Shrimp Etouffee

This is Cajun comfort food.  It is my Mom and Dad’s recipe that I tweaked.  I like a creamy Etouffee, so that’s where the heavy cream come into the picture.  It’s spicy and rich and creamy.

Ingredients:

• 1 stick of butter (8 T.)
• 1 C. of chopped onions
• ½ C. of chopped bell pepper
• ½ C. of chopped celery
• 3 cloves of minced garlic
• ½ C flour
• 1 can of Rotel tomatoes with chilies
• 4 C. shrimp stock
• ¼ C. of Crystal Hot Sauce
• 2 T. of Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
• 2 lbs. of fresh medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 C. heavy cream

Directions:

1. Season the shrimp with the Creole Seasoning and refrigerate.
2. In cast iron pot, melt the butter over medium heat and sauté the onions, bell peppers, and celery for 15 minutes
3. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add flour and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add Rotel, hot sauce, and shrimp stock and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for 45 minutes.
7. Add shrimp and heavy cream, cook for 10 minutes.
8. Serve hot over rice.

Tips and Tricks:

·     Peel the shrimp and save all the shells and heads to make your own Shrimp Stock. 

·     If you don’t have a cast iron pot you can make this in a heavy bottomed Dutch oven instead.  The trick is to stir constantly while making the roux.  You can NOT multi-task during this step.  This is where the base of flavor for your etouffee comes.

·     The ¼ C. of hot sauce might have you scared.  Don’t be!  The shrimp will soak up the flavor from the hot sauce and the heavy cream will mellow it all out.

·     This freezes well.