Shrimp Etouffee (Easy Cajun Recipe) (2024)

Shrimp Etouffee is a delicious Louisiana classic - a type of stew, it's made from a roux, the Holy Trinity of Onion, bell pepper and celery and tasty Gulf shrimp.

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

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!

🧅 Ingredients

• Fresh Shrimp
• Creole Seasoning
• Vegetable Oil (or butter)
• Yellow Onions
• Green Bell Pepper
• Celery
• Garlic
• Dried Thyme
• Seafood 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 a little oil to a large heavy skillet - I like a cast iron skillet for this step as it chars nicely. Add the shrimp for just a few seconds just to get a nice color, then remove to a plate and set aside.
• Step 3: Add the oil and flour to a large Dutch Oven (or heavy bottomed pot) and cook a roux until it is a medium brown color.
• Step 4: Add the holy trinity of onions, bell pepper and celery and smother down for about 30 minutes.

Step 5: Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes.
Step 6: Add the seafood stock and stir well to combine. Bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Step 7: Add back the shrimp, green onions, and thyme and stir well.
Step 8: Once the mixture is hot again, turn off the heat and serve over rice.

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.
• Chicken Stock - or 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 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

• Texas Roadhouse Grilled Shrimp Recipe
• Creole Shrimp and Grits
• Boom Boom Shrimp
• Garlicky Shrimp Alfredo Bake
• Shrimp Creole

❤ Sharing is Caring - Like Our Facebook Page ❤

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.

If you’ve tried thisShrimp Etouffee Recipeor any other great recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section below, how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow me onPINTEREST,FACEBOOKandINSTAGRAMto see more amazing recipes!

4.50 from 6 votes

Shrimp Etouffee

Shrimp Etouffee is a delicious Louisiana classic - a type of stew, it's made from a roux, the Holy Trinity of Onion, bell pepper and celery and tasty Gulf shrimp.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time55 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

See Also

The 10 BEST Cornish Hen Recipes

Servings: 6

Cuisine: Cajun and Creole

Author: Melanie Cagle

Video

Equipment

• 5.4 inch cast iron skillet

• Dutch Oven

Ingredients

• 2 lb Shrimp peeled and deveined
• 2 Tablespoons Creole Seasoning
• ⅓ Cup Vegetable Oil
• ½ Cup All Purpose Flour
• 2 Large Onions diced
• 1 Green Bell Pepper diced
• 3 Stalks Celery diced
• 6 Cloves Garlic minced
• 4 Cups Seafood Stock
• 1 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
• 6 Green Onions chopped

Instructions

• Wash the shrimp and lay out on paper towel and pat dry. Season with the Creole Seasoning. Set aside.

• Add enough oil to wet the bottom of a cast iron skillet (or any skillet) and sear the shrimp just to show color. Remove and set to the side.

• Add the oil to a Dutch Oven (or other heavy bottomed pan) and heat over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring continuously until a peanut butter color has formed.

• Add the diced onions, bell pepper and celery and sweat down for about 30 minutes.

• Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes.

• Add the seafood stock and bring to a boil. Turn down and simmer for 10 minutes.

• Add back the shrimp, chopped green onions and thyme, stir to combine.

• Heat through then remove from the heat.

• Serve with white rice and sprinkle chopped green onions over the top.

Notes

If you had whole shrimp with the shells, make a homemade shrimp stock by boiling the shrimp shells with offcuts from the veggies.

MAke the roux as dark or light as you like. Some people like a dark roux, others lighter.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 588kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 405mg | Sodium: 2770mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g

Did You Make This?Mention @caglediaries or tag #caglediaries!

Sign Up for my emails and never miss another recipe!

I'll never share your email, or send you spam. Pinkie Promise!

More Food