Chef Remy
Alligator Sauce Piquante
Chunks of tender gator swimming in a brick-red tomato sauce with enough heat to make you reach for your sweet tea, spooned over rice the way the old Cajun trappers ate it after a long day on the bayou.
Culinary Explorer
A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Shrimp Etouffee
Created by Chef Remy
Sweet Gulf shrimp smothered in a rich, buttery roux with the holy trinity, spooned over steaming white rice, the kind of dish that makes you close your eyes and think of home.
Soups & Stews
Cajun
Weeknight
Comfort Food
Dinner Party
25 min
Active Time
35 min cook•1 hr total
Yield6 servings
Etouffee means smothered, and that's exactly what you're doing here: burying sweet Gulf shrimp under a blanket of butter, aromatics, and spice until everything melds into something greater than its parts. This is the dish I make when someone asks what Louisiana food tastes like. One bite, and they understand.
My grandmother Evangeline made crawfish etouffee every spring when the bayous were thick with mudbugs. But shrimp etouffee? That's a year-round comfort, and it's what we serve at Lagniappe when folks need something that wraps around them like a warm hug. The technique is the same, the love is the same.
The roux here is different from gumbo. You want a blonde roux, cooked just until it smells like popcorn and turns the color of peanut butter. Any darker and you'll overpower the delicate sweetness of the shrimp. This is about balance: the richness of butter, the bite of cayenne, the sweetness of the trinity, all coming together to cradle those shrimp.
Season in layers. That's how you build depth. Season your shrimp before they ever see the pan. Season your trinity as it softens. Taste before you serve and adjust. Trust your palate. The recipe gives you a starting point, but your tongue tells you when you've arrived.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
large Gulf shrimp (21-25 count)
Quantity
2 pounds
peeled and deveined
Cajun seasoning
Quantity
1 tablespoon
divided
unsalted butter
Quantity
8 tablespoons (1 stick)
divided
all-purpose flour
Quantity
1/3 cup
yellow onion
Quantity
1 large
diced
celery stalks
Quantity
2
diced
green bell pepper
Quantity
1 medium
diced
garlic
Quantity
4 cloves
minced
shrimp stock or seafood stock
Quantity
2 cups
diced tomatoes
Quantity
1 (14.5 ounce) can
drained
bay leaves
Quantity
2
cayenne pepper
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon, or to taste
smoked paprika
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
dried thyme
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon, plus more to taste
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
green onions
Quantity
4
sliced, white and green parts separated
fresh parsley
Quantity
2 tablespoons
chopped
hot sauce
Quantity
to taste
long-grain white rice
Quantity
for serving
cooked
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| large Gulf shrimp (21-25 count)peeled and deveined | 2 pounds |
| Cajun seasoningdivided | 1 tablespoon |
| unsalted butterdivided | 8 tablespoons (1 stick) |
| all-purpose flour | 1/3 cup |
| yellow oniondiced | 1 large |
| celery stalksdiced | 2 |
| green bell pepperdiced | 1 medium |
| garlicminced | 4 cloves |
| shrimp stock or seafood stock | 2 cups |
| diced tomatoesdrained | 1 (14.5 ounce) can |
| bay leaves | 2 |
| cayenne pepper | 1/2 teaspoon, or to taste |
| smoked paprika | 1/2 teaspoon |
| dried thyme | 1/2 teaspoon |
| kosher salt | 1/2 teaspoon, plus more to taste |
| freshly ground black pepper | 1/4 teaspoon |
| green onionssliced, white and green parts separated | 4 |
| fresh parsleychopped | 2 tablespoons |
| hot sauce | to taste |
| long-grain white ricecooked | for serving |
Equipment Needed
- •Large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot (5-6 quart)
- •Wooden spoon or heat-resistant spatula
- •Whisk
- •Sharp knife and cutting board
Instructions
- 1
Season the shrimp
Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and place them in a bowl. Sprinkle with half the Cajun seasoning and toss to coat evenly. Let them sit at room temperature while you build the sauce. This is your first layer of flavor, and it makes all the difference. Cold shrimp hitting a hot pan will seize up and turn rubbery, so give them time to lose that chill.
