By Michael Minorgan for Curtains Up
Shrimp Etouffee
Shrimp two weeks in a row…decadent!. This recipe hearkens back to my cooking roots in Montreal when I opened Montreal’s first authentic Cajun and Creole restaurant in Montreal, La Louisiane. The fact that it still stands in its original location some 22 years later is a testament to the popularity of this flavorful Louisiana cuisine. I am however no longer involved with La Louisiane except with the fond memories of its birth and my times there.
This recipe is a twist on the original Cajun recipe adding more great bold New Orleans flavors. The sauce itself goes equally well with chicken, other seafood and of course that bayou delicacy alligator if you just happen to have any in your freezer! As with most such sauces it always tastes better the following day when all the flavors have had a chance to mingle with each other!
Laissez les bons temps rouler….Enjoy!
Shrimp Etouffe
6 slices bacon diced
8 tbsp margarine
6 green onions sliced
4 cloves garlic chopped
2 stalks celery diced
1 medium onion diced
2 tomatoes diced
1 green pepper diced
½ red pepper diced
2 tsp fresh thyme chopped
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp cayenne
2 bay leaves
Ground black pepper
¼ cup flour
21/2 cups shrimp or chicken stock
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp Louisiana hot sauce (Crystal brand is the best)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ cup parsley chopped
Shrimp peeled and deveined
Extra chopped green onions
Cook bacon until rendered. Add butter and next 5 ingredients. Cook a few minutes until vegetables are softened. Stir in thyme paprika, cayenne, bay leaves and pepper and cook 2 minutes. Stir in flour and cook a couple of minutes stirring. Stir in stock and bring to a boil reduce heat and simmer until sauce is reduced by about a third. Stir in cream, hot sauce, Worcestershire, parsley and green onions. Add in shrimp and cook until shrimp are cooked. Check for salt add if necessary. Serve with white rice.
