Just the mention of Etouffée sets South Louisiana appetites ablaze. Fresh Gulf Shrimp, smothered in a rich, roux-based gravy built on the Trinity sauteed in butter with shrimp stock thickened with a roux. Sweet Daddy D’s Shrimp Etouffée 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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What is Etouffée?
Etouffée (pronounced AY-too-fay) is a French culinary term meaning smothered, describing a technique of cooking a protein in a rich, roux-based gravy. It means to cook a protein covered in liquid, to braise or stew. Traditionally served over rice, Etouffée is associated with both Creole and Cajun cuisines, whose cooks love to “smother” everything from crawfish and shrimp to chicken, beef, pork, and even potatoes. For tougher cuts of beef and pork, the protein is smothered until tender, but crawfish and shrimp cook quickly and do not require a long braise. Almost any protein and many vegetables can be used in an Etouffée, the only limitation is our imagination.
Shrimp Etouffée is very popular in South Louisiana because of the abundance of shrimp most 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 Etouffée.
Keys to the Best Shrimp Etouffée
- Perfectly cooked shrimp make all the difference.
- Overcooked shrimp turn tough and rubbery. In this recipe, we cook the shrimp for only 5 minutes on the heat (2 minutes in the beginning and 3 minutes towards the end). Off the heat, the shrimp stay in the gravy for a little longer as the Etouffée is finished with butter. That's all it takes to get perfect plump and tender shrimp.
- Don't overcomplicate this recipe.
- Besides the shrimp, there's only the Trinity, butter, stock, and Herbs and Spices. Not many ingredients and the technique is simple, so keep it that way!
- This recipe is great with large, fresh Gulf Shrimp, but it also works well with smaller shrimp.
- If fresh shrimp are not available, frozen shrimp work very well.
- Stock is better than water!
- This recipe was developed using Sweet Daddy D’s Homemade Shrimp Stock.
- If you don't have that available, substitute homemade chicken stock, commercial chicken stock, homemade seafood stock, or commercial seafood stock.
Lagniappe Tip: The Trinity in Creole and Cajun cooking is yellow onions, bell peppers, and celery. Cooked at the beginning of a recipe, it is the foundation of many South Louisiana recipes and is similar to mirepoix in French cooking.
Here’s What You Need
A complete list of ingredients with quantities can be found in the printable recipe card below.
Ingredient Notes
- Shrimp: This recipe is best with large, fresh shrimp (16/20s). But, if that's not an option, smaller and frozen shrimp will work very well. Are shrimp sizes confusing? Check out my article, What Size Shrimp Do I Need? for some clarification.
- Shrimp Stock: The recipe was developed 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.
- Butter: Etouffée turns out better using lots of butter in the roux. Margarine or vegetable oil can be substituted for the butter.
- Creole Seasoning: I developed this recipe using Le Bon Papa Creole Seasoning, a no-salt, no-MSG all-purpose Creole or Cajun seasoning. If you use a seasoning that contains salt, you should taste the gravy before adding additional salt.
- Salt: Sources of salt in this recipe are butter, commercial stock, and the Creole seasoning you may use. Each of these ingredients has salt-free options that can be substituted. My Homemade Shrimp Stock contains no salt.
Equipment
This post is not sponsored, but you will find affiliate links on this page. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The price you pay as a consumer does not change, but I may make a small commission based on your purchase.
Making Shrimp Etouffée does not require any special equipment. This Etouffée should be made in one pot and I have found that a Cast Iron Dutch Oven or an Enamel Cast Iron Dutch Oven are perfect for this recipe.
Hints and Tips (FAQ)
Leftover Shrimp Etouffée will last 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator if kept in an airtight container. It will maintain good quality in the freezer for up to 6 months. To properly freeze, allow the Etouffée to cool down, then place it in an airtight container in the freezer. Defrost in the fridge overnight. To reheat, place the Etouffée in a saucepan over low heat. Allow the sauce to reheat slowly, which will warm the shrimp. If you reheat it too fast, the shrimp will overcook. Microwaves are fine for reheating, but take care not to zap it too fast.
No, although there are similar ingredients, gumbo is a soup or bisque-like dish, often made with multiple proteins. Gumbo is generally thinner in consistency, while Etouffée is thicker like gravy.
