Louisiana Shrimp Etouffee is a delicious Southern medley of tender Gulf shrimp, in a medium-bodied blonde roux accented with onion, celery and bell peppers--all served with a bed of white rice! 
If you go to Louisiana you're gonna find etouffee on the menu at almost every restaurant. The most popular version is crawfish, but you'll find plenty of other varieties, including shrimp. This delicious Southern seafood dish is easy, affordable and ready in minutes!
What is Etouffee?
Etouffee, means "smothered" in French, and is a popular Southern dish where seafood or chicken is cooked in a blonde roux and served with rice. It is a quite popular French dish in and around all of Louisiana, including New Orleans, and is second to the famous Louisiana Seafood Gumbo.
What's the difference between Gumbo and Etouffee?
Gumbo is a hearty Southern stew based on a dark roux and is served with white rice. The protein in this Louisiana classic might be seafood, chicken or sausage-but true gumbo always includes okra and The Holy Trinity.
Etouffee, on the other hand, is a somewhat lighter Southern favorite because it is cooked with a blonde roux. (Blonde roux's typically do not take as long to make as dark.)
Classic etouffee consists of protein (such as crawfish or shrimp) that is "smothered" or simmered in a blonde roux that is seasoned with The Holy Trinity. It is not common to find okra in etouffee.
How to make Shrimp Etouffee
Shrimp or crawfish etouffee is pretty easy to make. For a rich, authentic flavor, you'll want to first make a Shrimp stock, which takes about 45 minutes to cook. Or, you can use a box of seafood stock.
Lightly season shrimp; set aside; Make roux
Add celery, onion, bell pepper to roux; cook 10 minutes
Add shrimp stock to roux; combine well: Add seasoned shrimp; allow to simmer 20 minutes
Serve etouffee over prepared white rice; garnish with green onions
Ingredients for Shrimp Stock
Homemade Shrimp stock is the secret to awesome Shrimp Etouffee. You'll need the shells and tails from one pound of shrimp plus: chopped onion, celery, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, peppercorns, lemon and 4 cups of water.
How to make Shrimp Stock
- Combine all ingredients into a large stockpot and bring to boil; turn heat to simmer, cover and allow to cook for 45 minutes
- Drain vegetables and aromatics; reserve liquid
What can I substitute for homemade Shrimp Stock?
If you do not have time to make homemade shrimp stock, I recommend a high-quality brand canned seafood stock, like Bar Harbor. Kitchen Basic's (a McCormick brand) makes an okay seafood stock, but I prefer the Bar Harbor brand.
How long does Shrimp Etouffee take to cook?
The preparation time for Louisiana Shrimp Etouffee varies, depending upon whether you make homemade seafood stock or not. If you choose to make your own stock, allow 45 minutes for the stock to cook. After that, the shrimp etouffee recipe is generally ready within 30 minutes.
Related recipes:
- Natchitoches Meat Pie
- Louisiana Seafood Gumbo
- New Orleans Cajun Chicken Gumbo
- Creole Shrimp Pasta
- Smothered Okra and Tomatoes
- How to Season and Cook Purple Hull Peas
- No Bake Coconut Cream Pie
- Old Fashioned Chocolate Pie
- Southern Pecan Pie
Louisiana Shrimp Etouffee
Ingredients
Shrimp Stock (See Notes: No Time to Make Stock)
- 1 lb Gulf shrimp shells and tails
- ¼ cup yellow onion chopped
- ¼ cup celery chopped
- ¼ cup green bell pepper chopped
- 2 whole garlic cloves
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 ½ inch slice of lemon
- 4 cups water
Etouffee Ingredients
- 1 lb Gulf shrimp shelled and deveined
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup flour
- ½ cup celery chopped
- ½ cup yellow onion chopped
- ½ cup green bell pepper chopped
- 1½ cups Shrimp stock see recipe notes
- 2 tablespoons Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning (divided)
- 15 ounces stewed tomatoes chopped
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Louisiana Hot Sauce
- 4 cups prepared white rice
- 1 bunch green onions , for garnish
Instructions
Shrimp Stock Instructions
- Add all ingredients in a large stockpot; bring to boil
- Reduce heat and allow to simmer 45 minutes
- Drain liquid and set aside
Make the Etouffee
- Season shelled, raw shrimp with 1 tablespoon of Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning; set aside
- In a heavy bottom skillet, melt butter; sprinkle in flour; combine well
- Add chopped onion, celery and green bell peppers to butter/flour mixture; cook 5 minutes
- Gradually add in shrimp stock, stirring with whisk to remove any lumps
- Add Worcestershire sauce, remaining tablespoon of Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, stewed tomatoes and Louisiana hot sauce; combine well (use wooden spoon to break apart tomatoes)
- Allow mixture to cook on low for 10 minutes; taste for salt
- Add seasoned shrimp to mixture; allow to cook for 10 minutes
- Meanwhile, prepare rice
- Plate rice onto plates or bowls and ladle shrimp and roux over rice; garnish with chopped green onions
Notes
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a rating!
Julie says
Amazing
Anecia says
Thank you, Julie! I'm glad you liked it!