by the bayou

Étouffée, which means smothered, is a spicy Cajun stew usually made with seafood. The all important base of this dish, the roux, acts as a thickening agent, while also adding a wonderfully nutty flavor to the sauce. You will need to baby that roux once it begins, so it’s best to prep all your other ingredients first. And once the roux is cooked, you won’t believe how quickly this sumptuous stew comes together–it even surprised me!

I had some time, so I made seafood stock from scratch following Besh’s easy recipe. In a large pot, I sautéed onion, celery, carrot, leek and a few crushed garlic cloves in canola oil. I added the shrimp shells, bay leaf, thyme, peppercorns and water, brought it to a boil and then let it simmer for a couple of hours, until it was reduced by half. After it cooled, I strained the stock, used half for the étouffée and placed the other half in the freezer for future use.

If you don’t have the time to make stock from scratch, you can substitute a good store bought seafood stock–I like to use Kitchen Basics stocks when I don’t have homemade. 

Over a medium high flame, heat a large sauté pan until hot. Add the canola oil and heat until almost smoking. Add the flour–it should sizzle when it hits the pan–and begin whisking. A flat whisk is best to use because it covers more surface, but a regular whisk will work as well.

Keep whisking, working to incorporate the flour into the oil and cook the flour. If it is getting too dark too quickly, turn the heat down slightly under the pan. 

The total whisking time is about 15 minutes–you don’t have to whisk constantly, but keep your eye on the pan and whisk often. 

The color of the roux should go from pale beige to cocoa to a beautiful shade of mahogany and will cover the bottom surface of your pan.

Add the diced onions, turn down the heat and cook until the onions are golden, about 8  minutes.

Into the pan go the rest of the prepped ingredients: celery, red bell pepper, garlic, and thyme leaves. Sprinkle the smoked paprika and cayenne pepper over all and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring until the vegetables are softened.

Add the diced tomato and seafood stock to the pan. Turn up the heat and bring the sauce to a boil.

Once boiling, turn down the heat to maintain a simmer and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes, until the sauce starts to thicken, stirring often. Place the shrimp in the pan and cook for 2 minutes.

Turn the shrimp over and stir in the butter and chopped scallions. 

Season with the worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, and kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Once the shrimp have turned pink and opaque, remove the pan from the heat.

Serve in shallow bowls over long grain rice. I cooked my rice the Louisiana way, with a little sautéed onion, bay leaf and chicken stock. Garnish with chopped scallion greens.