September 18th, 2010
Shrimp Etouffee, Cajun, Louisiana Cooking, Recipe, Gluten Free, Delaware Beaches
It was late in the afternoon and I was at New Road on the Bay, right after the town of Dewey Beach. Wasn’t it gorgeous today? I could take this weather all the time. It puts me in the right frame of mind.
Not too many people; they were going home. I was taking the view in.
As usual, I never know what I want for dinner but I started thinking about Cajun cooking and Louisiana’s creole recipes. Back on February 16th I posted my recipe for Shrimp Creole adapted from the book of Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen. It really is one of my favorites and if you would like to see it just go under the Archives on the left hand side of this blog and click on February then scroll down to the date.
The recipe that I was thinking for tonight’s dinner was Shrimp & Crab Etouffee. I am going to give you the recipe as I got it, but since I did not have any crabmeat I just made it with shrimp. The recipe called for 2 lbs. of medium shrimp and 1 lb. of lump crabmeat. I am sure the crabmeat would have added more to the dish but to tell you the truth using the 2 lbs of shrimp was very good too.
“When the taste changes with every bite and the last bite is as good as the first, that’s Cajun!” Paul Prudhomme
It is also Louisiana cooking. Their tradition? To always celebrate with food.
And what are the differences between Cajun and Creole cooking? They share many similarities, both born in Louisiana; with French roots. Cajun is very old, though. More French country cooking. Creole food began in New Orleans and it is a mixture of the traditions of many nations.
So my recipe is called Shrimp & Crab Etouffee. Traditionally an etouffee is a delicate, flavorful sauce filled with fresh seasonal seafood. In this particular recipe the etouffee is thickened with cornstarch, not a roux. Paul Prudhomme’s etouffee has a roux in the etouffee, though.
An Etouffee means smothered. In Louisiana it means covered with a liquid.
A Roux is a mixture of flour and oil. It takes a while to get the right consistency, but it can be made in advanced and stored in an air-tight jar for several days.
Finally, I get to the recipe.
Shrimp & Crab Etouffee
1/4 lb. butter
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
1 tbsp. peeled and minced garlic
1/2 tsp cayenne (or more)
2 lbs. medium shrimp (I bought the easy peel)
1 lb. lump crabmeat
1/4 cup scallions and 1/4 cup parsley finely chopped for garnish
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 tsp. salt
2 cups hot fish stock – Did not have any so I put 2 cups of chicken broth in a sacucepan, then added the shrimp peels, 1/2 of an onion, 1 celery stalk and let it cook for about 15 minutes or so to get that good flavorful stock.
2 tbsps. cornstarch
Melt butter in large frying pan, add onion, green pepper, celery, garlic, salt and cayenne pepper. Cook until vegetables are tender
Add the shrimp and raised the heat. Cook for 3 minutes or until shrimp are pink.
Add 1 1/2 cups stock
Mix cornstarch with remaining stock and add to the pan
Bring to simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until slightly thickened
Add Crab – Please note that I did not use crab in the recipe, just the shrimp.
Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until warmed
Garnish with scallions and parsley
Serve over rice. It will serve 6 to 8 people if you follow the recipe.
With a nice salad and a glass of Cabernet it would be the perfect meal. Very easy to prepare, as well. It really is.
Enjoy it and make it your own….I just did….talk to you later….
Tags: Bethany Beach, Cajun, Delaware Beaches, Delray Beach, Fenwick Island, Florida, gluten free recipe, Lewes, Louisiana Cooking, Maryland, Milton, Ocean City, Puerto Rico, Recipe, rehoboth beach, seafood recipe, Shrimp Etouffee
