Étouffée, in South Louisiana, is pronounced (aye-too-Faye) and is traditionally made with crawfish. I prefer to use shrimp. This dish is relatively easy to prepare and it will impress every guest at the table, every time!
SHRIMP ÉTOUFFÉE INGREDIENTS
2 – Green Peppers – diced
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil & 1 stick Butter (adjust to your liking, but this much butter is in most recipes)
3-4 Ribs Celery – thinly sliced
2 – Large Onions – diced
3 – Cloves Garlic – diced
3 – Tablespoons Dry Roux (white flour made into a dry roux = heat some flour in a pot, stirring constantly, until it is the color of cafe-au-lait) or buy “Tony Chachere’s Creole Instant Roux Mix” same thing, a dry roux.
2 lbs large Uncooked Shrimp in shells (thawed or fresh)
1/2 cup Water, add more – sparingly – as needed for étouffée.
1 small can Tomato Paste (6 oz)
1 Lemon – juiced
2 teaspoons dried Basil
2 Green Onions (top greens only) chopped
1/4 teaspoon Salt (or to taste)
1-2 teaspoons Louisiana Style Cajun Seasoning (available in most grocery’s spice sections)
SHRIMP ÉTOUFFÉE DIRECTIONS
– Prep vegetables.
– Coat a large, deep-walled skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil + 1/2 stick of butter.
– Heat on HIGH heat. When butter is melted add the Vegetables a third at a time and stir to sauté. With-in one minute you should have all veggies in the skillet cooking. Stir often and cook until soft and the onions are transparent.
– Add 1/2 cup water, basil, Cajun spices, salt and tomato paste. Stir to mix and dissolve paste.
– Add the remaining butter.
– Add the dry roux, stir-in and continue simmering the sauce for at least 10 more minutes. Add small amounts of water if the sauce gets too dry. If you make it too runny, you can cook it a little longer to reduce. The consistency of the sauce should be the same as a thick stew.
– Finally, taste and adjust the seasoning (does it need salt or more cajun spices for heat?), stir the shrimp back in, add lemon juice, green onion tops, mix well and – Serve!
SHRIMP COOKING DIRECTIONS
– Heat a large pot of water on top of the stove. Add 2 tablespoons of Shrimp & Crab Boil to water, stir.
– When water is boiling, pour in the shrimp, with the shells on.
– Do not walk away, shrimp will cook quickly. (Do not over-cook shrimp.)
– Stir the pot, when the shrimp have turned pink, test one, when done remove them into a bowl to drain.
– After the shrimp have cooled, peel and discard the shells and tails. Cut each shrimp into two or three pieces.
– Just before serving, add shrimp back into the sauce, and mix well. I like to keep the shrimp perfectly cooked.
RICE INGREDIENTS
2 cups Jasmine Rice
4 cups Water
2 teaspoons Salt
RICE COOKING DIRECTIONS
In a large pot –
Bring water and salt to a boil.
Add rice and bring back to a boil.
Cover putting a piece of aluminum foil between lid and pot to create a better seal.
Turn down stovetop heat to barely a simmer and let cook untouched, without taking off the lid or stirring, for 15 minutes.
Remove the lid and check for doneness (ie: no crunch in the rice)
If done, remove from heat and fluff the rice
Recover until ready to serve.
SERVING INSTRUCTIONS
Mound a generous amount of rice in the center of a plate and spoon the Étouffée on top, leaving some white rice showing on the sides.
Makes 6 – 8 generous servings.
By Jack A. Atkinson
(Source: ARTS&FOOD® North & South Louisiana – Cookbook)
