Shrimp Étouffée

Fresh Gulf Shrimp, smothered in a rich gravy that started by sauteing the Trinity in plenty of butter and a shrimp stock thickened with a roux. Sweet Daddy D’s Shrimp Étouffée has a wonderful depth of flavor. Served over rice alongside a crisp, green salad...now that's South Louisiana eats at their best!

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Jump to:

• What is Étouffée?
• What Makes this Recipe Work?
• Here’s What You Need
• Here’s What You Do
• Hints and Tips (FAQ)
• Recipe
• Comments or Questions?

What is Étouffée?

Étouffée is NOT an acquired taste, we are born loving it. Once we put that first forkful of shrimp or crawfish Étouffée in our mouth, things are different.

Étouffée (pronounced AY-too-fay) is the French word for smothered which simply describes the style of cooking. Étouffée is often associated with Cajun cuisine, primarily because of Crawfish Étouffée. That iconic dish made with mounds of crawfish tails smothered in rich, dark gravy, however, is not the only way to enjoy an Étouffée. Creole and Cajun cooks love to “smother” everything from crawfish to fish to chicken to meat. The only limitation is our imagination. My version here does not contain tomatoes, but many recipes do contain tomatoes, which I think leans more towards a Creole version of Shrimp Étouffée.

Shrimp Étouffée is a very popular dish in South Louisiana because of the abundance of shrimp most times of the year. For areas outside of South Louisiana, shrimp are more accessible than crawfish, so it's a great way for everyone to enjoy an Étouffée. 

What Makes this Recipe Work?

It's not just the large, fresh Gulf Shrimp that makes Sweet Daddy D’s Shrimp Étouffée so delicious, it's also the Homemade Shrimp Stock made from the heads and shells used to make the Étouffée.

It's also important not to overcook the shrimp. The shrimp will only take 5 minutes over the heat, two minutes in the beginning and three minutes towards the end. The shrimp will be in the gravy for a little longer as the Étouffée is finished with butter. That's all it takes to get perfect plump and tender shrimp. Perfectly cooked shrimp make all the difference.

Not all Cajun recipes start with a traditional roux. Here, the gravy thickens nicely and achieves a rich, dark color without a traditional roux. We use flour as a thickener but it's added after sauteing the Trinity, making the roux later in the process. We build a beautiful color by sauteing the Trinity slowly in butter and seasoning, then the flour picks that up and cooks long enough to bring everything together and thicken the stock.

Note on the Trinity: The Trinity is the term used in Creole and Cajun cooking for yellow onions, bell peppers, and celery. It is the foundation of many South Louisiana recipes and is similar to mirepoix in French cooking

Here’s What You Need

Here are some of the key ingredients for this recipe:

Note on the Shrimp: This recipe is best with large, fresh shrimp (16/20s). But, if that's not an option, you can still enjoy this recipe with smaller and/or frozen shrimp. If you are wondering how to figure out the size of shrimp and what 16/20s means, check out my article, What Size Shrimp Do I Need?

Note on the Shrimp Stock: The recipe is at its best using Homemade Shrimp Stock, which is very easy to make. If you don't have that, I recommend homemade or commercial Chicken Stock or homemade or commercial Seafood Stock.

Note on the Butter: I developed this recipe using salted butter (you can use unsalted butter if you prefer). I am convinced that an Étouffée turns out better using lots of butter, but if you'd prefer you can substitute margarine or vegetable oil.

Note on the Creole Seasoning: I developed this recipe using my own Le Bon Papa Creole Seasoning, a No-Salt, No-MSG all-purpose seasoning for any Creole or Cajun recipe.

Note on Salt: Keep in mind that Le Bon Papa Creole Seasoning contains no salt, so if you are using a different seasoning make sure to taste the recipe before adding any salt. Other sources of salt are butter and commercial stock. My Homemade Shrimp Stock contains no salt. Keep these things in mind so you don't end up over or under-salting your dish.

Equipment

Here is some of the equipment I used in making this recipe:

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Here’s What You Do

First…you have a beer. This, and any recipe, is much more fun to make if you are prepared. That starts with preparing yourself for an angst-free experience. To get in the right frame of mind, enjoy a beer while you read the recipe all the way through. This is an important step that is often skipped, but you will learn what you need so you can confirm you have everything, as well as show what you will do with each ingredient. Next, perform your mise en place so all you have to do is assemble the recipe. No-angst cooking. 

Mise en Place

To Prepare the Fresh Shrimp

• Peel, devein, and rinse the shrimp in cold water.
• Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels.
• Place them in a bowl and mix in some Creole Seasoning.
• Set the bowl in the fridge until you’re ready for them.

If you are using frozen shrimp, thaw, rinse, pat dry, and mix with Creole seasoning.

Pro Tip: Save your heads and shells to make shrimp stock. If you’re not ready to make it now, the shells and heads can be frozen in an airtight container until you are ready to make it.

To Prepare the Remaining ingredients:

• Chop the yellow onions and place them in a prep bowl.
• Chop the bell peppers and celery and place them in a prep bowl together.
• Chop the green onions, garlic, and parsley; place them in separate prep bowls.
• Measure the butter, AP Flour, and Shrimp Stock.
• Blend the Herb and Spice ingredients in a small prep bowl.

Start By Building the Vegetable Base

What happens in this step? This recipe's intense flavor starts by getting the shrimp flavor into the Dutch oven, then sauteing the Trinity in lots of butter. Mix in some aromatics and AP flour as a thickener and you're on your way!

Place a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. When the butter is sizzling, add the shrimp and saute them for 2 minutes ONLY. Turn or flip the shrimp once during the 2 minutes, then remove the shrimp and set them aside.

Pro Tip: We are not trying to fully cook the shrimp at this point. We only want to add a little shrimp flavor to the pan and mix it into the butter. 

After you remove the shrimp, maintain a medium-high heat. Add 12 tablespoons of butter and when bubbly, add the yellow onions and saute for 5 minutes, stirring often. 

Then, add the green peppers and celery and continue to saute for another 8 to 10 minutes. By this time you should be starting to develop some really good color.

Next, add the AP flour and stir constantly to blend the flour evenly into the Trinity. Saute and stir for about 3 minutes.

Add the white parts of the green onions, the garlic, and the Herb and Spice Blend. Stir to combine all the ingredients and continue to saute for about 2-3 minutes.

Make the Gravy and Smother the Shrimp

What happens in this step? Now that we have a richly seasoned base, in this step, we will make the gravy in which to smother the shrimp.

Now, it’s time to add the stock. Turn the heat to high and add about 3 cups of the stock a little at a time, stirring to blend everything completely before adding more stock. Reserve the remaining stock to add later if the gravy is too thick.

Once all the stock is added, bring it to a low boil, then reduce heat to the heat and simmer, partially covered, for about 30 minutes. Stir regularly so the gravy doesn't stick to the bottom.

After 30 minutes, increase the heat again. Add the green part of the green onions as well as the shrimp. Stir well and cook for ONLY 3 minutes.

Then, turn the heat off, and remove the Dutch oven from heat. Add the remaining butter to the gravy and stir slowly until the butter has melted. Sprinkle in some parsley and serve over white rice immediately. 

Pro Tip: For the best results, don't overcook the shrimp. In the first step, cook the shrimp in butter for two minutes only. In this step, turn the fire off when the shrimp has been in the Dutch oven for 3 minutes. The shrimp will reach perfection over the next couple of minutes while you finish the gravy with butter.

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Hints and Tips (FAQ)

These Side Dishes are Great with Shrimp Étouffée:

More Great Shrimp Recipes From Sweet Daddy D:

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