My friend Jessica went to Costco the other day and I asked her to buy me some cocktail shrimp. I had no idea she’d buy me 1kg of it! I had never cooked with seafood before, but I was determined to get some new recipes out of all this shrimp. 🙂 I came across this Cajun/Creole dish that blew my mind. Its essentially a thick shrimp gravy with veggies served over rice. It takes a little bit of effort in the beginning (constant stirring for 15mins) but it’s worth it!
Recipe adapted from: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/70483/cajun-crawfish-and-shrimp-etouffe/?internalSource=hub%20recipe&referringContentType=search%20results
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 small green bell pepper, diced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
- 2 Tbsp Louisiana-style hot sauce (or any hot sauce. I used tabasco.)
- 1/3 tsp ground cayenne pepper (optional)
- 2 Tbsps seafood seasoning
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 cup fish stock
- 1 pound medium shrimp – peeled and deveined
Directions:
- Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Gradually stir in flour, and stir constantly until the mixture turns ‘peanut butter’ brown or darker, at least 15 or 20 minutes. I used a whisk or wooden spoon and kept moving the mixture constantly. This is your base sauce or ‘Roux’. It is very important to stir this constantly. If by chance the roux burns, discard and start over.
- Once the roux is browned, add the onions, garlic, celery and bell pepper to the skillet, and sauté for about 5 minutes to soften.
- Stir in the chopped tomatoes and fish stock, and season with the seafood seasoning.
- Put the lid on the pan and reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft.
- Season the sauce with hot pepper sauce and cayenne pepper (if using), and add the shrimp. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the shrimp are opaque.
- Serve over rice or warm bread. Enjoy!
Notes:
- Old Bay seasoning is a popular seafood seasoning in America. If you can’t get your hands on any, the local Coles in Australia has their own seafood seasoning. If you really can’t find it, just google a copy cat recipe of Old Bay.
Abby Approved 