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Shrimp or Crawfish Étouffée
(recipe, Ethan Becker, Marion Rombauer Becker, Irma S. Rombauer)
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Introduction
This traditional Louisiana dish tastes best with scoops of white rice.
Ingredients
- 3 lb. medium to large shrimp, peeled and de-veined, or 3 to 4 lbs. crawfish
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1¼ tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. ground black pepper
- ½ tsp. dried basil
- ¼ tsp. ground red pepper
- 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 3 Tbsp. flour
- 1 cup chopped onions
- ½ cup chopped celery
- ¼ cup chopped red bell peppers
- ¼ cup chopped green bell peppers
- ¼ cup chopped andouille sausage or smoked ham
- 2 Tbsp. chopped garlic
- ¼ tsp. dried sage, crumbled
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ tsp. hot red pepper sauce, or to taste
- ½ cup finely chopped scallions
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Steps
- Toss the shrimp or crawfish with the paprika, 1 teaspoon of thyme, salt, ground black pepper, basil, and ground red pepper. Set aside.
- In a large, flat-bottomed pot or skillet, stir the vegetable oil and flour together over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the roux is almost as dark as milk chocolate, about 20 minutes.
- Add the chopped onions, celery, red and green bell peppers, and andouille sausage or smoked ham. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. The roux will continue to darken to a deep mahogany color.
- Add the chopped garlic, sage, and ¼ teaspoon of thyme. Stir well and cook for 1 minute more.
- Stir in the chicken stock, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and hot red pepper sauce. Stirring constantly, bring the sauce to a simmer.
- Add the spice-coated shrimp or crawfish to the skillet and bring the liquid back to a simmer. Reduce the heat so the sauce bubbles gently. Cover and cook until the shrimp or crawfish are just firm and pink, and are curled, about 10 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped scallions and parsley.
Note
Culinate editor's note: Three pounds of shrimp is a lot of shrimp for this dish. You might instead drop the amount to two pounds or less and replace the missing pound with a full cup of the sliced andouille sausage.