I am from Mississippi so frequent road trips to New Orleans were very common growing up. Since I was an established foodie since birth, most of the trips resulted in me chowing down on cajun food. Because of nostalgia, I wondered what creole food I could make which prompted me to recreate my own version of étouffée. I love étouffée because it only calls for fresh seafood, but you can add as much or as little as you would like. By now, I’m sure you can guess why I was so excited to make this Louisiana shrimp and crawfish étouffée recipe.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Taste of Cajun cuisine
- Classic Louisiana dish that can be made into a meal prep or for personal consumption
- Easy recipe that can be adjusted with alternatives
- Leftover ingredients can be used to make shrimp stock
- The étouffée can be used to serve over biscuits, proteins like fish, and pastas. You can also have this recipe with skillet cornbread.
Frequently asked questions:
1. Will this recipe work with just shrimp?
- Yes, you can make this dish into a shrimp étouffée recipe by omitting the crawfish tails
2. Will this recipe work with just crawfish?
- Yes, you can make this dish into a cajun crawfish étouffée recipe by omitting the shrimp
3. How do I store the leftover étouffée?
- The remaining ingredients can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
4. Can I add sauces to the recipe?
- Yes, you can add hot sauce to this creole dish as it usually a tradition to do so.
5. What does “étouffée” mean?
- Étouffée is a French word that means, “smothered” or “suffocated.”
Shrimp and Crawfish Étouffée Ingredients:
- 4 ounces of shrimp
- 1/2 lb of crawfish tails
- 1/2 cup of butter with canola oil
- 2 tbl flour
- Less than 1/4 cup of chopped green peppers and 1/4 of chopped red peppers
- 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
- 1/4 cup of diced onions
- 4 cloves of pressed garlic
- 3-4 cups of seafood stock
- 2 green onions chopped
- 1 tsp of fresh thyme leaves
- 1 1/2 tbl of kosher salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper
- 1 tbl freshly chopped parsley
Brief Instructions for Louisiana classic étouffée:
- Clean and devein shrimp if it has not been done.
- Rinse shrimp and pat to dry; season shrimp with a pinch of kosher and black pepper.
- The first step is to make a brown roux. Please follow the detail instructions in the recipe card so that you don’t have have a burnt roux.
- Heat butter and oil in a heavy pot or large skillet over medium heat.
- Next add flour to the hot mixture – make sure to stir rigorously to dissolve. This may take 2-3 minutes of stirring.
- Add onions to the butter mixture and let it cook for 2 minutes
- Next add red and green pepper, celery, bay leaf, and garlic. Cook for 1 minute or less. The garlic will become flagrant.
- Add cups seafood stock and reduce heat to medium low and simmer.
- You will then add thyme, salt, red pepper, cayenne, paprika, and green onions to the mixture and bring to a light simmer. Let the ingredients simmer for about 8 minutes.
- Taste to adjust seasonings based on your liking. If you want the dish to be spicier, add red pepper flakes
- Next, add crawfish and shrimp, then parsley. Stir.
- Cook the shrimp for about 3-5 minutes and serve over rice, fish, biscuits, you name it!
Instructions for hot cooked white rice:
Bring 5 cups of water to a boil in a large pot.
Add white rice and cook for 10-15 minutes.
While cooking, stir occasionally just to make sure rice does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
To check to see if rice is done by testing rice to ensure it is tender and not hard or mushy.
Once rice is to your liking, remove pan from the heat and drain rice into a strainer over the sink.
You may rinse the rice with cold water to stop the cooking process.
Keep rice in the strainer or transfer into a small container.
Be sure to check out these other seafood dinner recipes:
Louisiana Shrimp and Crawfish Étouffée
This shrimp and crawfish étouffée recipe gives you a taste of the N.O.
Ingredients
- 4 ounces of shrimp
- 1/2 lb of crawfish tails
- 1/2 cup of butter with canola oil
- 2 tbl flour
- Less than 1/4 cup of chopped green peppers and 1/4 of chopped red peppers
- 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
- 1/4 cup of diced onions
- 4 cloves of pressed garlic
- 3-4 cups of seafood stock
- 2 green onions chopped
- 1 tsp of fresh thyme leaves
- 1 1/2 tbl of kosher salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper
- 1 tbl freshly chopped parsley
Instructions
- Bring 5 cups of water to a boil in a large pot.
- Add white rice and cook for 10-15 minutes.
- While cooking, stir occasionally just to make sure rice does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
- To check to see if rice is done by testing rice to ensure it is tender and not hard or mushy.
- Once rice is to your liking, remove pan from the heat and drain rice into a strainer over the sink.
- You may rinse the rice with cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Keep rice in the strainer or transfer into a small container.
- If shrimp is not already cleaned, do so by removing the shrimp shells and devein. Rinse with warm water and drain.
- Pat shrimp to dry and season with a pinch of kosher and black pepper.
- The first step is to make a brown roux. Please follow the detail instructions in the recipe card so that you don't have have a burnt roux.
- Melt butter and oil in a heavy pot or large skillet over medium-low heat.
- Next add flour to the hot mixture - make sure to stir rigorously to dissolve. This may take 2-3 minutes of stirring.
- Add onions to the butter mixture and let it cook for 2 minutes
- Next add red and green pepper, celery, bay leaf, and garlic. Cook for 1 minute or less on medium-high heat. The garlic will become flagrant.
- Add cups seafood stock to the vegetable mixture and simmer on medium low heat.
- You will then add thyme, salt, red pepper, cayenne, paprika, and green onions to the mixture and bring to a light simmer. Let the ingredients simmer for about 8 minutes.
- Taste to adjust seasonings based on your liking. If you want the dish to be spicier, add red pepper flakes.
- Next, add crawfish and shrimp, then parsley. Stir.
- Cook the shrimp and crawfish for about 3-5 minutes then remove étouffée from the heat.
- In whatever bowl you choose, add rice to the Louisiana shrimp and crawfish étouffée.
White Rice Instructions:
Etouffee Instructions:
Notes
- Note 1: Keep shrimp shells to make seafood broth or shrimp stock.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 3 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1518Total Fat: 58gSaturated Fat: 24gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 27gCholesterol: 688mgSodium: 3166mgCarbohydrates: 89gFiber: 5gSugar: 4gProtein: 152g