Shrimp Etouffee/Creole

[Gonna Smoke]

So with leftovers from our rib roast, I've been on beef overload this week. Time for a change and shrimp étouffée would be perfect, but I switched gears after I got started and decided to make creole. So I assembled the necessary ingredients and started...

• 4 T unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup A.P. flour
• 1 bell pepper chopped
• 2 stalks celery chopped
• 2 small onions chopped
• 4 cloves garlic chopped
• 2-3 bay leaves
• Quart of shrimp peeled
• Crawfish tales
• Zatarain's Andouille sausage sliced ½" thick
• Quart of my homemade shrimp stock
• 28 oz. can of whole peeled tomatoes
• Cajun seasoning
• Sweet paprika
• Cayenne pepper
• Coarse ground black pepper

Butter melted and added the flour for the roux. Cooked over medium heat stirring almost continuously until dirty blond...

Added the onion, peppers, and celery and sauted, stirring almost constantly, until they were tender, about 7-8 minutes...

Added the garlic and sauted a couple more minutes then added the sausage and cooked a couple more minutes...

Since I had the shrimp peels, onion ends, another celery stalk, and green onions, why not make some more stock? A quart or so of water and I had this cooking while I made the roux...

Added the shrimp stock, tomatoes, 1 TBSP of Cajun seasoning, 1 TBSP sweet paprika, 1 TBSP coarse ground black pepper, ¼ tsp of cayenne pepper, and crawfish tales. Brought to a simmer and let it go for about 30 minutes. Found a use for a tool in my arsenal, crushing tomatoes, thanks to chopsaw ...

Added the shrimp, put the lid on and turned off the heat. Served over rice with chopped green onions. Grab a shovel and it's time to eat...

Somebody can set me straight, but I started with étouffée and decided to make creole. I think the difference being tomatoes and roux? The heat was fairly mild and ½ tsp of cayenne wouldn't be too much and I didn't add any salt. Since my wife was the primary laborer in this endeavor, I decided to use the Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning..., that way she knew I meant business... We were pleased with how this course change turned out and here's my entry into the "new" soup/stew/anything-you-can-eat-with-a-shovel forum...

 

[Displaced Texan]

Actually, a creole does not use a roux. You started and finished with an Étouffée.

 

[tbern]

Whatever its to be called, it sure looks good!

 

[SmokinEdge]

Looks darn delicious to me from my chair. I’d fight you for a plate, just so you know.

 

[TNJAKE]

Nice work Charles. Typically tomatoes make it creole. I'm making jambalaya this weekend

 

[kelbro]

Closer to an etoufee but still looks great! I love the mix of sausage, shrimp and mudbugs in mine too.

 

[jcam222]

Call that what you like but it sure looks good. Lol I remember a thread where I posted a Cajun style dish, “misnamed” it and a diehard Cajun went bonkers on me lol.

 

[chilerelleno]

Hell Yeah, that looks mightly delicious!

 

[indaswamp]

I think the difference being tomatoes and roux?

Creole has more tomato & tomato paste/sauce; and uses a white roux. You will see more herbs (creoles had access to more herbs in New Orleans) used in creole too. More Parsley, thyme, oregano, bay leaf etc...


Etouffee has much less tomato, no tomato paste/sauce; and uses a blonde or medium brown roux....and it is generally thicker.

Creole is generally made with butter while an etouffee uses lard.

 

[indaswamp]

You had me at shrimp stock....

Looks good my friend!

 

[indaswamp]

Here is an authentic Louisiana style Etouffee recipe and Shrimp Creole recipe for the curious...
http://www.jfolse.com/recipes/seafood/crawfish13.htm

http://www.jfolse.com/recipes/seafood/shrimp20.htm

Very similar, yet different.....

 

[chilerelleno]

Creole has more tomato & tomato paste/sauce; and uses a white roux. You will see more herbs (creoles had access to more herbs in New Orleans) used in creole too. More Parsley, thyme, oregano, bay leaf etc...


Etouffee has much less tomato, no tomato paste/sauce; and uses a blonde or medium brown roux....and it is generally thicker.

