Uploaded March 2022 | Updated September 2026, 4 hours ago
One of the most widely-known of Cajun dishes, it is also an easy one to make at home which will delight and impress. The gravy with its potentially multicolored peppers, the pile of curly shrimp and sprinkle of green makes it easy to style the plate well.
This dish is all about the gravy, which is essentially a chunky veloute made with shrimp stock. I always keep my raw shrimp shells when I use shrimp for other dishes, so that I can make shrimp stock from them. Often, when making the shrimp stock, I use only shells, but when making stock for etouffee I use some onion, some celery and maybe a tiny bit of sweet pepper or jalapeno trimmings. These are the main flavors of the gravy, so enriching the stock with them will just make them that much stronger in the final dish.
The quality of the finished etouffee depends largely upon the quality of the roux. It must be a brown roux. It does not have to be the rich, chocolaty, I-can’t-believe-it’s-not-burnt of a gumbo roux. But it must be at least a coffee-with-milk brown color. The depth of toasty flavor from the brown roux helps to bring profundity to the dish and it will not taste right without it.
Makes enough for 4-6 people.
Equipment:
• large skillet or saucepan for etouffee gravy
• medium to large saucepan for making shrimp stock (if need be)
Ingredients:
2 lb shrimp
3 cup shrimp stock
1 ea pepper sweet: bell, sheppard, hatch, poblano
1 ea jalapeno
1 rib celery + extra for stock
1 ea onion medium (+ extra for stock)
3/4 cup flour make roux with 3/4 of butter
1/4 lb butter divided
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp thyme
1 ea dried chili home-dried bird’s eye chili
1 ea bay leaf
to garnish: chopped green onions and/or parsley
serve atop white or dirty rice
Procedure:
1. If making shrimp stock, combine ~2 cups of loosely-packed shells with 4 cups of water, and perhaps add onion, celery and pepper trimmings (but not onion skin or roots). Bring slowly to a simmer, holding there for 30-45 min.
2. If the shrimp need to have their shells removed, remove them. They may be added to the stock, or frozen for future use.
3. In the skillet or saucepan over medium heat, melt 3/4 of the butter (6 Tbsp) and then add the flour, stirring together to make a roux.
4. Wash jalapeno, pepper and celery and pat dry. Peel the onion and discard skin and roots.
5. Small dice all the vegetables. Discard seeds from the peppers. Jalapeno seeds may be retained to increase the heat level of the finished dish.
6. Keep an eye on the roux, stirring occasionally, or watching carefully over higher heat, until the roux attains a delicious brown toastiness.
7. Once the roux has attained a sufficient toast, add the diced veg, the bay leaf, black pepper and dried herbs.
8. Allow the vegetables to sweat in the roux and become soft.
9. Add the stock to the veggie-roux a few ounces at a time, stirring to incorporate fully before adding more.
10.Once the gravy is about the right consistency, perhaps a tiny bit on the thick side, add the shrimp, stirring them through and letting them cook in the gravy.
11.The shrimp will release some moisture, thinning the gravy slightly.
12.When the shrimp are done, which takes a different amount of time depending on how big they are, but generally 2-4 minutes, take the pan off the heat and stir through the last of the butter. (Cognac may be added at this stage as well.)
13.Serve over rice, white or dirty, and garnish with chopped scallions and/or parsley.
Music: bensound.com/royalty-free-music
One of the most widely-known of Cajun dishes, it is also an easy one to make at home which will delight and impress. The gravy with its potentially multicolored peppers, the pile of curly shrimp and sprinkle of green makes it easy to style the plate well.
This dish is all about the gravy, which is essentially a chunky veloute made with shrimp stock. I always keep my raw shrimp shells when I use shrimp for other dishes, so that I can make shrimp stock from them. Often, when making the shrimp stock, I use only shells, but when making stock for etouffee I use some onion, some celery and maybe a tiny bit of sweet pepper or jalapeno trimmings. These are the main flavors of the gravy, so enriching the stock with them will just make them that much stronger in the final dish.
The quality of the finished etouffee depends largely upon the quality of the roux. It must be a brown roux. It does not have to be the rich, chocolaty, I-can’t-believe-it’s-not-burnt of a gumbo roux. But it must be at least a coffee-with-milk brown color. The depth of toasty flavor from the brown roux helps to bring profundity to the dish and it will not taste right without it.
Makes enough for 4-6 people.
Equipment:
• large skillet or saucepan for etouffee gravy
• medium to large saucepan for making shrimp stock (if need be)
Ingredients:
2 lb shrimp
3 cup shrimp stock
1 ea pepper sweet: bell, sheppard, hatch, poblano
1 ea jalapeno
1 rib celery + extra for stock
1 ea onion medium (+ extra for stock)
3/4 cup flour make roux with 3/4 of butter
1/4 lb butter divided
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp thyme
1 ea dried chili home-dried bird’s eye chili
1 ea bay leaf
to garnish: chopped green onions and/or parsley
serve atop white or dirty rice
Procedure:
1. If making shrimp stock, combine ~2 cups of loosely-packed shells with 4 cups of water, and perhaps add onion, celery and pepper trimmings (but not onion skin or roots). Bring slowly to a simmer, holding there for 30-45 min.
2. If the shrimp need to have their shells removed, remove them. They may be added to the stock, or frozen for future use.
3. In the skillet or saucepan over medium heat, melt 3/4 of the butter (6 Tbsp) and then add the flour, stirring together to make a roux.
4. Wash jalapeno, pepper and celery and pat dry. Peel the onion and discard skin and roots.
5. Small dice all the vegetables. Discard seeds from the peppers. Jalapeno seeds may be retained to increase the heat level of the finished dish.
6. Keep an eye on the roux, stirring occasionally, or watching carefully over higher heat, until the roux attains a delicious brown toastiness.
7. Once the roux has attained a sufficient toast, add the diced veg, the bay leaf, black pepper and dried herbs.
8. Allow the vegetables to sweat in the roux and become soft.
9. Add the stock to the veggie-roux a few ounces at a time, stirring to incorporate fully before adding more.
10.Once the gravy is about the right consistency, perhaps a tiny bit on the thick side, add the shrimp, stirring them through and letting them cook in the gravy.
11.The shrimp will release some moisture, thinning the gravy slightly.
12.When the shrimp are done, which takes a different amount of time depending on how big they are, but generally 2-4 minutes, take the pan off the heat and stir through the last of the butter. (Cognac may be added at this stage as well.)
13.Serve over rice, white or dirty, and garnish with chopped scallions and/or parsley.
Music: bensound.com/royalty-free-music
