Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Etouffee the Corningware Way - Shrimp Étouffée

Ah, Étouffée....  I can think of nothing more comforting than a large plate of Étouffée smothered rice. Which is kind of redundant, since Étouffée (ay-TOO-fay) means "smothered" or "suffocated" as it is...  Be that as it may, this is one recipe that SCREAMS for Corningware on the stove top.  Mom always did it in her 3 quart Cornflower (A-3-B) and so do I.  It's the perfect cooking pot for this dish.  Trust me, you will not rue the day you make roux in Corningware.

I have learned, over the years, when making Étouffée, that not everyone is as crazy about Cayenne pepper as I am.  Thus, in order to please the majority of palates, I have cut the Cayenne in half for this recipe.  That's OK, you can sprinkle some on your rice, if you like it a little hotter, like I do.  I also normally use slightly smaller shrimp than you will see in the photos.  I thought I had a bag of 36-40 (medium large) in the freezer, but it was 26-30 (extra large)... It was too late to run to the store and my taste buds were bent on having it this evening; so Extra Large Shrimp it is.

But enough yappin....  Lets get that rice a goin'; and while the rice is simmering away, we can get to fixin' some Étouffée.
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Shrimp Étouffée

4 TB unsalted Butter
4 TB AP Flour
3/4 cup Celery, diced
1/2 cup Onion, diced
1/2 cup Red Bell Pepper, diced
1 clove Garlic, finely minced
1 cup Seafood Stock
2 TB Flat Leaf Parsley, finely chopped
1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper
optional - dash or 2 (or 6) of Tabasco
1 1/2 lbs uncooked Shrimp, shelled (I prefer 31-35 "large" or 36-40 "medium large")
3 TB Green Onion, thinly sliced (green part only)
Corningware 3 quart (3 liter) Casserole (P-3-B or A-3-B)
Rice, for serving (I usually cook 1 1/2 cups brown basmati)
optional - Avocado slices

Place 3 quart casserole (A-3-B) over medium flame and melt the butter....

Add the flour and whisk, cooking until the roux reaches the "Peanut Butter" phase...  (About 10 minutes)

Add the Celery, Onion, Bell Pepper and Garlic; continue cooking for an additional 5-7 minutes.

Add Seafood Stock, Parsley, Cayenne, Tabasco (if using) and Shrimp.

Bring to a simmer...

Reduce the flame to low,

then cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Uncover and continue simmering for an additional 5 minutes, until slightly thickened.

Remove from the flame and sprinkle with sliced Green Onion.

Spoon Brown Rice onto a plate.....(I really do sprinkle my rice with more Cayenne; I wasn't kidding)

Then smother the rice with the smothered Shrimp....

Garnish with sliced Avocado, if desired. (it just seems to go well)


Where is your Corningware??
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3 comments:

  1. If I were to like shrimp this looks like an amazing recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's even better with Crayfish or Langoustine, but they are a little hard to come by in the grocery store. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Who needs a grocery store for crayfish? Go diving! Skin diving works well, but scuba is even better, because you can stay down long enough to figure out where the crayfish's escape route is, and that way you catch a lot more.

    ReplyDelete

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