Y’all I legit dream about this Shrimp Etouffee recipe because it’s that dang on good! Straight outta New Orleans, this dish packs Creole merged Cajun flavors right into one simmering pot filled with shrimp, a flavorful and hearty sauce, and the holy trinity of veggies. This shrimp etouffee is spiced just right boos! Serve over white rice for the full downhome Louisiana etouffee experience!
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Y’all I have been to New Orleans so many times, and every time I go I have just got to get me some shrimp etouffee! I go back consistently for the food. I dream about the food boos. That Cajun and creole culture in Louisiana is undeniable. From the shrimp and grits and beignets to this shrimp etouffee, I typically get down on all that the “Big Easy” is known for.
Recreating a homemade etouffee recipe that I think can contend with some of the best was no easy feat and I may be a little biased but I think i did it!! This shrimp etouffee recipe is pretty fantastic.
What is Shrimp Etouffee?
Etouffee is a French word that means smothered. So shrimp etouffee is translated to mean “smothered shrimp”. The recipe starts with the development of a roux. That’s a mix of flour and fat that creates the base of the thickened sauce. Then what’s known as the “holy trinity” in Cajun food (celery, bell peppers and onions) is added along with other aromatics, spices and shrimp creating a rich stew like sauce. It’s then served over rice so it can soak up all that deliciousness.
Etouffee can be found in both Cajun and Creole cuisines so you can definitely find it on most menus in Louisiana. It may seem pretty labor intensive but I find it to be one of the easier recipes to duplicate or get pretty close to. If you have a little time on your hands, you can throw this together boos.
The Lowdown on this Cajun Shrimp Etouffee
- Cuisine Inspiration: Cajun
- Primary Cooking Method: Simmering
- Dietary Info: Can be Gluten-Free and Pescatarian with some adjustments
- Key Flavor: Spiced up and Tomato-Based
- Skill Level: Intermediate – The roux takes a bit of patience and finesse.
Ingredients You’ll Need To Make the Best Shrimp Etouffee Eva
- Roux: Every bomb etouffee begins with a dark roux made with salted butter and all-purpose flour. The longer a roux develops, the richer and deeper the flavor. It also thickens our base and adds more color.
- Holy Trinity: Most Cajun dishes start with the famous veggie trio of onion, celery, and green bell peppers, thus its nickname, the Holy Trinity.
- The Liquids: Chicken stock and white wine add flavor and simmer down to create a flavorful gravy consistency for the sauce.
- Tomatoes: I add a combination of tomato paste and diced tomatoes here. The tomato paste adds intense tomato flavor while the diced tomatoes add nice chunky texture to the dish. This is more of a Creole Cajun matchup recipe. Cajun typically doesn’t add tomatoes so you can omit if you prefer but either way, it will be delicious based on your preference.
- Spices: I’ve added a basic creole seasoning, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and hot sauce for a bit of fiery heat and flavor.
- Worcestershire sauce: This adds more depth and nuance. It’s my little trick.
- Fresh lemon juice: Make sure you use freshly squeezed! The acid really helps brighten the sauce up.
- Shrimp: You will want to use peeled and deveined to make this etouffee recipe! Buy them already prepped to save you some time.
- Heavy whipping cream: This adds additional richness and flavor.
- Cooked rice, chopped parsley, and green onion: For serving and garnish. Fluffy white rice is the standard here.
How to Make Shrimp Etouffee
Step 1: Make the Roux
- Melt the butter in a medium-sized pan over medium low heat. Stir in the flour making sure there are no lumps to begin the roux.
- Allow the roux to develop, stirring frequently for about 9-10 minutes. You want it to turn dark but make sure it doesn’t burn.
PRO TIP: Don’t try to crank this up to a higher temperature to speed up the process. Low and slow is the best way to ensure your roux doesn’t burn. Also you can sub in a bit of oil for half of the butter since oil has a higher smoke point. It will help with making sure your roux doesn’t burn.
Step 2: Build the Sauce
- Add the onions, celery, and green peppers and cook for a few minutes until tender stirring frequently as they cook.
- Pour in the chicken stock and white wine and then add the tomato paste and diced tomatoes if using to the skillet and whisk together everything.
