Hi Everyone,
I am so excited about today’s recipe. The last couple of summers I went to Baton Rouge, Louisiana for foodie events and I fell in love with Southern foods. I have never tasted food with such flavor and flair. I guess that’s because hot sauce originated in Louisiana? A place after my own heart, I think I may have a little Southern girl in me? This past weekend it was cool and windy out and I was craving some good old southern comfort food, so I thought I would try making Shrimp Etouffee, pronounced ay/too/fay. Oh my gosh, amazing! This is my favorite southern recipe I have made so far, next to my Southern Biscuits.
This shrimp dish is thick, hearty, slightly spicy and flavors of onions, garlic, tomatoes and Cajun seasoning. It is a classic New Orleans dish. For the recipe I used my homemade Cajun Seasonings and to add a touch of heat I added a few dashes of Louisiana Hot Sauce. This dish takes about an hour to make, but it’s very simple.
I served the recipe with brown rice that I cooked in chicken broth. The rice really picks up all the juices in the recipe and I highly recommend rice or even quinoa. To make the rice like in the photo’s, I just packed it into a 1/2 cup measuring cup and then took a butter knife around the edges. It popped right into my dish. I think it’s pretty cool looking. That was the first time I have ever done that.
Here is a photo of my step by step of the recipe. I thought I would take the photos with my phone so you can see the colors and the stages of cooking. Sorry if they are a little blurry.
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped onion
- ½ cup sliced celery
- ½ cup chopped green peppers
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp. fresh thyme
- 2 cup chicken broth, low sodium
- 1 ( 14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 tbsp. cajun seasoning
- 1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
- 2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 tsp. hot sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup chopped scallions (green onions)
- 2 tbsp. fresh parsley
- Rice:
- 2 cups chicken broth, low sodium
- 2½ cups brown rice (I used instant)
- Season shrimp with about a tablespoon of Cajun seasoning. Mix well and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Melt the butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat, cook until melted; add the flour, whisking constantly until dark brown (color of peanut butter), about 10 minutes.
- Add the onion, celery and peppers to the roux and cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and thyme and cook for a minute.
- Whisk in the broth, add the tomatoes, Cajun seasoning and Worcestershire sauce and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add the shrimp and cook until cooked, about 5 minutes.
- Season with hot sauce, salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix in the butter, lemon juice, green onion and parsley.
- To make rice:
- Bring 2 cups chicken broth to a boil. Stir in rice, bring to a bowl, lower heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. (I started the rice when the Shrimp Etouffee was simmering for 20 minutes)
- Evenly divide rice and Shrimp Etouffee between 6 bowls.
Yummy! This recipe makes 6 nice hearty size servings and believe me it’s very filling too. I had leftovers for lunch the next day and the flavors come to better even better. I of course added a little more hot sauce to it, because I pretty much add hot sauce to almost everything. lol
I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I have. I’m pretty proud to make a classic, traditional New Orleans style recipe. So if your craving shrimp and spice, you should give this recipe a try.
Have a wonderful day!
Toodles,
Jennifer