Save those shrimp shells. Simmer them in water for twenty minutes and you've got homemade shrimp stock that'll make your etouffee sing. - 2
Build the blonde roux
Melt 6 tablespoons of the butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once it foams and the foam subsides, whisk in the flour. Keep whisking constantly. You're looking for a smooth paste that starts to bubble gently. Cook this roux for about 5 minutes, whisking the whole time, until it turns the color of peanut butter and smells like popcorn. That's your cue. Any darker and you'll overwhelm the shrimp.
A blonde roux still has plenty of thickening power while letting the butter flavor shine through. Darker rouxs thicken less and taste more intense. - 3
Sweat the holy trinity
Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and the white parts of the green onions to the roux. Stir everything together until the vegetables are coated in that beautiful buttery paste. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, for 8 to 10 minutes until the vegetables turn soft and translucent. The onions should be sweet, not browned. You'll smell the trinity releasing its perfume into your kitchen.
- 4
Add garlic and spices
Push the vegetables to the edges of the pot and add the garlic to the center. Let it sizzle for 30 seconds until fragrant, then stir it into the vegetables. Add the remaining Cajun seasoning, cayenne, smoked paprika, thyme, salt, and black pepper. Stir everything together and let the spices bloom in the fat for about a minute. Your kitchen should smell like Louisiana right now.
Start with less cayenne if you're sensitive to heat. You can always add hot sauce at the end, but you can't take fire away. - 5
Build the sauce
Pour in the stock slowly, whisking as you go to prevent lumps. Add the drained tomatoes and bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat to low. Let it bubble gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Taste here. This is your moment to adjust the salt, add more cayenne, or splash in some hot sauce.
- 6
Smother the shrimp
Nestle the seasoned shrimp into the sauce in a single layer. Don't stir yet. Let them cook undisturbed for about 2 minutes until the bottoms turn pink. Now gently fold them into the sauce and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes until they're pink all the way through and just curled. Shrimp cook fast. The second they turn opaque, they're done. Another minute and they're rubber.
If you're not sure about doneness, cut one shrimp in half. The center should be white and opaque, not translucent. - 7
Finish with butter and herbs
Remove the pot from heat. Fish out the bay leaves and discard them. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter until it melts into the sauce, making everything glossy and rich. Fold in most of the green onion tops and parsley, saving some for garnish. The fresh herbs brighten everything up. Taste one more time. Adjust the seasoning if needed.
- 8
Serve over rice
Spoon a generous mound of hot white rice into the center of each bowl. Ladle the etouffee around and over the rice, making sure everyone gets plenty of shrimp. Scatter the reserved green onions and parsley over the top. Set the hot sauce on the table for those who want more heat. Serve immediately while everything is steaming and perfect.
Chef Tips
- •Gulf shrimp are worth seeking out. Imported shrimp are often treated with chemicals that leave them tasting like nothing at all. Ask your fishmonger where they came from.
- •If you can't find shrimp stock, chicken stock works. What doesn't work is water. Stock is flavor; water is missed opportunity.
- •At Lagniappe, we always finish etouffee with that pat of cold butter off the heat. It's called mounting the sauce, and it transforms good into great.
- •Some folks add a splash of Worcestershire or a squeeze of lemon at the end. Both are acceptable. Taste and decide for yourself.
- •Crawfish season runs from late winter through early summer. When those mudbugs are running, make this exact recipe with a pound of Louisiana crawfish tails instead of shrimp.
Advance Preparation
- •The sauce base (through step 5, before adding shrimp) can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Reheat gently and thin with a splash of stock if needed before adding the shrimp.
- •Season and prep your shrimp up to 4 hours ahead. Keep them covered in the refrigerator until ready to cook.
- •Cooked rice can be made a day ahead and reheated in the microwave with a splash of water.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 350g)
Calories
550 calories
Total Fat
17 g
Saturated Fat
10 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
6 g
Cholesterol
325 mg
Sodium
690 mg
Total Carbohydrates
56 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
5 g
Protein
44 g
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