How many of you are etoufee (a-too-fae) fanatics! (Me! Me! Hand raised!) It’s a marvelously simple yet flavorful dish. My authentic Cajun shrimp etoufee has been taste tested by many, and today I share it with you.
Lets talk about etoufee basics, or perhaps, what makes it authentic. First is the roux, a sauce made from oil and flour. You cook it, whisking constantly, until peanut butter brown. Browning the flour add so much depth of flavor , it’s worth the time!
Next are the veggies, and not just any veggies. We’re talking about the holy trinity of Cajun cooking: green bell pepper, onion, and celery. These will saute in the roux until they soften.
The holy trinity are basic aromatics that you would use in most recipes as a base to add flavor (like this vegetable soup). It’s no wonder they are held above all else in Cajun cuisine!
Finally, the seafood, and the seafood seasoning. I use shrimp, but crawfish is perhaps even more authentic. This summer I will share a vegan version with you as well, which is also delicious, but not as authentic without the seafood.
For my seafood seasoning, I use old bay. Other seasonings labeled seafood seasoning work well, but I find old bay more consistently at my store. It also comes in low sodium if that is a concern for your diet.
Tips and Tricks for the Authentic Cajun Shrimp Etoufee recipe:
- To make my etoufee spicy, I use Louisiana sauce. Louisiana sauce is the best because it has the perfect balance of spicy to acidity, and limited ingredients.
- I prefer canned tomatoes to fresh because they yield a more velvety result. During summer, I will still use fresh garden tomatoes, but it is best if you take off the skins first.
- I also make this recipe with fish instead of shrimp. Try it with salmon for a non-traditional version.
- Make a double batch! Feed a crowd, or it freezes well for leftover lunches!
- 1½ cups brown rice
- ⅓ cup neutral flavored cooking oil (such as canola)
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 small green pepper, diced
- 2-3 stalks celery, diced
- 15 oz can no-salt added diced tomatoes
- 1 cup broth or stock (I use vegetable or shrimp)
- 2 TBS old bay seasoning
- ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 lb shrimp, peeled and divined
- 1 TBS Louisiana style hot sauce
- Cook rice according to package directions. This will take about 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile combine oil and flour in a skillet with a whisk. Cook stirring consistently over medium high heat for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture is peanut butter brown. (a glass of wine helps with this step) You can also cook over a lower heat, but it will take more time. You do need to consistently stir or the flour will burn at medium high heat. (This is why wine helps when you are standing at the stove for 10 minutes).
- Mix in diced pepper, onion, and celery. Saute covered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Mix in tomatoes, broth, old bay and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil and let simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
- Mix in shrimp and hot sauce. Cook for 2 minutes, or until the shrimp are opaque. Remove from heat.
- Serve over cooked rice.
Hello Alison, I am a Mississippi native raised in Louisiana and all its wonderful food there. This recipe looks so delicious. I am making this for our Florida family this weekend. And…..I am adding the wine with it 🍷🍷 😉.
Rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Enjoy sipping on your wine! I hope your family loves the recipe, Jane!
I made this tonight and it turned out beautiful it’s was sooooo good I had to use frozen shrimp but i soaked them in cold water and dried them really good so flavorful I did use chicken broth before I read vegetable broth and my tomatoes were diced canned but with salt and it was still very very good thanks it’s definitely a keeper .
Thanks for sharing, Alexandria! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
How much wine do you use for the roux?
The wine is for drinking, not for the roux 😉
Excellent recipe and fast/easy to prepare. I used all fresh veggies instead of canned tomatoes as I had them on hand. Anyways, I followed your instructions to take tee and our dinner guests were asking for seconds and thirds. On a side note, lol at the gentleman who commented about the wine ruining his meal. I guess he’s never heard of the My Drunk Kitchen channel on YouTube…lol
Kamil, thank you for letting us know how much you and your dinner guests enjoyed this recipe! I use fresh tomatoes during the summertime too 🙂
Allison Thanks for Sharing this recipe.I added my spin Doubling the recipe and adding 2 lbs of Shrimp 16oz Blue Crab Meat, 2 Lbs Scallops 1 Tbs of Worcestershire sauce,1 Tsp Thyme,1/2 Tsp Ghost pepper flakes.
I’m glad you made the dish your own! Sounds like a delicious seafood feast to me!
For this recipe, what broth would you recommend is best? (Veggie or Shrimp)
I tend to use whatever I have on hand. Shrimp stock is a little bit more flavorful then vegetable stock, in my opinion. I tend to have veggie broth on hand more often, but my vegetable broth is a salty one (32% DV per cup). More salt is definietly going to increase the flavor overall, so that might also be a determining factor in choosing the best broth!
Okay, I have to confess that I did not follow this recipe exactly. I only had “salted” diced tomatoes and used those in place of the unsalted ones but where I really deviated from the recipe is that I had more than one glass of wine while this was cooking! Great recipe, nonetheless, and I will make it again. Probably the exact same way, again!
Sounds perfect, especially the extra glass of wine 😉
Why did you suggest the wine. after adding it I realized that the wine was to drink. as soon as I added the wine the flour clumped up and ruined the roux. A perfectly good shrimp dinner was thrown away.
So sorry it didn’t turn out! Yes, the wine is for drinking 🙂
This was fantastic! I added the shrimp shells to my home made chicken stock. Added a little white wine. Also added some roasted chicken. Otherwise followed exactly… loved it!
Lori, thanks for letting us know how much you enjoyed the recipe! I love using shirmp shells to make stock, and the white wine sounds delicious too 😉
What a great dish!!
Thank you Julie!
These shrimp look like perfection!
Thanks Chelsey!
Delicious!
It’s a little spicy, but rich and flavorful! I think you would enjoy it Lin!