Shrimp Etouffee
I am not a huge fan of Cajun food, but Dan loves it. We had this at one of our squadron parties and it was so good I begged Dan's boss for the recipe. We had it with shrimp, but you can do it with crawfish if you so desire. They're too creepy for me.
Crawfish (or Shrimp) Etouffee
Recipe from Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen
Seasoning mix:
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground red pepper (preferably cayenne)
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried sweet basil leaves
½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
¼ cup chopped onions
¼ cup chopped celery
¼ cup chopped green or red bell peppers
7 tablespoons peanut oil
¾ cup all-purpose flour
3 cups, in all, Basic Seafood Stock (recipe below)
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, in all
2 pounds peeled crawfish tails or medium shrimp
1 cup very finely chopped green onions
4 cups hot cooked rice
Basic Seafood Stock:
1 ½ to 2 pounds rinsed shrimp/crawfish/crab heads and/or shells
¼ onion (Bill’s addition)
1 celery stalk (Bill’s addition)
Cold water (enough to cover all the other ingredients and what recipe needs)
1 teaspoon thyme (Bill’s addition)
In a stock pot, bring all to a boil over high heat. Cover and reduce heat to gently simmer for 4 hours. Strain, cool and refrigerate until ready to use.
Thoroughly combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl combine the onions, celery and bell peppers.
In a large skillet, preferably cast iron, heat the oil over high heat until it begins to smoke, about 4 minutes. With a long-handled metal whisk, gradually mix in the flour, stirring until smooth. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until roux is dark red-brown, about 3 to 5 minutes (be careful not to let it scorch in the pan or splash on your skin.) Remove from heat and immediately stir in the vegetables and 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mix with a wooden spoon; continue stirring until cooled, about 5 minutes.
In a 2-quart saucepan, bring 2 cups of the stock to a boil over high heat. Gradually add the roux and whisk until thoroughly dissolved. Reduce heat to low and cook until flour taste is gone, about 2 minutes, whisking almost constantly (if any of the mixture scorches, don’t continue to scrape that part of the pan bottom). Remove from heat and set aside.
In a 4 quart saucepan melt 1 stick of the butter over medium heat. Stir in the crawfish (or shrimp) and the green onions; sauté about 1 minute, stirring almost constantly. Add the remaining stick of butter (optional from Bill), the remaining stock/roux mixture and the remaining 1 cup of stock. Cook until butter melts and is mixed into the sauce, about 4 to 6 minutes, constantly shaking the pan in a back and forth motion (versus stirring). Add the remaining seasoning mix; stir well and remove from heat (if sauce starts separating, add about 2 tablespoons more of stock or water and shake pan until it combines.) Serve immediately.
Bill’s notes: As the etouffee becomes better mixed, the spices will heat up. Wait until everything is together before adding more.
Constant stirring is required to keep both the roux and the mixture from burning. It’s a labor of love…
Crawfish (or Shrimp) Etouffee
Recipe from Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen
Seasoning mix:
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground red pepper (preferably cayenne)
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried sweet basil leaves
½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
¼ cup chopped onions
¼ cup chopped celery
¼ cup chopped green or red bell peppers
7 tablespoons peanut oil
¾ cup all-purpose flour
3 cups, in all, Basic Seafood Stock (recipe below)
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, in all
2 pounds peeled crawfish tails or medium shrimp
1 cup very finely chopped green onions
4 cups hot cooked rice
Basic Seafood Stock:
1 ½ to 2 pounds rinsed shrimp/crawfish/crab heads and/or shells
¼ onion (Bill’s addition)
1 celery stalk (Bill’s addition)
Cold water (enough to cover all the other ingredients and what recipe needs)
1 teaspoon thyme (Bill’s addition)
In a stock pot, bring all to a boil over high heat. Cover and reduce heat to gently simmer for 4 hours. Strain, cool and refrigerate until ready to use.
Thoroughly combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl combine the onions, celery and bell peppers.
In a large skillet, preferably cast iron, heat the oil over high heat until it begins to smoke, about 4 minutes. With a long-handled metal whisk, gradually mix in the flour, stirring until smooth. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until roux is dark red-brown, about 3 to 5 minutes (be careful not to let it scorch in the pan or splash on your skin.) Remove from heat and immediately stir in the vegetables and 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mix with a wooden spoon; continue stirring until cooled, about 5 minutes.
In a 2-quart saucepan, bring 2 cups of the stock to a boil over high heat. Gradually add the roux and whisk until thoroughly dissolved. Reduce heat to low and cook until flour taste is gone, about 2 minutes, whisking almost constantly (if any of the mixture scorches, don’t continue to scrape that part of the pan bottom). Remove from heat and set aside.
In a 4 quart saucepan melt 1 stick of the butter over medium heat. Stir in the crawfish (or shrimp) and the green onions; sauté about 1 minute, stirring almost constantly. Add the remaining stick of butter (optional from Bill), the remaining stock/roux mixture and the remaining 1 cup of stock. Cook until butter melts and is mixed into the sauce, about 4 to 6 minutes, constantly shaking the pan in a back and forth motion (versus stirring). Add the remaining seasoning mix; stir well and remove from heat (if sauce starts separating, add about 2 tablespoons more of stock or water and shake pan until it combines.) Serve immediately.
Bill’s notes: As the etouffee becomes better mixed, the spices will heat up. Wait until everything is together before adding more.
Constant stirring is required to keep both the roux and the mixture from burning. It’s a labor of love…
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