- Season the sauce with the creole seasoning, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and hot sauce. Cook the mixture for 10-12 minutes over medium heat to allow the flavors to blend and the sauce to begin to thicken.
- Add the shrimp to the skillet and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 3: Thicken the Sauce
- Cook for another 10 minutes on a lower heat with the lid on and add the whipping cream.
- Stir everything together and cook for 2-3 more minutes to thicken the sauce. Serve up your etouffee New Orleans style over rice and garnish with chopped parsley and green onion.
How to Serve Shrimp Etouffee New Orleans Style
To give this entire meal great flavor, I love to bring together the authentic essence of New Orleans with the following dishes that go great.
- Rice– The best way to serve this shrimp etouffee recipe New Orleans style is over a bed of fluffy white rice. If you want to learn how to make rice perfectly, check out my tips.
- Red Beans and Rice – Just like etouffee, its perfect over rice so make a big ole pot of white rice and have both of these on the stovetop to add to a heaping plate. That’s good eatin’ yall!
- Gumbo – Filled with shrimp, oysters, crabmeat and more, this spiced broth is the ultimate soup to have with your authentic meal.
- Grillades and Grits – This traditional Louisiana dish has slow cooked steak in a creamy Creole spiced gravy that is served over ….. you guessed it, grits!
- Jambalaya Skillet – This recipe isn’t quite traditional but it comes together in a flash when you have a lot of other dishes to bring to the mix.
- New Orleans Hurricane Drink– This drink is authentic and the perfect refreshing quench for this spicy dish.
- Bananas Foster– Finish up this Louisiana style meal with a dessert hit.
Recipe Substitutions
- Butter: Use oil instead. While you might be missing the richness of butter, you will lower your chances of burning the roux because of the higher smoking point.
- Chicken Stock: Throw in some seafood or vegetable stock instead. This will make the entire dish Pescatarian.
- Wine: Want to cut the wine all together? Just add more stock.
- Flour: To make this gluten free, try a rice or almond flour. It will vary the texture just a bit but will still thicken up your sauce.
Variations and Additions
- Seafood: Switch your Shrimp Etouffee to Shrimp and Crawfish Etouffee, which is a popular dish in Louisiana. Also feel free to play around with other ingredients like crab meat, fish and even andouille.
- Vegetarian: Scrap the chicken stock and shrimp for vegetable stock and meaty veggies like oyster mushrooms. The tomatoes and trinity ingredients will add ample flavor and texture.
- Swap out the grains: While white rice is king, you can replace with basmati rice, brown rice, grits or even cauliflower rice to lighten it all up. Heck even a delish dirty rice can kick things up a lot!
How to Store and Reheat
- Fridge: Once cooled, add the leftovers to an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: If you’re using fresh shrimp, store the dish in a freezer-safe bag or container. It should last up to 3 months. Just make sure you add a little bit of space to the top to allow for any expansion of the recipe. I recommend you don’t re-freeze if you used frozen shrimp.
- Reheating: Place the remaining shrimp etouffee it in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until heated through. If it’s a bit thick, you thin it out with more stock.
Expert Tips
- Grab Quality Shrimp. Using fresh, high-quality shrimp is always the move. It impacts the overall flavor so much. And remember never to overcook them. They turn rubbery if you do.
- Stir the roux frequently and don’t let the heat get too hot. Remember low and slow is the name of the game here. You want it to cook and darken slowly over time and not burn.
- The flavor of etouffee is usually spicy but if you can’t stand the heat, you can tone down the amount or toss out the cayenne and hot sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Shrimp creole and shrimp etouffee are somewhat similar dishes so I get why folks confuse them. Etouffee has more of a gravy consistency that’s thicker than Creole. Shrimp etouffee is a lot spicier than shrimp creole.
Yep for sure! Swap the shrimp for crawfish tails instead. Follow the same cooking instructions but the crawfish tails will not require as much time to cook.
It should be a deep dark brown and golden in color, not burnt looking. It will take at least 9 minutes with continuous stirring.
More Delicious Shrimp Recipes
- Shrimp Creole
- Cajun Shrimp Linguine
- Shrimp and Corn Chowder
- Creole Shrimp and Egg Salad
- Shrimp Po Boys
- Low Country Boil
*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!
