by Holly
Shrimp Étouffée is a southern dish packed with all the flavor of our favorite New Orleans cuisine!
In this dish, tender seasoned shrimp are smothered in a creamy sauce and jam-packed with flavor. The best Shrimp Etoufee is easy to make but it does take a bit of time and I can assure you that the time is definitely worth it!
What is Shrimp Étouffée?
This is a dish I learned to make in cooking classes in New Orleans. It’s so incredibly delicious, I knew I HAD to share it with you!
Roughly translated, Shrimp Étouffée means “smothered shrimp.” It’s picked up many variations along the way.
For this recipe, a creamy sauce made with a roux will mix with cajun-seasoned shrimp. We love the layers of flavor in this creamy sauce and of course the plump juicy shrimp.
Ingredients & Variations
SHELLFISH
Étouffée can be made with any kind of shellfish. Sub out the shrimp for crab, mussels, or even crayfish (or crawdads) if you can find them! Fresh shrimp is the best to use, but if frozen is all that’s available, no worries! Just make sure it’s well-drained, and don’t overcook.
SAUCE
The base of this dish is the sauce made from a roux. It’s possible to make different types of roux, from “blonde” to medium, to brown. The longer the roux cooks, the darker and nuttier it becomes, but it can definitely take some time. So our recipe strikes a happy medium, without sacrificing any of the flavors!
BROTH
If time is short, just go ahead and use chicken broth, or better yet, canned shrimp broth. But if time is no issue and you want to “get your chef on,” then go ahead and make homemade shrimp stock.
How to Make Shrimp Étouffée
This dish takes time but I can assure you it’s worth every second.
-
- Cook Shrimp
Season and cook shrimp just until pink (per recipe below). It will cook more later, do not overcook. - Make Roux
Combine flour and fat and cook until it becomes the color of peanut butter. Add onions/celery/peppers (this helps stop the cooking process).
- Cook Shrimp
- Simmer
Add diced fresh tomatoes, bay leaf, and Worcestershire and simmer. - Add flavors
Add shrimp, green onions, and a squeeze of lemon juice and heat through. Serve over rice.
Tips
- Once the roux has reached the color of peanut butter, add the celery/onion/green pepper (aka the holy trinity). This cools the roux to keep it from browning further.
- The best shrimp is cooked safely—but just until pink! For the first cooking, remove shrimp from heat just as soon as it turns pink on both sides, which takes just a couple of minutes! Once added back into the sauce, make sure it’s heated thoroughly but doesn’t boil. A very short simmer is fine, but that’s it. This will ensure the shrimp stays juicy and tender.
- Add green onion and parsley last, just before removing the dish from heat. This way the herbs retain their flavor and stay bright green.
- Make sure to time the cooking so that the rice is ready when the Étouffée is done. Hot, steaming, and slightly sticky rice tastes the best. Try making Instant Pot Rice or baked rice.
Classic Southern-Style Dishes!
- Hoppin’ John – loaded with fresh veggies
- Dirty Rice
- Fried Chicken and Waffles – comforting & delicious
- Southern Potato Salad – perfect for a backyard BBQ
- Collard Greens – fave side
- Cajun Chicken Pasta – ready in under 30 minutes
- Shrimp and Grits – cheesy & flavorful
Did you love this Shrimp Etouffee as much as we do? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Shrimp Etouffee
Prep Time 10 minutes
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds medium shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup butter
- ⅓ cup flour
- 1 small onion chopped
- ½ bell pepper chopped
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- ¼ teaspoon thyme
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups shrimp stock or chicken broth
- 2 cups tomatoes fresh (not canned), diced
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- salt & pepper to taste
- ¼ cup green onion
- ¼ cup parsley
- ½ lemon juiced
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Instructions
- Toss shrimp with cajun seasoning. Heat oil over medium-high heat and add shrimp. Cook until shrimp just begins to turn pink, about 2 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Stir in flour and cook until the flour becomes the color of peanut butter, about 6-8 minutes.
