Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Shrimp Etouffee


In honor of Mardi Gras, I made shrimp etouffee last night and, boy, was it yummy. I tried it on a whim and didn't really know what to expect, but it's got an unusual spicy, smoky flavor. It took a bit longer than I usually spend making dinner ... what with the chopping and whisking and "stirring constantly" ... but it was definitely worth it.

Here's my friend Mona's recipe:

Serves 6

4 cups fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Cooking spray
1½ cups chopped yellow onion
2/3 cup diced celery
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon salt-free Cajun seasoning
1½ teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 30 shrimp)
4 cups hot cooked long-grain rice

Combine first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a simmer. Cover and remove from heat.
Melt 1/4 cup butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Add flour to pan; cook 8 minutes or until very brown, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup broth mixture to pan; stir with a whisk until smooth. Add remaining 3 cups broth mixture, stirring with a whisk until smooth; set aside.
Melt remaining 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon butter in a large Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add yellow onion, celery and bell peppers to pan; cook 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender and onion is golden, stirring occasionally. Stir in 3/4 cup water, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add tomato paste, Cajun seasoning, garlic, salt, black pepper and red pepper to onion mixture; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add reserved broth-flour mixture and Worcestershire sauce to pan, stirring well to combine; bring to a simmer. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add green onions, 1/4 cup parsley and shrimp; cook 3 minutes or until shrimp are done. Discard bay leaf. Serve over rice. Sprinkle each serving with 2 teaspoons remaining parsley.

4 comments:

David K. and Ann C.-K. said...

Looks good but when I click on the recipe link it takes me to Facebook...looks like you have to be friends with Mona to get the recipe. Can you accommodate us folks who don't know Mona?!?

Kim said...

Sorry about that. Ask and you shall receive.

Anonymous said...

That looks delicious!

Linda

persimmongirl said...

looks delicious, and that's a beautiful food shot!