Soup on Sunday: Étouffée

Growing up in Texas I developed an insatiable appetite for the Creole/Cajun cuisines that are much revered in Louisianan and the Southern Gulf Coast States. I have always been a huge fan of gumbo and étouffée, but have never made étouffée at home, until last night. Actually, my husband is the chef in the family when it comes to Cajun and Creole dishes.

In French, the word étouffée literally means "smothered," which is a good way to describe this Cajun dish, as it is basically smothered crawfish or shrimp over rice.

The base of an étouffée can be either a dark brown-red roux or a blonde roux. It is usually seasoned with celery, onions, green bell pepper (a.k.a. the ‘holy trinity’), cayenne pepper, garlic and salt. Étouffée has a thicker consistency than gumbo. Here is my husband’s version, adapted from an Emeril Lagasse recipe. I'm not sure if étouffée is technically a soup, but it is delicious!

1 stick unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 1/2 cups shrimp stock or vegetable
1 pound shrimp (or crawfish tails if available)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Cooked long grain white rice, accompaniment

Directions

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, to make a medium brown roux (about 30 min). Add the onions, jalapeño, celery, bell peppers, green onions, garlic, bay leaves, salt, and Tabasco and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the sherry and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the stock and shrimp (or crawfish tails) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice. Remove from the heat.

Adjust the seasoning, to taste. Serve over rice.

Serves 4