I love southern cuisine because it contains the cooking process and flavor complexity of many of the other parts of the world I enjoy eating. I also love shrimp… just adore it. Etouffee is commonly made with crawfish (we call them crawdads in Oregon), a type of freshwater lobster…but I still prefer shrimp even though I can get crawdads easily. This creole curry is spicy, thick, and very satisfying. It’s one of my favorite of the cajun dishes and reminds me of Indian curries.
Shrimp Stock
Special Tools: sieve or cheesecloth
Add to a sauce pan on medium heat
- 1.5 cups water
- shrimp shells
- 1 tbs carrot juice (or a 1/2 cup chopped carrots)
- 1 tbs tomato paste
- 1 tbs dried parsley (or a handful of fresh)
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp peppercorns
Bring water to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer (medium to medium-low heat) for 20-30 minutes.
Strain into a container and it’s ready to use in the etouffee (or other shrimpy dish)!
After some evaporation due to cooking this will yield about 1 cup of stock.
Shrimp Etouffee
On medium heat, add to a pan:
- 3 tbs oil (or butter or ghee)
- (optional) 1 mustard seed, when it pops, oil is warm enough
When oil is warm enough, add and stir continuously do not let burn
- 3 tbs flour
When your roux is a golden brown color and smells similar to nuts, add
- 1 tbs garlic, minced
- 1 onion, diced (smaller pieces)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 3 tbs tomato paste
Saute for 10-15 minutes until vegetables are soft. Slowly mix in
- 1 cup dry, white wine (sherry)
- 1 cup shrimp stock (above recipe… or vegetable broth)
Once liquid is blended, add
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tbs oregano
- 1 tbs thyme
- 1 tbsp (or more) hot sauce (Louisiana hot sauce, Tabasco, etc)
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne (or to taste)
Allow to cook for 10-15 minutes so flavors have a chance to blend.
You can cook longer or on a higher high to reduce the liquid content and make a thicker sauce, or add a lid to keep liquid content as it is.
- 1 lb shrimp (shelled)
Cook 5-10 minutes or until shrimp is done.