Shrimp Etouffee Recipe
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Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup salted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup sliced celery
- ½ cup chopped green peppers
- 1 ½ cup chicken stock
- ½ cup white wine
- ½ teaspoon tomato paste if using
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes, drained if using
- 1 tablespoon creole seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
- 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
- Cooked rice for serving
- Garnish with chopped parsley and green onion
Instructions
- In a medium sized deep pot, melt butter over medium heat. Thoroughly stir in flour making sure there are no lumps to begin the roux. Allow the roux to develop, stirring frequently for about 9-10 minutes (until dark but make sure it doesn't burn).
- Next stir in onions, celery and green peppers and cook for a few minutes until tender, frequently stirring.
- Pour in chicken stock and white wine then add tomato paste and diced tomatoes, if using, and whisk together everything.
- Season with creole seasoning, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and hot sauce.
- Allow the mixture to cook for 10-12 minutes over medium heat to come together and begin to thicken then add the shrimp and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another 10 minutes on a lower heat with the lid on.
- Stir in heavy whipping cream then cook for 2-3 more minutes until thickened. Serve over rice and garnish with chopped parsley and green onion.
Video
Notes
- Fridge: Once cooled, add the leftovers to an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: If you’re using fresh shrimp, store the dish in a freezer-safe bag or container. It should last up to 3 months. Just make sure you add a little bit of space to the top to allow for any expansion of the recipe. I recommend you don’t re-freeze if you used frozen shrimp.
- Reheating: Place the remaining shrimp etouffee it in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until heated through. If it’s a bit thick, you thin it out with more stock.
Nutrition
This post was originally published Februrary 2015. It’s been updated with new images and content.
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Awesome recipe!!
Thank you so much for sharing!!
Always a fan of Etouffee, and now we can make a great one at home haha
Thanks for making it!
I made this for the first time and knocked it out of the park, thank you. I missed my Cajun restaurants in Houston since I moved back to the panhandle of FL. Thank you cause I was uncertain if I could and your recipe is simple and excellent!!
Wow thank you so much!
Delicious!!!! This will be my go to shrimp etoufee recipe. Amazing!! Thank you for sharing.
You’re so welcome! Thanks for making it, boo!
Girl, I can see you been to my home state. This is THE closest to how I make my etouffee I just don’t use cream.
For anyone looking for an authentic shrimp etouffee who don’t have a knowledge of Creole or Cajun cooking your recipe is right on.
Thank you for keeping it real.
Thanks so much, Jolie!! Biggest compliment!
Just made this for Mother’s Day dinner – we do love a great taste of NOLA! – and this was so very tasty! My daughter and I ate as was, had to tone it down for hubby – who loved I as well. I would have taken a picture but it smelled so good we could not wait! New time…I’ll snap a couple next time!
Haha! So happy to hear that everyone liked it!
The recipe was very good but I changed some prep instructions. I sauteed the “Trinity in their own pan” and made the roux in it’s own pan. Added the wine and stock to the roux then combined with the trinity with the tomatoes. Just a technique I am more familiar with. Worked out very well.
I love the suggestions and different technic; thanks for sharing!
Parece muy buena estoy en el aeropuerto de New Orleans y compre esa salsa de alli me viene la curiosidad de saber que es probare a hacerla por mi misma con tu receta
I was introduced to Alligator Etouffee at Bj’s Bayou, Roberts, ID. The first time I had it there, it was amazing. The second time I had it, I got talked into ordering it “hot”. That was a huge mistake. Anyway, I later found a recipe and some frozen gator meat here in North Dakota (no, really) and made it myself and it was good. It may have been too tomato-ey. Your recipe sounds better and a lot more flavor than the one I used. SO, silly question, think gator meat would cook the same as the shrimp?
Woot! Made this tonight WITH alligator. I just went on ahead and cooked the gator like I would have cooked shrimp. It’s really tasty. Your recipe was way better than the one I had been using. Thanks for sharing :).
New Orleans is on my list of places to visit one day. But, until then, this recipe will allow me to taste the flavors of New Orleans in my kitchen.
That was a great stew! Adding it to my go-to recipes! Thanks for sharing.