You can substitute homemade or commercial Chicken Stock or Seafood Stock. As a last resort, you can use water, but remember that water tends to dilute flavor without adding anything taste-wise. Good substitutes for butter are margarine or vegetable oil.
Yes, this recipe can be made with Crawfish, as my Cajun Crawfish Etouffée recipe can be made with Shrimp. When developing this recipe, I wanted to use a different process, but Shrimp and Crawfish are interchangeable in both recipes
Shrimp Creole is a tomato-based sauce, while Shrimp Etouffée is normally a brown, roux-based sauce. Some Etouffée recipes include tomatoes, but not as the main sauce ingredient. Shrimp Creole may use a little flour as a thickener, but an Etouffée uses flour in a traditional roux or cooked into the Trinity.
Here’s What You Do
First…you have a beer. Making this or any recipe, is more fun 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 and 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
Preparing all the ingredients before you start cooking makes the recipe easier and the cooking process more fun. Most of the work is done before you even light the stove!
To Prepare the Fresh Shrimp:
To Prepare the Remaining Ingredients:
- 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.
- 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.
If you use frozen shrimp: thaw, devein (if necessary), rinse, pat dry, and mix with Creole seasoning.
Lagniappe 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.
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!
Lagniappe 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.
- Place a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the shrimp and saute them for 2 minutes ONLY. Turn or flip the shrimp once during the 2 minutes, then remove and set them aside.
- Maintaining medium-high heat, add 1 ½ sticks of butter (12 Tablespoons) to the Dutch oven. When bubbly, add the yellow onions and saute for 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the green peppers and celery and continue to saute for another 8 to 10 minutes.
- 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.
- Turn the heat under the Dutch oven to high. 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.
- Bring the stock to a low boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Partially cover the Dutch oven. Stir regularly so the gravy doesn't stick to the bottom.
- After 30 minutes, increase the heat again. Add the shrimp and the green parts of the green onions. Stir well and cook for ONLY 3 minutes.
- 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.
Lagniappe 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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- Sprinkle parsley on the Shrimp Etouffée.
- Mix well and serve immediately over rice.
Serving Suggestions
Shrimp Etouffée is a main dish usually served over white rice. You can substitute your favorite rice, or serve the Etouffée over French bread or a baked potato.
These Side Dishes are Great with Shrimp Etouffée:
More Great Shrimp Recipes From Sweet Daddy D:
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Publishers Note: This article was originally published in August 2023. It is republished here with improved step-by-step photos, instructions, and navigation improvements.
Recipe
Shrimp Etouffée
Here's What You Need
- 2 pounds shrimp peeled, deveined, and rinsed
- 16 tablespoons butter in all
- 2 cups Yellow Onion chopped
- 1 cup Bell Pepper chopped
- 1 cup Celery chopped
- 2 tablespoons garlic chopped
- 1 bunch Green Onions separated between white and green parts
- ¼ cup AP Flour
- 4 cups Shrimp Stock
- ¼ cup Parsley chopped
Herb and Spice Blend
- 1 tablespoon Creole Seasoning plus some for shrimp
- 1 teaspoon Dry Thyme
- 1 teaspoon White Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 2 Bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper or to taste (optional)
Here's What You Do
- Peel, devein, and rinse the shrimp; then pat them dry and mix with Creole seasoning. Set aside. Prepare remaining ingredients.
- In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Saute the shrimp for only 2 minutes, then remove and set aside.
- Melt 12 tablespoons of the butter in the Dutch oven. Add the yellow onions and saute them for about 5 minutes. Then, add the green peppers and celery and continue to saute for another 10 minutes.
- To the sauteed vegetables, add the AP flour. Mix well and stir constantly for about 3 minutes making a roux.
- Add the white parts of the green onions, the garlic, and the Herb and Spice Blend. Mix well and saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Next, slowly add about 3 cups of the stock; stir to combine. (Reserve the remaining stock). Bring the Dutch oven to a low boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, partially covered.
- Add the shrimp of the onions and the green parts. Simmer for ONLY 3 minutes, then remove the Dutch oven from the heat.
- Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the gravy, stirring constantly until the butter melts.
- Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately with rice.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Estimate
It's Me!
Louisiana is a wonderful place where the rich cultural heritage enriches and entertains. I'm Dave Howson, aka Sweet Daddy D. I'm glad you found my website and I look forward to exploring the cultural mosaic of Louisiana with you…
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