- Add onions, bell pepper, celery, thyme and garlic and cook until slightly softened. Stir in the broth/stock a bit at a time until smooth.
- Add tomatoes, Worcestershire and bay leaves and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered about 20 minutes. Add salt & pepper to taste.
- Stir in the green onions, parsley, lemon juice and shrimp with any juices. Cook just until shrimp is heated through, do not overcook.
- Serve over rice.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
This was the best etoufee I’ve ever had!!! I added sausage, chicken, and more cayenne pepper to mines for a little more spice !
This recipe was SO good. I tripled the requirements because we have a big family but it turned out extremely well. I also added chicken tenderloin and Turkey sausage, both Cajun style for flavor.
This was simple for a first timer. Thanks for sharing.
So glad you loved it. Your additions sound delicious!
I would like to thank you for publishing this recipe. Made this for supper tonight and everyone really enjoyed it. Easy to make but it just took a little longer time simmering to get the sauce thicker. Other than that, very good. Definitely, will make it again.
You’re welcome Charles. Thank you so much for leaving your comment. You made my day!
My family loved this recipe! I will be making it many more times in the future!
Once again I look for a recipe and find yours is the easiest to understand and follow and has the best flavor and aroma!!! Thank you HOlly!!!!
Oh, thank YOU Mary! I’m so happy to hear that! So glad you love this shrimp etouffee. You’re welcome!
The very best recipe! I have four Cajun, Creole books but yours is now mine. Thank you
You’re welcome Jeff! Thank YOU!
I haven’t had this is years! I cannot wait to make this tonight for my Fiancé!
Easy to make and super tasty!!
Very tasty! I cooked the sauce down two extra minutes to thicken just a bit more and threw in the whole bell pepper (it was on the small side) plus added an extra clove of garlic. I followed the directions for the homemade Cajun spice – was way better than the store bought and gave great flavor. Served over rice. The family said it was delicious. Will be making this again for sure. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
We made the Etouffee tonight for a Late Mardi Gras Zoom gather tomorrow. We will add the shrimp tomorrow before we make it. The sauce is amazing. Thank you for sharing!
Made this last night for an early celebration of Mardi Gras. It was so delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
You’re very welcome Tamela!
Excellent recipe, so happy I tried it! Tastes even better than what I had in NOLA last year. Thanks!
So glad you loved this as much as we do Shelley!
Excellent on the side over rice or on fried speckled trout! Perfect consistency and kids loved it. Did a double recipe in an 8 qt pot. Very quick and easy! Thanks
I went to grad school in Louisiana. This is not a etoufee. I was hesitant but decided to try. The flavor is good, but don’t present as an etoufee. It is a shrimp soup
I actually learned this recipe in classes at a cooking school in New Orleans. If your etouffee was soupy or runny, it may have needed more time to reduce. If you use a pot that is deep (rather than a large skillet) this can affect the way the sauce reduces. Hope that helps!
Thanks for this recipe Holly! This is something new to us. I was a bit hesitant at first because my husband doesn’t like spicy food. But this isn’t as spicy as we thought. Made my own cajun seasoning since I cannot find one in the market. Will definitely cook this again.
I’m so glad you loved it Gayle!
Wonderful recipe! It is time consuming and Holly was right well worth it! Thank you!
This was beautiful! It came together so seamlessly and the resulting flavor is wonderful. I added some krab meat to it to round it out with some sweetness. I’ll make this again! Thanks!!! I shared a pic on Insta with the hashtag
So happy you enjoyed this great shrimp etouffee Kaleena! Thanks for sharing!
Great recipe.
WOW!! This was a Complete hit last night with all 6 of my family members, kids age 9-16 yrs old. I used 2 Banana Peppers instead of the Green Pepper. It is similar to my husband’s jambalaya recipe but a lot quicker. Excellent Job Holly♥️
So glad your family loved it Kimberley!
Can you cook in slow cooker? How long Thanks
This recipe would not adapt well to the slow cooker.