Shrimp Étouffée

The first year I decided to do a Mardi Gras party, I wanted something else to go with the Gumbo and Pecan Encrusted Trout. I remembered back to my last trip to New Orleans and a dish I had on the edge of the French Quarter, a little Creole place in a magnificent old mansion, a plate of crayfish smothered in a roux with vegetables and spice. This is how I remember it tasting.

Oh, and the reason it's called "étoufée" is that étoufée means "smothered" in French.

For 8

Ingredients

2 # Shrimp (peeled and deveined, using the shells for your Shrimp Stock)
1 Green Pepper (chopped)
1 Yellow Onion (chopped)
6 Cloves Garlic (diced)
2 Stalks Celery (sliced)
1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
¼ Cup Flour
2 T Coleman's Dry Mustard
6 - 8 Dashes Crystal Hot Sauce
2 Tomatoes (chopped)
½ t + Basil
½ t + Fresh Thyme (diced)
Salt
Pepper
1 - 2 Cups Shrimp Stock
3 Scallions (loosely chopped, for garnish)

Directions

Sauté your pepper, onion, garlic, and celery with your vegetable oil in a wok over medium-high heat. As your onions start to become translucent, add your hot sauce, flour, and dry mustard, stirring with a wooden spoon so that you get all of the flour and mustard absorbed into the oil and coating the vegetables in the wok.

Next, add in your tomatoes, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper, and continue to stir. Now pour in your shrimp stock, and stir the wok to integrate everything together. You want to get a thick, gravy-like consistency. Reduce your heat to medium, and as you reach a simmer, add in your shrimp and stir in.

You'll want to let this cook for about another 10 minutes, until the shrimp is a nice pink color.

When you're getting ready to serve, sprinkle your chopped scallions over the top, and spoon generous portions over rice to serve.

Enjoy!