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.
I’ve made this a couple of times, following the recipe exactly, and it turns out absolutely delicious each time!! I love your recipes, I’m always satisfied.
Hi Shani!
Glad to hear this . Thanks so much for taking time out to share this with us.
My husband like it and it was a real surprise for me. I made it exactly but I added a little more creole seasoning and added fish to it . It was delicious and was perfect thank you for sharing your recipe. I definitely keep this and make it again
I would love to add crab to this along with the shrimp. How would you adjust the recipe to do so?
Cut down on the amount of shrimp or double everything else , minus the shrimp.
This is insanely good! I made it a twice in the last couple weeks because my wife was craving it! Thank you for sharing!
This was SO good and will definitely be a recipe I keep in rotation. I love to eat etouffee in restaurants and never new it could be so easy to make and taste delicious!
Yes it is ! Thanks so much.
Off the hook good! New recipes never seem to be as good as the comments make them out to be. This one is the exception. So delicious. It definitely takes longer to make than stated but now I know and will give myself more time.
THANK YOU!!!!!
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback.
So yummy! I doubled the recipe, substituted the shrimp for crawfish tails and made crawfish pies. It was a huge hit!
Yummy indeed 🙂 :)!! I am so glad this was a hit with you, Victoria!
This was absolutely incredible! I made this for my husbands family and doubled the recipe. I’ve never made anything like this before and it turned out perfectly. I even made the shrimp stock from scratch! I’m so happy to have stumbled across your blog. Will continue trying out your other recipes.
Woohoo!! High-five on nailing your first attempt! I am so thrilled it was a hit with your in-laws. Thank you for the feedback, Lidiya :).
This was amazing! We live in Minnesota and had gone to New Orleans last year and it made us feel like we were back. Definitely will be making again!!
Thank you, Michelle! 🙂
I’ve made it twice now. So so goooood. Thank you for the recipe. I ended up purchasing a seafood stock paste and adding some of that to give it a stronger flavor.
I subbed green pepper for a jalapeño (seeds out) and used a tad more celery to make up for the difference in volume.
For some reason I have to do less minutes on almost every step. We have a gas stove, I’m setting my burner for low/medium and I’m still having to shorten each step to get the same results (i.e. roux color, etc).
Regardless it is so so yummy.
Awesome!! The less time the better, right? 🙂 I am so glad this was a hit with you! Thanks for stopping by, Yuliya.
And to think I been throwing away those shrimp shells this whole time!!Omg my hubby only eats seafood …Thank you
I know right! I used to do that too but now I know better :). Thanks for stopping by.
I save all of my shrimp shells and crab shells and freeze them, then I have a big bag of them ready to go for seafood stock for stews and soups ready to go! Game changer for flavor!
You said it, Joanna! It really is a game-changer for flavor! Thanks for sharing.
Followed your recipe tonight as I have been craving this dish! Such a delicious recipe!!! Loved every moment of eating it, I made it for me parents and myself and left some for my co worker (which I am tempted eat!) Thank you for sharing this recipe, I am not sure when I will ever get to eat an authentic New Orleans dish again as I am from Australia, but this delicious recipe will definitely satisfy me.
Hi Ashleigh. I am so glad this was a hit with your family. Please resist the temptation to eat your co-worker’s share :)!! Thank you so much for your feedback!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! My first time making Etoufee, and it came out great! I have gotten pretty good at making Gumbo, so I was ready for the roux. I do like the darker roux and mine was between peanut butter and milk chocolate. I added a bit more spice, but the flavors came together nicely. Quite pleased with the outcome. The shrimp stock came out well, and I froze the extra for later. Again, thanks for helping me make my7 day!
Wow, way to go on nailing the roux!! Thank you so much for the feedback! The pleasure is mine :)!
I don’t have shrimp stock, Does the sub with water mean to use water if you don’t have shrimp broth? I have chicken and vegetable stock if either of those are options too. Sorry- reading the reviews I’m excited to make this!
Yes . You can either sub with water or better yet chicken or vegetable stock. Enjoy!!
My partner hates celery. Can I omit it or use something else?
Hi Preya! Feel free to omit the celery!
I’ve never made shrimp broth before, it smelled so good while simmering! Thanks for a great recipe (again)!
Absolutely delicious. I have made it three times already during this quarantine (because it’s great.) The third time I used regular paprika instead of smoked paprika and it was the best of the three! I also use more seasoning than the recipe calls for but I do that with all recipes. Fortunately it’s easy to season it to taste.
yes i tell folks all the time, the seasoning should be to your palate. Three times!!! Really! Love it. Try this recipe too… you will love it..https://www.africanbites.com/spaghetti-fettuccine-shrimp-spinach/
Thanks for this recipe. My six year old was reaching into the pot for seconds and thirds. Nothing more needs to be said. (I did make it more kid friendly by making my own Creole seasoning without cayenne.) Also used veggie buillion and water since we only had frozen shrimp on hand.
YAY! Happy to know it is a hit , especially when it comes down to the little ones. Thanks for sharing this.
Delicious! Also, so much simpler than I’ve always imagined this to be. I used this as the sauce for a masa-crumbed gurnard po’boy, so it was smothered shrimp smothering fish! This recipe is definitely joining my regular rotation, thanks muchly.
Awesome! So happy to hear it worked out well for you.
Imma, you ROCK!! This recipe is the real deal! My daughters and I now live in Hawaii, but it’s Fat Tuesday y’all! We went on a search for wild caught gulf prawns and actually did find them at our local Safeway! If you are new to Cajun cooking, be sure to watch the video tutorials. Shell on shrimp…make the stock…just like my great gramma did… Make it! You’ll be so glad you did!
Mr Belton, I tuned in on your cooking show on Sunday Feb.23rd. You made pork chop etoufee. You poured baked flour into your pan for your roux, added chicken stock and made a gravy. What is baked flour? I use a lot of recipes using a roux, and would love to be able to use whatever this baked flour is. Thank you love your cooking.
Hi Patricia its Imma here.. I hope you watched my video 🙂 Thank you for your kind comments.
This recipe is simmering as we speak and it smells amazing!!
Does the nutritional info included with the recipe include or not include the rice you would serve this with? I live a low carb lifestyle so I used xanthum gum instead of flour as well.
Hi, Elizabeth. Thank you for trying it out. The nutritional info shown above doesn’t include the rice.
I don’t usually comment on recipes because I don’t follow any one. I review several a pick out things I think I’d like. This one looked really good by itself. It was excellent better than I had in Louisiana and I tried several. The sauce came out sooo silky and the flavors were spot on. So good I may have to click on some of your adds and buy something
Every time I cook shrimp I boil down the shells and freeze the broth, even shrimp for shrimp cocktail I’ll save the water I cooked the shrimp in, boil down and freeze. So I had some excellent broth for this dish. I’ll be looking it more of your recipes!
Thank you, Bob, for this great review! I am so happy this worked out well for you and I can’t wait for you to try out my other recipes. Happy Cooking!
Great recipe! I added andouille sausage as well as shrimp. The family loved it.
That sounds delish! Thanks for the feedback CaraMia!