelling and deveining scare you because those shells make a flavorful broth!
- Please remember that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used.
Hi Imma,
Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe. I cooked this in a bit of a rush, picked up cajun seasoning off
the kroger, forgot celery, didn’t have worcestershire sauce, used cooked shrimp and water instead of shrimp stock…and guess what both me and my wife still absolutely loved it and we have had some good etouffee in new orleans. I can’t wait to cook it proper with your homemade creole recipe amd shrimp stock.
Roux reminded me of Indian desert “Suji ka Halwa” and it was good to know that Cajun cooking uses bay leaves as well.
Could you help me with a question about the shrimp stock. The shrimp we cook with, are those from the shrimp stock? If yes, does the shell just comes off on its own and we just pick out the shrimp.
Hi Nipendra,
I usually make my own shrimp stock with shell from the shrimp. I buy the shrimp remove from the shell, add shell to a pot with about 4-5 cups or more of water , throw in onions, bay leaf , celery and thyme( no specific amount just left over from other recipes). Cook for about 20 minutes or more . Drain and use stock as needed. Hope this helps
Every bit of this recipe is spot on Imma. I sautéed the shrimp in the cajun seasoning, I had on hand, and put in sauce at the end. Served with Risotto rather than rice….magnificent — used the shrimp stock in the risotto. Enjoyed with a delicious Sazarac. Can’t wait to share with friends and family.
Yum…coming frome someone who once lived in New Orleans . Why havent I been making shrimp stock all these years? Loved the way you gave pictures of key steps.
So I was hunting seafood etouffee but I’m not very seasoned to using raw oysters I’m excited to try this tonight my vegetable are cut but nervous about adding shrimp crawfish crab meat and oysters when should I add oysters and how long should I cook them
Imma! This is an awesome recipe! I’m from Shreveport, Louisiana and this was a taste of home! As a Chef, I’m always looking for new and exciting foods…this was awesome and fun to make. I preared your recipe live on Facebook last night and it was a hit! David Chef De’Jaes Jones is where you’ll find me on Facebook! Today I’ll try your remoulade recipe with my crabcakes…live!
Great recipe!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
How would you recommend reheating this meal? TIA
I would reheat in microwave or stove top. Stove top is preferable .
I really enjoyed this recipe. I was a little confused about the water?water substitution so I made my shrimp stock out of seafood stock. It just served to enhance the meal I decided. I will definitely make this again.
This recipe gets everything right. I have made this several times and it hasn’t gotten old.
I was looking at the nutrition info and was wondering where the high sodium came from. I didn’t see any salt in the recipe.
My apologies. There’s a glitch in the tool. Already updated the recipe with proper estimated sodium content for a serving of this dish.
I would love to try this, looks amazing. I have a fish and shellfish allergy. Do you think it would work with chicken? Or a veggie substitute?
Yes, it would work ; replace the shrimp with chicken. You might have to cook a little longer for the chicken to cook through.
Chicken works as well as andouille sausage and Boursin. Also Tasso works!!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!!!!
…oh, and I also added a teaspoon of anchovy paste.
I love to cook, and made your great recipe using Old Bay (I didn’t have Creole). I cook a lot of Mediterranean dishes but like to experiment, so this was fun to try. WE LOVED IT–so tasty! I have a freezer, so I keep quantities of concentrated dark roux and rendered bacon fat on hand. I added 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat to the roux for more flavor. I like to cook with wine, so could you, or someone out there, recommend a booze that can be incorporated to heighten flavor–or is that a no-no? Thank you for sharing this recipe–it’s now a staple!
I add sherry wine to the last 5 m8ns of cooking to heighten the bold flavors
Nice addition. Thanks for sharing !!!!
PINOT BLANC so as not to overwhelm the wonderful flavors
My friend made this for a small gathering. Everyone loved it!!!! I look forward to trying this recipe for my family.
Hi Mia,
Thanks for taking time out to share this with us .
Recipe looks really nice .
A brown roux seems as if it may add a little more depth of flavor .
Baking your roux is pretty easy and reduces your chance of burning it .
I use a cast iron skillet and start on the stovetop with equal parts of fat to flour . Once incorporated put in a 325 oven and stir every 1/2 hour for about two hours . Boom
Sounds Sooo Easy! It’s a must try for me. Thank you for this great tip.
Wow!! I love this dish and so does my family!! I went to New Orleans in October and tried etouffee for the first time and loved it. Our first night back I made your recipe for the whole family and it became a favorite. Your recipe is 100 times better than any etouffee I tried at the local restuarants.
Awww. Thank you so much for adorable feedback, Natalia. Glad you guys love it.
I’m planning on making this dish but have about 2-3 hrs to wait until I serve it. How do you suggest I keep it until serving it? Crockpot? Leave on warm? Or put in fridge and reheat?
I would leave it warm in the crockpot on warm. When ready to serve you might have to add some broth or water to it. It thickens up.
Easy recipe. Tasty dish! i hope i get faster at making it. It took me at least an hour the first time. I’m not a fan of bell pepper or celery so next time i would just add a little more tomatoes, onion, and garlic (the things i do like). Thank you for sharing. I will definitely make it again.
Thanks for dropping by, Yvonne!
Imma! This is an awesome recipe! I’m from Shreveport, Louisiana and this was a taste of home! As a Chef, I’m always looking for new and exciting foods…this was awesome and fun to make. I preared your recipe live on Facebook last night and it was a hit! David Chef De’Jaes Jones is where you’ll find me on Facebook! Today I’ll try your remoulade recipe with my crabcakes…live!
Hi David, Am definitely going to check you out on facebook. Thanks for kind words.
Made this tonight. The only changes I made were adding a little bit of andouille and using store-bought seafood stock as a shortcut. It is delicious (especially considering I was a bit rushed making it it). I think it would be even better with a little extra time to simmer. Great recipe!
Thanks for sharing those tips, Jessica. I appreciate it. And glad you like it, too.
I don’t know much about etouffee, but this is a really good recipe. I would definitely use it again.
Wohoo!! Thank you, Matthew. 🙂
The nutrition facts indicate 1456mg of salt. Not certain if this is correct and if so where does the salt come into play? I plan to use low sodium Worcestershire Sauce. Any other suggestions on cutting back on the salt?
It probably comes from the shrimp. Also recalculate the ingredients and it’s around 1000mg, if you are using the homemade stock which is less salty than than store-bought.