Classic Shrimp Étouffée Recipes

SHRIMP ÉTOUFFéE

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-low; whisk in flour. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture turns golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Increase heat to medium, and add onion, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until soft and golden, about 15 minutes.
• Stir in bell peppers, and cook, stirring often, 5 minutes. Stir in broth and water, and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in shrimp, and cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp turn pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in hot sauce, salt, and pepper; cook 5 more minutes. Stir in scallions and parsley, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Serve immediately over hot cooked rice.

SHRIMP ETOUFFEE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven set over medium heat. Add the flour and stir continuously to make a roux. Stir the roux over medium heat until the color of peanut butter, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, and garlic to the roux, and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes to the pot and season with the bay leaves, salt, cayenne, and 1 tablespoon of the Essence. Cook the tomatoes for 2 to 3 minutes and then whisk in the shrimp stock.
• Bring the mixture to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Cook the etouffee, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes. Season the shrimp with the remaining tablespoon of Essence and add them to the pot, stirring to evenly distribute. Cook the shrimp for 5 to 7 minutes, or until they are cooked through. Add the chopped parsley to the pot and stir to combine.
• Serve immediately over steamed white rice and garnish with sliced green onion tops.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
• Place the shrimp shells and heads in a large colander and rinse under cold running water for several minutes.
• Combine the shrimp shells and remaining ingredients in a heavy 6-quart stockpot, add 4 quarts water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Skim to remove any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes, skimming occasionally.
• Remove the stock from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean container; let cool completely. Refrigerate the stock for up to 3 days or freeze in airtight containers for up to 2 months.

CLASSIC SHRIMP ÉTOUFFéE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• First, clarify the butter. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Let it simmer until the foam rises to the top.
• Once the butter stops making crackling noises and there is no longer any foam rising to the top, remove it from the heat and let it cool slightly.
• Most of the solids will be on the bottom. Skim off any foam with a spoon. Strain through a cheesecloth-lined strainer.
• After clarifying the butter, you will have about 4 to 5 tablespoons for the roux.
• Put the clarified butter in a Dutch oven or large heavy saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat and add the flour.
• Cook, whisking constantly, until the roux is golden brown, about the color of peanut butter.
• Add the chopped onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic to the roux and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent, about 10 to 12 minutes.
• Add the clam juice or shrimp stock and diced tomatoes, along with 1 tablespoon of the Creole seasoning, ground black pepper, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes or until the vegetables are softened.
• If the sauce mixture seems too thick, thin it with a little more clam juice, shrimp stock, or some chicken broth. Taste and add more Creole seasoning and salt, as needed.
• Add the shrimp and continue cooking for about 3 to 4 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked through.
• For each serving, put a big scoop of rice in the center of a deep plate or shallow bowl. Spoon the shrimp étouffée around the rice. Sprinkle with a little fresh chopped parsley or green onion tops. Serve with a simple tossed salad and crusty French bread or rolls.

CHEF JOHN'S SHRIMP ETOUFFEE

Steps:

• Whisk paprika, thyme, oregano, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, white pepper, and black pepper together in a small bowl.
• Drain shrimp in a colander for at least 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl lined with paper towels and dry shrimp for about 3 minutes. Remove paper towels from bowl and season shrimp with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon spice blend. Toss to coat shrimp with spice blend.
• Heat vegetable oil a large heavy skillet over high heat until oil is smoking hot. Cook shrimp in the hot oil without stirring for 1 minute; stir, and cook 1 minute more.
• Transfer shrimp to a large bowl. Let stand until juice forms in bowl. Strain shrimp juices into chicken stock to total 2 cups, adding more chicken stock if necessary.
• Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat until butter begins to turn tan at the edges. Saute onion, celery, and green pepper in hot butter until softened, about 5 minutes. Pour in remaining spice blend.
• Sprinkle flour into vegetable mixture and saute until combined, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in tomatoes; cook until tomato juices begin to brown on bottom of pan, about 3 minutes. Whisk stock into vegetable mixture, stirring until smooth. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened and reduced to a gravy consistency, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce. Season with salt to taste.
• Stir shrimp into etouffee sauce; let simmer until shrimp are cooked all the way through and no longer translucent, about 1 minute.
• Garnish with green onions and a dusting of cayenne pepper. Pour over rice in large, shallow bowls.

SHRIMP ÉTOUFFéE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery and bell pepper, and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 more minute.
• Sprinkle the flour over the ingredients and stir constantly until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, and stir and cook for 1 more minute.
• Pour in the stock and 3/4 cup water. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the hot sauce, bay leaf, Creole seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil, and cook until the mixture starts to thicken, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in the shrimp and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer until the shrimp is cooked through and opaque, about 5 minutes, turning each piece halfway through. Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust seasoning. Sprinkle the scallions on top. Serve warm over rice.