Shrimp Étouffée is a classic in creole and cajun cooking. It has such a wonderful aroma and a really great spicy kick to it! The sauce starts with making a roux {flour and butter} but the trick is allowing the butter to slowly brown to get that wonderful deep color. We’ve of course got the Holy Trinity {bell pepper, onion and celery} in there to start flavoring the sauce, then fresh garlic, thyme, tomato paste, worcestershire sauce and creole seasoning to kick things up!
This incredible sauce simmers away to allow all the flavors to meld, it allows the sauce to thicken up and then at the very last minute the shrimp go in and cooked until just curled up and cooked. The Shrimp Étouffée is served over rice and garnished with diced fresh tomato and sliced scallions. This one is classic NOLA!
Ingredients
5 Tbsp butter
5 Tbsp flour
2 green bell peppers, small dice
2 celery stalks, small dice
1 yellow onion, small dice
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp dried thyme
2 heaping Tbsp tomato paste
1 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp creole seasoning
4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 lbs peeled and deveined shrimp
1 Tbsp butter
scallions and diced fresh tomato for garnish
Preparation
1. Heat up a heavy pot over low heat. Add in the butter and cook for about 10-12 minutes until a light golden brown. Be sure to stir around a few times to prevent burning.
2. Whisk in the flour until smooth and cook again for about 8 minutes on low. It should look like a slightly loose peanut butter when its ready.
3. Add in the bell peppers, celery and onion. Stir and coat the veggies with the roux. Cook for another 10-15 minutes, until the veggies are softened.
4. Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook for a minute, until the garlic is fragrant.
5. Add in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, creole seasoning and broth. Simmer on low for 30-40 minutes until slightly thickened. Stir occasionally.
6. Stir in the shrimp, shut the heat and put the lid on. Allow to cook for about 5-8 minutes or until cooked through. Stir in a Tbsp of butter right at the end.
7. Serve over rice and garnish with sliced scallion and fresh diced tomato.
