Quick Fix: Shrimp Etouffee

Linda Gassenheimer, Tribune News Service on Feb 3, 2025

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With Super Bowl weekend coming up and the game being played in New Orleans, I couldn't help but think of a classic Cajun/Creole dish, Shrimp Étouffée.

This iconic dish features the "Holy Trinity" of vegetables—onion, celery and green bell pepper—forming the aromatic base of its rich flavor. It's thickened with a roux, a fundamental element of Southern cooking made by slowly cooking flour with butter until it reaches a beautiful caramel color. The result is a savory, comforting dish that perfectly embodies the bold and vibrant flavors of New Orleans cuisine.

Enjoy this dish this dish this weekend or anytime you feel like Creole comfort food.

HELPFUL HINTS:

Hot pepper sauce can be used instead of cayenne pepper.

To save preparation time, diced onion and green bell pepper can be found in the produced section of the market.

Two tablespoons tomato paste are needed, freeze the remaining paste in can for another time.

COUNTDOWN:

Start the roux for the etouffee.

Add the vegetables and spices.

While sauce cooks, microwave rice and set out the dinner plates.

Add shrimp to vegetables and sauce and complete dish.

SHOPPING LIST:

To buy: 3/4 pound shrimp, 1 bunch celery, 1 green bell pepper, 1 bunch scallions, 1 container no-salt-added chicken broth, 1 can tomato paste, 1 bottle cayenne pepper, 1 package microwaveable brown rice (to make 1 1/2 cups cooked).

Staples? Butter, olive oil, flour, onion, salt and black peppercorns.

Shrimp Etouffee

Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon flour

3/4 cup diced celery

3/4 cup diced green bell pepper

3/4 cup diced onion

1 cup no-salt-added chicken broth

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 package microwave brown rice (to make1 1/2-cups cooked)

3/4 pound peeled raw shrimp

Salt freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons sliced scallions

Melt butter and oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the flour and stir with the butter and oil until the mixture is a caramel-colored paste, about 2 minutes. Add the celery, green bell pepper and onion and stir to coat vegetables with the flour mixture. Add the broth, tomato paste and cayenne pepper and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile make the rice according to package instructions. Measure 1 1/2 cup cooked rice and divide between two dinner plates. Save any remaining rice for another meal. Add the shrimp to the skillet and cook until the shrimp turn pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon over the rice and sprinkle the sliced scallions on top.

Yield 2 servings.

Per serving: 514 calories (27 percent from fat), 15.1 g fat (5.2 g saturated, 5.7 g monounsaturated), 292 mg cholesterol, 42.0 g protein, 54.0 g carbohydrates, 5.7 g fiber, 332 mg sodium.