Your family will love this Authentic Shrimp Etouffee recipe!

My family loves to visit New Orleans.  It might surprise you, but there are so many things for families with kids to enjoy in the Big Easy.  The Audubon Zoo and the Insectarium are just two of our favorites.  Of course, eating delicious Cajun food is another.

The problem is:  we can’t eat in New Orleans all the time.

So, things like gumbo and etouffee and crawfish pie are mere memories unless we make them ourselves.

So we do.  Fairly frequently.

Fortunately for my family, some of my dearest friends in the world (and they are on the other side of it) are from Louisiana, and I have copies of some of their favorite recipes, including this one:

Now, originally, the recipe was for Crawfish Etouffee, and you can certainly make it that way.  We do, but my family actually prefers this recipe with shrimp.  You do what you like best because both will work!

The beautiful thing about the recipe is that it really is simple and easy, but the flavor is fantastic.

Here’s what you’ll need to make Shrimp Etouffee:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup onion, chopped

3/4 cup celery, chopped

3/4 cup bell pepper, chopped

2 teaspoons Tony’s seasoning

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined (or crawfish tails if you prefer)

1 can chicken broth

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

Here’s What You Do to Make Shrimp Etouffee:

First, you need to make a roux.  Now, that sounds serious for those of you who might not cook that much, but it’s really not difficult.  It just requires a little bit of patience and your full attention.  If you look away for more than a few seconds, your roux will burn, and you’ll have to start all over.  (Sorry…that probably doesn’t make you feel less nervous.  It’s only happened to me a time or two, and there were toddlers in the kitchen.)  Anyway….

Melt your butter with the flour over medium heat, whisking to avoid clumps.

Continue cooking and whisking.  The roux will start to darken.  Just keep cooking….

For this dish, you want a medium dark roux, like the above or just a bit darker.  For gumbo, I make a dark one, like the color of chocolate.

Add the onions, peppers, and celery and saute until translucent.  Add chicken broth, Tony’s seasoning and shrimp.  Mix well then simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and add parsley and green onions.

Let stand for five minutes.  Serve over rice.

Enjoy!

To round out your Cajun meal, be sure and bake some fresh French bread.  You might also consider a King Cake for dessert, especially this time of year.  It is Mardi Gras, after all!