# Shrimp etouffee question



## giggler (Oct 9, 2011)

This dish continues to elude me..

I make a mean shrimp creole and a Nice shrimp gumbo..

but I think etoufe is Shrimp in Brown Gravy..

no Tomatoes..but very light, served over rice. 

Help Please? Eric, Austin Tx.


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## pacanis (Oct 9, 2011)

Brown gravy? I thought it was a dark roux? A lot of those dishes seem to run together for me though... gumbo, etouffee, jambalaya...
I'm interested in the responses to this.


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## CraigC (Oct 9, 2011)

Etouffee requires a roux (I prefer red-brown), the trinity (onion, green pepper and celery), garlic, spices and stock. Those are the basics, IMO, no matter what the protien. Of course stock and spices, would be based on the protien.

Since you make gumbo, these ingredients should be familiar. "Smothered" shrimp, is basically a gumbo with a lot less stock! 

Craig


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## Claire (Oct 9, 2011)

The brown gravy is definitely a roux.  I'm trying to think of what show I saw yesterday morning which made this step so easy.  I think America's Home Kitchen.  They lightly toasted the flour before adding the oil, which immediately turned a beautiful golden brown. It was then put it in the oven to wait for the rest of the meal.  It looked so much easier than the traditional methods.


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## Constance (Oct 9, 2011)

The dishes change according to the cooks. When I lived down on the bayou, the neighbor fixed a dish she called shrimp etouffee, which was pink and very rich. I know it started with a roux, and had cream in it, obviously some tomato product, and I'm guessing stock from shellfish. 

Many of her dishes had some fine herb in them that I now think was probably thyme. I have often thought of Naomi and her kindness to me.


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## pacanis (Oct 9, 2011)

Basically gumbo with less stock, I like that definition, Craig.


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## G_Licious (Oct 9, 2011)

*Gravy is correct*

A roux is a thickener.


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## CraigC (Oct 9, 2011)

G_Licious said:


> A roux is a thickener.


 
That is true, but in a lot of Cajun cooking, it can be thinned for recipes like etouffee, to be more "gravy" like.

Craig


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## Sir_Loin_of_Beef (Oct 9, 2011)

I was planning on making this for Sunday dinner today, but the chicken chow mein I was supposed to make yesterday has already been Mise en placed. 

Food & Wine Chicken-and-Andouille Étouffée Recipe.  Just subsititue ½ or all of the chicken with shrimp. I am going to substitute half the chicken with bay shrimp when I make it, probably next week some time.


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## Andy M. (Oct 9, 2011)

Sir_Loin_of_Beef said:


> I was planning on making this for Sunday dinner today, but the chicken chow mein I was supposed to make yesterday has already been Mise en placed.
> 
> Food & Wine Chicken-and-Andouille Étouffée Recipe.  Just subsititue ½ or all of the chicken with shrimp. I am going to substitute half the chicken with bay shrimp when I make it, probably next week some time.




It's interesting the linked recipe has no seasonings other than S&P.


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## G_Licious (Oct 9, 2011)

CraigC said:


> That is true, but ...
> Craig



There is no but about it.


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## powerplantop (Oct 9, 2011)

I love how this guy makes a roux.

Roux.wmv - YouTube


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## CraigC (Oct 9, 2011)

G_Licious said:


> There is no but about it.


 
Really? I take it you have a lot of experience with Cajun cooking?

Craig


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## PrincessFiona60 (Oct 9, 2011)

Roux's are created for many diverse dishes and they _are_ a thickener for soups, stews, gravies and sauces.

Let's get back to the OPs question of what he should be using as the base for his shrimp etouffe.


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## forty_caliber (Oct 9, 2011)

The biggest typical difference between Jambalaya and Etouffee is that Jambalaya includes many proteins (chicken and sausage and etc...) where Etouffee includes only one and is most often a seafood.

Jambalaya is a combination or melding of ingredients.  

Etouffee stems from Louisiana French,  "_à l'étouffée_" meaning braised

.40


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## G_Licious (Oct 9, 2011)

CraigC said:


> Really? I take it you have a lot of experience with Cajun cooking?
> 
> Craig


The answer to both of those questions is yes.


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## Andy M. (Oct 9, 2011)

forty_caliber said:


> The biggest typical difference between Jambalaya and Etouffee is that Jambalaya includes many proteins (chicken and sausage and etc...) where Etouffee includes only one and is most often a seafood.
> 
> Jambalaya is a combination or melding of ingredients.
> 
> ...




I thought étouffée meant smothered.  But maybe that's the same thing from another angle.

To me, étouffée is a saucy dish.  Shrimp in a gravy/sauce served over white rice.  In contrast, jambalaya is dry (not saucy) seasoned rice dish with proteins and veggies mixed in.  At least that's the way I make it.


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## G_Licious (Oct 9, 2011)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Let's get back to the OPs question of what he should be using as the base for his shrimp etouffe.


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## forty_caliber (Oct 9, 2011)

Andy M. said:


> I thought étouffée meant smothered.  But maybe that's the same thing from another angle.
> 
> To me, étouffée is a saucy dish.  Shrimp in a gravy/sauce served over white rice.  In contrast, jambalaya is dry (not saucy) seasoned rice dish with proteins and veggies mixed in.  At least that's the way I make it.



There is a great deal of variation in the way these dishes are prepared and I think that's why they are so hard to nail down.

My French Cajun aunt Cherelyn made jambalaya that was red-eye gravy based.  Treebeard's in downtown Houston serves a tomato based version with lots of peppers, celery, and onions.   Treebeards is one of my favorite lunch stops BTW.

This may simply be a case of one man's Jambalaya is another man's Etouffee.   

.40


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## Dawgluver (Oct 9, 2011)

forty_caliber said:
			
		

> This may simply be a case of one man's Jambalaya is another man's Etouffee.
> 
> .40



Well stated, .40!  And what a beautiful name your aunt had, sure makes me think of French Cajun!


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## Andy M. (Oct 9, 2011)

forty_caliber said:


> ...This may simply be a case of one man's Jambalaya is another man's Etouffee.
> 
> .40



Most probably.

We all know there are as many variations to these recipes as there are cooks.  

Some years ago, I picked up a copy of Paul Prudhomme's first cookbook,_ Louisiana Kitchen_, at a flea market.  I have been using the recipes in that book as my guide.  I like this book because it was published in the 80s before he went all commercial with his spice blends.  The book lists all the individual spices in the ingredients lists rather than 'Fish Magic' or 'Meat Magic' and there are no attempts to make low fat versions of these traditional dishes.


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## CWS4322 (Oct 9, 2011)

In French, the verb ettouffer 
(can't figure out how to put the accent on the first e) means to suffocate or smother.


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## ChefJune (Oct 10, 2011)

giggler said:


> This dish continues to elude me..
> 
> I make a mean shrimp creole and a Nice shrimp gumbo..
> 
> ...


 
Etouffee is definitely NOT light. It's smothered in a rich brown gravy. We prefer pork chops made that way.


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