Bless Her Heart

Etouffée is a hearty, comforting Cajun dish traditionally made with crawfish, a freshwater crustacean commonly found in and around Louisiana. 

During the late 1920s, Mrs. Hebert, owner of Louisiana’s Hebert Hotel, created and served a new dish containing crawfish tails, crawfish fat, onions and pepper. This dish soon came to be known as etouffee. 

By the 1950s, crawfish étouffée appeared in the menus of restaurants in the Breaux Bridge, Louisiana area. 

In 1983, Galatoire’s restaurant on Bourbon Street added this food to their menu…and it soon went viral. 

Although authentic Cajun etouffee contains crawfish, other areas of the country have adapted the recipe by using other proteins…including shrimp, crab, chicken and even frog legs. 

Many people would describe etouffee is a savory, thick stew consisting of sort of meat, spices and the “holy trinity”. 

But etouffee is technically not a stew. The meat doesn’t stew for any length of time in the liquid.  

Instead, the meat is one of the last ingredients added to the mixture and then only cooked long enough to cook through. 

Etouffee should be considered more of a gravy…like the delicious gravy that we use to smother our country fried steaks. 

In fact, the French word “etouffee” means “to smother” or “to suffocate.” 

Maybe we should rename the sausage gravy commonly enjoyed on our buttermilk biscuits “sausage etouffee”,,, 

What do y’all think? 

Brine the Shrimp:  

• 3½tsp kosher salt 
• 1/2tsp baking soda
• 2# shrimp, size 21-25, peeled and deveined

Originally, étouffée was only served with crawfish. 

But where in the heck am I supposed to get crawfish around my neck of the woods when the nearest Target is two hours away? 

So most etouffee made outside Louisiana will be shrimp etouffee. 

And while big shrimp may seem like a big indulgence. 

Big shrimp can also be a hassle. 

Smaller shrimp can be more easily scooped up into a spoon along with some rice and gravy…giving you the chance to enjoy everything all at once…without having to stop and chop up the shrimp while you’re eating. 

Head-on shrimp will make a more flavorful stock, so use them if you plan on making your own stock…(more on this later)…  

Brining the shrimp keeps them plump and seasons them through. 

To do this, first peel and devein the shrimp, reserving the shrimp shells. If using head-on shrimp, twist off the heads and reserve with the shells. 

Put the actual “good part” of the shrimp in a Dutch oven. 

Combine 2½tsp kosher salt and ½tsp of baking soda. Sprinkle this over the shrimp. Salt brings out the flavor. Baking soda ensures that the texture of the shrimp stays nicely firm when cooking. 

Refrigerate until it’s time to add them to the étouffé. 

Acknowledging the Holy Trinity:  

• 1 yellow onion 
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 green bell pepper
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 red bell pepper
• butter
• roux 

This is a Cajun recipe, so you already knew that we would acknowledge the Holy Trinity of Cajun cooking somewhere in this recipe. 

So here we go… 

Actually, there is a slight difference in flavor between green bell peppers and red ones. Red bell peppers are typically sweeter. Think of them as the Vidalia of bell peppers.  

You can also crank up the spiciness by adding some diced fresh jalapeño.  

Dice the yellow onion, celery and green and red bell peppers. Slice the scallions. Mince the garlic.  

Add the onions, bell pepper and celery to the butter.  

Sauté for 10min, until the diced vegetables are coated in the paste and begin to soften. 

Add the garlic and 1tsp kosher salt.  

Reduce heat.  

Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often. 

Making the Broth: 3C chicken broth 

As far as the two quarts of liquid needed as a base for the dish, you have several options. 

To make shrimp stock, you could simply rinse and boil the leftover heads and shells from the shrimp for 30 minutes and then filter. This really won’t have as much flavor as you might expect unless you’re using heads-on shrimp. 

“All the flavor is in the head” 

…(no telling how many times I heard that during the three years that we were stationed at Fort Polk.) 

Chicken Broth: But don’t worry, you could always do like many of us already do, but perhaps not admit to… 

Simply use chicken stock…obviously homemade chicken stock…(yeah, right(?!)… 

Adding Broth to the Etouffee: Add half of the broth. 

Continue stirring until it begins to thicken.  At first the stock will form a thick, gluey paste with the flour, but it will eventually thicken into a thick sauce. 

Shrimp will release more liquid into the sauce. So hold off on adding too much right now. 

Add enough additional broth until the sauce is like a gravy – a gravy thick enough to coat a spoon, but thin enough to still flows. 

Seasoning the Etouffee 

You can count on most Cajun and Creole seasoning blends to have a combination of spices, That’s why so many of us keep a jar of Cajun seasoning right next to the Italian seasoning in the spice cabinet.  

So if you already have Cajun seasoning on hand that you like, simply add 1½Tbsp Cajun seasoning at this point. 

But you could also make your own Cajun seasoning by combining any or all of the following, another point of personal preference, though… 

• 3Tbsp chopped parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 1tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2tsp pepper
• 1/2tsp oregano
• 1/2tsp thyme
• 1/2tsp salt 

Simmering the Etouffee: Bring to a gentle simmer. Cover. Simmer, occasionally stirring, for 45min. 

Adding the Shrimp: Take out the bay leaves. Stir in the shrimp. Cook, uncovered, for about six minutes – until the shrimp firm up and have started turning pink. This will depend on the size of the shrimp. 

Check the texture of the sauce. If the étouffée is too thick for your taste, add more stock to thin it out. 

Serve: 5C long grain white rice: Serve over rice…after all, it’s Cajun food. Garnish with chopped green onion, parsley and fresh lemon. Make sure that a bottle of Worcestershire sauce, a bottle of Tabasco sauce… and perhaps a bottle of Pepto…are close at hand should they be needed. 

To make ahead: Remember when Mom told you… 

“It’ll“taste better tomorrow”? 

I hated that she always told us that, until I grew up and realized that, along with everything else she tried to tell me, she was actually right. 

Giving soups and stews a couple of a days before eating them allows the flavors to meld together better and create a richer dish. 

Etouffee will keep in the fridge for up to two days or in the freezer for up to three months. 

If frozen, thaw in the fridge overnight and then reheat gently in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat before serving.