Shrimp Etouffee

Louisiana Shrimp Etouffee (or Étouffée) is a classic dish that you have to try at least once. A tasty stew full of the Holy Trinity (onions, bell pepper and celery), butter and seasoning it's actually quite simple considering the ingredients but tastes far more than that. What you would expect from Cajun cuisine!

It's a New Orleans favorite, you'll find shrimp Étouffée on most menus. Étouffée is a French word which means To Smother, or smothering, which is literally what you do in this recipe.

This was inspired by my other etouffee sauce recipe, Crawfish Etouffee. The exact same dish, swapping out the shrimp for crawfish. These recipes are popular during Mardi Gras!

Jump to:

• 🧅 Ingredients
• 🥣 Instructions
• Substitutions and Variations
• 🦐 Other Shrimp Recipes
• 🔌 Equipment
• Storage
• 💡 Top tip
• Shrimp Etouffee

🧅 Ingredients

• Fresh Shrimp
• Creole Seasoning
• Butter
• Yellow Onions
• Green Bell Pepper
• Celery
• Garlic
• Dried Thyme
• Chicken Stock (or chicken broth)
• All Purpose Flour
• Green Onions

See recipe card for quantities.

🥣 Instructions

• Step 1: Peel and devein the shrimp (if you have to). Wash and pat dry using paper towels. Sprinkle with the Creole Seasoning. Set aside to marinate.
• Step 2: Add the butter to a large heavy bottomed pot - I like a large Dutch Oven for this recipe as it cooks nice and evenly.
• Step 3: Add the diced green pepper, onions and celery to the butter and turn to low-medium heat. Smother for about 30 minutes.
• Step 4: Add the succulent shrimp and the minced garlic to the pot and turn heat to medium-high. Cook until the shrimp turn pink (a few minutes each side).

Step 5: Sprinkle half of the flour over the shrimp and veggies and stir to combine.
Step 6: Sprinkle the remaining half again over the shrimp and veggies, stir and cook until the mixture starts to darken.
Step 7: Add the thyme and stir to combine.
Step 8: Pour the chicken stock into the pot slowly, while stirring continuously. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to low-medium. Simmer for 10 minutes.

• Step 9: Serve over white rice and top with chopped green onions.

Hint: The 2 Tablespoons of Creole Seasoning will already give a little kick to the shrimp etouffee. If you like it hotter, feel free to add more Creole Seasoning or add some hot sauce to your plate.

Substitutions and Variations

• Chopped Tomatoes - adding tomatoes would actually make this a more Creole dish - the Creole version of any dish usually as the addition of tomatoes. Mine is a classic Cajun dish and so does not use tomatoes.
• Crawfish Tails - instead of shrimp if you prefer and have access, use crawfish.
• Cajun Seasoning - virtually the same as Creole Seasoning. If you don't have either, use salt and black pepper and add some garlic powder and cayenne pepper.
• Seafood Stock - if you have shrimp shells from the peelings from the shrimp, use the off-cuts from the veggies and whip up your own shrimp broth by boiling with 4 cups of water for 1 hour. Or you could use store-bought seafood stock.
• Bay Leaves - Add a bay leaf or two for additional flavor.
• Brown Rice - If you prefer, feel free to use brown rice in place of the white rice.
• Andouille Sausage - Try adding some andouille sausage for some extra depth of flavor.

🦐 Other Shrimp Recipes

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See this Creole Shrimp and Grits Recipe or this Seafood Gumbo Recipe! Two classic Louisiana dishes that should be in your family's meal rotation!

🔌 Equipment

I like to use my Dutch Oven (see link in the recipe card below) to cook anything that requires smothering. Due to the thickness of the cast iron it gives a nice even cooking experience. A Cast Iron Pot will do the same too. In fact, using your cast iron pot will also imbue some flavors.

Storage

I can't imagine you having any leftovers, however, if you have, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

It does freeze well. Store in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.

💡 Top tip

If you are not happy with the darkness of your shrimp etouffee, use Kitchen Bouquet (a browning and seasoning sauce) to add a little darkness. Easy though, it is salty.

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