Shrimp Etouffee Tonight

One of my very favorite meals has to be Shrimp Etouffee! The combination of shrimp seasoned with fresh ingredients like garlic, herbs, lemon zest, peppers…on a bed of hot rice just does something to a person.

The trick to good etouffee is a good dry white wine, clam juice, fresh shrimp and rice that isn’t over cooked! So many folks overcook their rice and stir it too much - breaking down the starch in the rice and making for sticky, slimy rice. I cook my rice according to the package (and I don’t buy that “cooks in 5 minutes” rice) and season it with a couple tabs of butter, some salt and parsley. Then stir the rice only at the beginning of cooking it, simmer according to directions and don’t stir again. All the water needs to be dissolved from the pot.

Now to the best part- the etoufee. Make sure you purchase fresh shrimp, but most of us in the Midwest aren’t lucky enough to have fresh shrimp. So, if you are going to buy frozen shrimp- buy the raw shrimp, not the already cooked shrimp. Why? Because the pre-cooked shrimp tends to get rubbery when cooking it in a meal and you loose the great taste of the shrimp.

Shrimp Etouffee

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup thinly sliced green onions

1 cup chopped onion

1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped

1/2 cup chopped celery

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

8 ounces tomato sauce

1 cup dry white wine

8 ounces clam juice

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon white pepper

1 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 1/2 pounds fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined (can also use frozen shrimp)

Hot cooked rice

First, season your shrimp with a couple of healthy shakes of salt, garlic and some pepper. In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter; stir in flour and cook until bubbly. Stir in green onions, chopped onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, and basil. Reduce heat to low and cook, uncovered, stirring often for approximately 20 to 30 minutes or until vegetables are soft.

Increase heat to high and add tomato sauce, wine, clam juice, water, Worcestershire sauce, white pepper, and Tabasco; stirring, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes or until thickened and reduced to 4 1/2 cups. Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, and shrimp. Simmer approximately 2 to 3 minutes or until shrimp are cooked. Remove from heat and serve over hot cooked rice.