Shrimp Étouffée

Étouffée is a quintessential Creole dish famous for bold spices blended into a creamy roux, poured atop a bed of rice. Not to be confused with its Cajun cousins - Jambalaya and Gumbo, which incorporate a variety of proteins like chicken and andouille sausage - Étouffée employs a single protein (shrimp or crawfish). It’s a revered crowd pleaser that will make everyone at your table a believer in the Bayou flavor bible.

What You’ll Need

  • 1 1/2 - 2 pounds peeled and deveined shrimp

  • Cajun Cave Dirt seasoning (enough to season the shrimp and roux, 2-3 tablespoons)

  • For the shrimp: 1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil , 1 1/2 tbsp butter

    For the roux: 1/3 cup butter (6 tablespoons) , 1/3 cup flour

  • 1 diced small onion, 1 diced bell pepper, 2 stalks of chopped celery

  • 1/2 teaspoon basil , 4 cloves garlic minced

  • 3 cups shrimp stock or chicken broth

  • 2 cups diced tomatoes (We highly recommend fresh)

  • 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

  • 2 bay leaves, 1/4 cup parsley

  • 1/3 cup green onion

  • Lemon for juice

  • 1 3/4 cups of white rice (or your rice of choice)

What to Do

  1. Pat shrimp dry and season evenly with roughly 2 Tbsp Cajun Cave Dirt. Set Aside.

  2. Start the roux base: Melt butter over medium heat in a large skillet until it begins to lightly simmer. Stir in flour until it is a consistent mixture, then add Cajun Cave Dirt (roughly 1 Tbsp but you can add more for extra flavor). Continue to stir and cook until the mixture is properly browned (8-10 minutes), if you don’t stir enough the flour will clump and burn. If the mixture gets too hot you can add a little milk and continue cooking until it returns to soft brown color.

  3. Add onions, bell peppers, celery, basil, and garlic immediately once roux is the proper texture and color. Cover and lightly simmer until the vegetables become soft (12-15 minutes) , stirring regularly. Add the broth or stock a little at a time and continue to stir until the mixture is consistent. Cook uncovered at a low simmer for 5 minutes. Add an additional 1-2 Tbsp Cajun Cave Dirt.

  4. Add tomatoes, Worcestershire, and bay leaves. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes, making sure to stir occasionally so it doesn’t burn the roux. Add salt & pepper to taste.

  5. In a separate pan, bring 3 1/2 cups of water to a boil (different rice calls for different ratios; for white rice the ratio is typically 2 cups water : 1 cup rice). Add the rice and turn heat down to a low simmer, cover the pan and cook until rice has fully absorbed the water (roughly 20 minutes). Once water is fully absorbed turn off heat.

  6. In a separate skillet, bring 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil and 1 1/2 Tbsp butter to a medium-high simmer. Saute the shrimp once the rice and roux are 5 minutes from being done. Cook until shrimp begin to turn pink, roughly 1 1/2 - 2 minutes per side.

  7. Once everything is cooked, add the shrimp to the roux. Rest the pans while covered for 5-10 minutes.

  8. Serve over a bed of rice and top with squeezed lemon, parsley, and chopped green onions.