Creole is generally made with butter while an etouffee uses lard.

Here is an authentic Louisiana style Etouffee recipe and Shrimp Creole recipe for the curious...
http://www.jfolse.com/recipes/seafood/crawfish13.htm

http://www.jfolse.com/recipes/seafood/shrimp20.htm

Very similar, yet different.....

Not looking to poke the bear, but...
You say authentic Etouffee uses a blonde or med brown roux, uses little tomato and no tomato paste or sauce.
But the authentic Etouffee recipe utilizes both tomatoes and tomato sauce. Granted not much, but like Ragu, it's in there.
And it says to cook the roux white, not blonde or medium brown roux.
And on top of that it adds the flour to the trinity after the tomato and tomato sauce has been added, so how is the cook to get a white roux much less blonde or otherwise.
You're gonna get a pink something that isn't roux.

 

[Steve H]

Looks downright delicious to me! Got me thinking of Jambalaya for the weekend.
Or shrimp creole. Haven't had that in years. Never thought about it until seeing this thread.

 

[Gonna Smoke]

Whatever its to be called, it sure looks good!

Thank you, sir...

Looks darn delicious to me from my chair. I’d fight you for a plate, just so you know.

Well thank you, but the "fight" will have to wait until my shoulder heals up...

Nice work Charles. Typically tomatoes make it creole. I'm making jambalaya this weekend

Appreciate that, Jake. My wife loves tomato based soups so there's where the change came in mid-cook... I told her she was messing things up and she said she was "stirring the pot", literally, and wanted tomatoes.... But we love it all from étouffée to jambalaya, just have to learn to make it properly...

Closer to an etoufee but still looks great! I love the mix of sausage, shrimp and mudbugs in mine too.

I was using things we like and what I had on hand. I appreciate your comments...

Call that what you like but it sure looks good. Lol I remember a thread where I posted a Cajun style dish, “misnamed” it and a diehard Cajun went bonkers on me lol.

Thanks, Jeff. I realize and admit my shortcomings when it comes to authentic Cajun food, hopefully I'll get a pass because I'm ignorant......in more ways than one...

Hell Yeah, that looks mightly delicious!

Thank you, John, come get you some, buddy...

You had me at shrimp stock....

Looks good my friend!

Thanks, Keith. I have a good bit of homemade shrimp stock in the freezer and it sure makes seafood dishes pop...

Looks downright delicious to me! Got me thinking of Jambalaya for the weekend.
Or shrimp creole. Haven't had that in years. Never thought about it until seeing this thread.

Since Jake mentioned it and now you, I'm thinking jambalaya is on the menu soon myself...

 

[smokebuzz]

This is why when i make something "Cajun" i just call it Cajun food....
Looks great, I'm planning on making something New Years Eve, in the Cajun foods variety..

 

[tx smoker]

Sign me up brother!! Cajun...Creole...doesn't matter to me. I love them both. Don't know enough of the subtle differences between the two to differentiate but even if it's a hybrid combination of the two, I'm loving this. Heaven knows I've done a few cross-dressed meals

Robert

 

[Smoking Allowed]

Looks good to me, hybrid or not. Call it creoletouffee

 

[Gonna Smoke]

This is why when i make something "Cajun" i just call it Cajun food....
Looks great, I'm planning on making something New Years Eve, in the Cajun foods variety..

Thanks, smokebuzz.

Sign me up brother!! Cajun...Creole...doesn't matter to me. I love them both. Don't know enough of the subtle differences between the two to differentiate but even if it's a hybrid combination of the two, I'm loving this. Heaven knows I've done a few cross-dressed meals

Robert

Your name is on the list, Robert!! We love it all, too! Just as long as it's not too spicy for the grands, then I hear it from Nana

 

[JLeonard]

Call it what you will...Where do the line form for a heaping bowl?

Jim

 

[bakerman]

I made etouffe last weekend. I have never put sausage in mine before. However your dish looks great, and I want some.
I had to stop making Jambalaya, I was the only one eating it, and I started to resemble Paul Prudhomme in body shape.