Shrimp Étouffée
This bayou staple is all about a deep, complex roux, and fresh, sweet seafood. For a flavorful base, we make our own stock using shrimp shells and a handful of aromatics. Toasting the dry flour before adding the butter speeds up the roux without sacrificing flavor—we get a deep mahogany mixture in only minutes. The holy trinity—onion, celery, and green bell pepper—is a Creole must, and we round out these traditional flavors with tomato, thyme, garlic, paprika, and (sometimes a little cayenne) Adding the shrimp during the last 5 minutes of cooking keeps it tender, and a final addition of Worcestershire, along with a squeeze of lemon, brightens it up.
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Ingredients
- 9 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 9 pieces
- 2 pounds extra-large shrimp 21 to 25 per pound, peeled and deveined, shells reserved
- 3 onions chopped
- 3 celery ribs chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 5 cups water
- 8 garlic cloves 2 peeled and smashed, 6 minced
- 1 tbsp peppercorns
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme plus 1 teaspoon minced
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 green bell pepper stemmed, seeded, and chopped
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- 1 can diced tomatoes 14.5-ounce can
- 3 scallions sliced thin
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- Cooked white rice
- Hot sauce
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Melt 1 tablespoon butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add shrimp shells, 2 cups onion, 1/2 cup celery, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until shells are spotty brown, about 10 minutes. Add water, smashed garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain shrimp stock through fine-mesh strainer set over large bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Wash and dry pot. (Stock can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)
- Toast flour in now-empty pot over medium heat, stirring constantly, until just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Whisk in remaining 8 tablespoons butter until melted and combined with flour. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until deep brown, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Add bell pepper, remaining onion, remaining celery, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Add paprika, cayenne, minced garlic, and minced thyme and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and their juice and cook until dry, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in 4 cups shrimp stock until incorporated (reserve any remaining stock for another use). Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 25 minutes.
- Season shrimp with salt and pepper, add to pot, and simmer until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in scallions and Worcestershire. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over rice with hot sauce and lemon wedges.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 2280kcalCarbohydrates: 220gProtein: 178gFat: 87gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 21gMonounsaturated Fat: 39gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 1143mgSodium: 5405mgPotassium: 4735mgFiber: 29gSugar: 92gVitamin A: 8671IUVitamin C: 240mgCalcium: 985mgIron: 18mg
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