Shrimp Étouffée

Happy Mardi Gras all! Shrimp étouffée is a common Cajun or Creole dish. In French, “étouffée” means “stuffed” or “stifled,” or more literally, “smothered.” This is a very heavy-hearted dish and is a Louisiana soul food. Étouffées are made with a blonde roux (I will explain this later) and have a stew-like consistency to them. Although it looks and tastes quite complicated, the secret is in a good Cajun seasoning. I hope you’ll keep reading and try this out yourself sometime!

Total cooking time: 1.5 hours

Serving size: Two large plates

Ingredients:                                                                                                 

1/2 pound fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 large onions, chopped

1/2 stalk celery, chopped

1/4 clove garlic, minced

1/4 bell pepper, chopped

3/4 cup canned, crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup shrimp or chicken stock

2 tbsp. butter

1 1/2 tbsp. all purpose flour

2 1/2 tsp. paprika*

2 tsp. garlic powder*

1 tsp. black pepper*

1 tsp. dried oregano*

1 tsp. onion powder*

1 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper*

1 tsp. dried thyme*

2 bay leaves

1 tsp. green onion, chopped (for garnish)

*Ingredients for Creole seasoning

Directions:

1. In a large pot, melt your butter and combine the flour in to form a blonde roux. Stir continuously on medium for 5 to 7 minutes or until the roux turns to a peanut butter color. Bring this mixture to a boil.

2. Add in the onion, celery, garlic and pepper and cook for 10 min on medium-high heat.

3. Add in the canned tomato, bay leave and the Creole seasoning. Continue boiling for 10 min. on medium-high heat.

4. Finally, add in the shrimp and continue cooking on medium-high for another 10 min.

5. Serve over white rice and top with green onions.

~Anni Zhang