Louisiana Creole · Dinner

Shrimp étouffée

Name: Shrimp étouffée
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Louisiana Creole
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds large shell-on shrimp; 7 cups water, divided; 2 cups long-grain white rice, rinsed; 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided; 6 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1/3 cup all-purpose flour; 1 large yellow onion, finely diced; 1 green bell pepper, finely diced; 3 celery stalks, finely diced; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 1 teaspoon sweet paprika; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme; 1 bay leaf; 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 4 scallions, thinly sliced; 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley; 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Louisiana shrimp gently smothered in a blond-roux sauce with trinity, shellfish stock, herbs, and a restrained touch of tomato, served over separate white rice.

About 1 hr 25 minTotal

About 1 hr 25 minActive

$$Cost

AdvancedDifficulty

Makes 6 servings

Equipment

Use a hot sheet pan under an inverted oven-safe metal bowl for the covered phase.
Best value covered pot
Lodge Essential Enamel 6-Quart Dutch Oven · EC6D43
View at Amazon
Another workable path: Use a hot sheet pan under an inverted oven-safe metal bowl for the covered phase.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, Kwilt earns from qualifying purchases.
How we chose
Research-backed · reviewed Aug 2026
We matched capacity, lid fit, oven rating, heat retention, maneuverability, care, stable model identity, and usefulness outside bread baking. Kwilt has not baked with this pot.
Lodge Essential Enamel 6-Quart Dutch Oven · EC6D43: The six-quart capacity, heavy cast-iron body, and fitted lid create the enclosed high-heat environment used by these bread methods while remaining useful beyond baking. Trade-off: At more than thirteen pounds it is demanding to move when hot, and the enamel needs gentler utensils and hand washing.
Another workable path: Bake on a preheated heavy sheet pan under an inverted oven-safe metal bowl, keeping face and hands clear when removing the hot cover.
Sources
Lodge six-quart Essential Enamel specifications
Amazon exact product listing

Ingredients

1× recipe · Makes 6 servings

1 1/2 pounds large shell-on shrimp
7 cups water, divided
2 cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
1 green bell pepper, finely diced
3 celery stalks, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Peel and devein shrimp, reserving shells. Simmer shells with 4 cups water for 20 minutes without crushing them; strain and measure 3 cups stock. Meanwhile combine rice, remaining 3 cups water, and 1 teaspoon salt, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low 15 minutes. Rest covered 10 minutes.
Melt butter in a over medium-low. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the roux is blond to light peanut-butter colored, 8 to 10 minutes. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook until soft, 8 minutes; add garlic and tomato paste for 2 minutes.
Gradually whisk in the 3 cups shrimp stock. Add paprika, cayenne, thyme, bay leaf, Worcestershire, black pepper, and remaining salt. Simmer uncovered, stirring often, until glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon but still flowing, 15 to 20 minutes.
Add shrimp and cook gently just until opaque and 145°F, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf, fold in half the scallions and parsley, and brighten with lemon. Spoon rice into shallow bowls, ladle étouffée over it, and finish with remaining scallions and parsley.

New Orleans, LouisianaLouisiana Creole cooking traditions

From the table

About this recipe

Étouffée, from the French for smothered, is a Louisiana dish in which shellfish is gently cooked in a seasoned roux-thickened sauce with the trinity; shrimp versions sit naturally within Louisiana Creole home and restaurant cooking.

Étouffée—“smothered”—is made in both Cajun and Creole Louisiana traditions and is especially famous with crawfish. This shrimp version leans Creole through a small amount of tomato paste, but stays roux-and-stock-led so it does not become shrimp Creole. The rice is cooked separately by design. This Kwilt version follows the reviewed household adaptation: Choose a Creole-leaning shrimp version, using shell stock and blond roux as the foundation while strictly limiting tomato and shrimp cooking time.

Sources

Dinner does not stop at the recipe

Keep recipes, plan meals, and build the grocery list in Kwilt.

Use the recipe here. Get Kwilt when you want the rest of dinner to stay together.

Get Kwilt for iPhone

See every recipe

Louisiana Creole · Dinner

Blackened redfish

Red drum fillets coated with clarified butter and a measured Louisiana spice blend, seared in blazing-hot cast iron for a dark aromatic crust and moist center.

About 35 min4 servings

Deeply browned herb roast chicken carved beside glossy pan gravy, lemon, onion, and fresh herbs.

American · Dinner

Herb roast chicken with pan gravy

Dry-brined whole chicken with deeply browned skin, rosemary-sage butter, tender breast and legs, and a silky gravy built from its fond and defatted drippings.

About 14 hr 50 min6 servings

Fork-tender pot roast with browned edges, carrots, potatoes, onions, and silky dark gravy.

American · Dinner

Slow-braised pot roast

Hard-seared chuck roast braised low and slow with red wine, stock, tomato, thyme, carrots, and potatoes until spoon-tender, then finished with a reduced silky gravy.

About 4 hr 55 min8 servings