Shrimp Etouffee is a classic Cajun and Creole dish, renowned for its rich flavors and comforting warmth. This recipe, lovingly crafted and shared from lovewithrecipes.com, encapsulates the essence of Southern cuisine in a dish that’s both satisfying and relatively quick to prepare. With its very low carb count and a total cooking time of under 60 minutes, it’s perfect for busy weeknights or leisurely weekends when you crave a taste of Louisiana without spending hours in the kitchen.
To embark on this culinary journey, you’ll need a handful of fresh ingredients, including 6 tablespoons of butter, 3 tablespoons of flour, 1 onion, 6 green onions, 1/2 bell pepper, 1/2 cup of celery, 2 cups of water, 3 cups of shrimp, 1/4 cup of parsley, 1 bay leaf, and a dash of Tabasco sauce. For a complete meal experience, don’t forget the rice!
Begin by melting the butter in a skillet over medium heat, ensuring it coats the bottom evenly. Once melted, gradually incorporate the flour, stirring continuously to form a smooth roux. This step is crucial as it lays the foundation for the dish’s signature texture and depth of flavor. Keep stirring until the roux achieves a rich, caramelized brown hue, releasing nutty aromas that tantalize the senses.
Next, it’s time to introduce the star players: the vegetables. Add finely diced onion, green onions, bell pepper, and celery to the skillet, allowing them to sauté until tender. This gentle cooking process coaxes out their natural sweetness while infusing the roux with layers of savory complexity.
Once the vegetables have softened, pour in the water and add the shrimp, parsley, bay leaf, and a splash of Tabasco sauce to the mix. These ingredients combine to create a symphony of flavors, with the shrimp adding a delicate sweetness, the parsley imparting freshness, and the Tabasco sauce lending a subtle kick of heat. Allow the etouffee to simmer uncovered for approximately 20 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld and intensify.
As the aroma of simmering etouffee fills your kitchen, prepare a pot of hot rice to serve as the perfect canvas for this flavorful masterpiece. Whether you prefer fluffy white rice or nutty brown rice, its mild, starchy goodness provides a harmonious contrast to the bold flavors of the etouffee.
To serve, ladle generous portions of the shrimp etouffee over the hot rice, ensuring each plate is adorned with a colorful medley of shrimp, vegetables, and aromatic sauce. Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley for a pop of color and a final flourish of flavor.
With its robust Cajun and Creole flavors, velvety texture, and soul-warming appeal, this shrimp etouffee recipe is sure to become a beloved favorite in your culinary repertoire. Whether shared with loved ones around the dinner table or savored solo as a comforting indulgence, each bite transports you to the vibrant streets of New Orleans, where every dish tells a story of tradition, community, and culinary passion.
