Shrimp Étouffée

Break out the Magnalite, because I'm sharing my tips for the perfect classic Cajun shrimp étouffée.

I might be cooking in my small New York kitchen, but today I'm making one of my favorite dishes that brings all the big Louisiana flavors from home. A classic shrimp étouffée is one of the coziest meals to make when the temperature drops, and—between you and me—it's not hard to make.

In this recipe, we're making the most of our ingredients by simmering shrimp shells for stock, separately sautéing our veggies for maximum flavor, and making a butter roux from scratch. Each of these steps adds a little time to this dish, sure, but I think they're so worth it. Of course, take what you like from this recipe and skip what you don't. Sometimes, I skip the stock or buy a jar of roux.

If you want a go-to, foolproof shrimp étouffée to get you through the winter, take it from me:

My Shrimp Étouffée

INGREDIENTS

Shrimp Stock

• Neutral oil

• Shells from 2 lbs. of shrimp

• Aromatics (optional, herbs, onions, spices, whatever you have)

Étouffée

• 1/2 cup butter

• 1/2 cup flour

• 1 large onion, finely chopped

• 2 ribs of celery, finely chopped

• 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped

• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

• 4 cloves of garlic, minced

• 4 1/2 cups of stock/broth, divided (shrimp stock + chicken stock, seafood stock, bouillon, broth, etc.)

• 1 bay leaf

• Spices of choice (I used a pinch of cayenne & black pepper, about 2 tsp. of Cajun seasoning, 1/2 tsp. of garlic powder, and a few small dashes of Worcestershire & hot sauce.)

• 2 lbs. of shrimp, peeled

• Salt, to taste

• Chopped green onions and parsley, to serve

• White rice, to serve

DIRECTIONS

Shrimp Stock

1. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium-high heat. Sauté shrimp shells and aromatics until shells darken and become fragrant.

2. Cover shells with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.

Étouffée

1. Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Stir in flour until fully combined. Continue to stir and monitor heat until roux is a caramel color, 15-45 minutes, depending on heat level.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a separate pot over medium heat. Add in onion, bell pepper and celery with a large pinch of salt and cook until softened, about 15 minutes. Add garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

3. Once the roux is ready and the veggies are softened, and the veggies to the roux pot. If any fond remains in the veggie pot, deglaze with a splash of stock or water, and add to the roux pot.

4. Add in 3 1/2 cups of stock. Reserve additional stock to adjust the consistency throughout the cooking process. Add seasonings, Worcestershire, hot sauce, the bay leaf, and salt, to taste. Bring pot to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

5. Taste for seasoning and consistency. Adjust, if needed. Add more liquid if the étouffée is too thick, or simmer for additional time if it’s too thin.

6. Then, stir in shrimp and simmer until shrimp are opaque. (Cooking time will depend on your shrimp size, anywhere from 3-10 minutes.)

7. Once shrimp are cooked, taste for seasoning. Stir in green onions, and top with more green onions and parsley (optional). Serve over rice.

Did you make this shrimp étouffée? Let me know how it went in the comments!