Gluten-Free Creole Étouffée
Rich and spicy with the sweet, briny flavor of shellfish, our recipe for Étouffée (pronounced ay-too-fay) uses a traditional French-style blonde butter roux to make a thick, velvety stew served over rice with plenty of crawfish and Creole seasonings.
How to Make a N'Awlins Crawfish & Shrimp Étouffée
Étouffée comes from the French word “to smother.” The dish consists of shellfish cooked in a rich sauce and vegetable mixture served over rice.
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(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
SEE FULL NUTRITIONAL FACTS The secret to authentic étouffée is a cooking process known as smothering, a technique used in Louisiana’s Cajun and Creole cuisines. Smothering is like stove-top braising; the method is relatively simple, involving cooking meat, seafood, or vegetables in a covered pan over low heat with a moderate amount of liquid.
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True to its name, this N'Awlins Crawfish & Shrimp Étouffée does, indeed, have crawfish in it, so if you’re squeamish about eating these tiny crustaceans, you could leave them out but then you would also be missing out on the delicate lobster-like flavor that makes the dish super delicious! The luscious sauce in Étouffée is created using a blond butter roux, which I’ll discuss below. I’ll also give you the recipe for the Cajun spice blend I’ve used, and if you’re new to peeling crawfish – Yes, there is an art to doing it, which I’ll uncover in a great graphic (I found) that explains it all… Login to keep reading the entire post ► Become a Free Basic Pass subscriber with a site membership to GfreeDeliciously to get access to the rest of this post and other subscriber-only content. [wlm_private "Free Basic Pass|VIP Monthly Pass $3.91/month|VIP Annual Pass $25.01/year ($2.08/month)|VIP Lifetime Pass - Complimentary|Member+ Annual Pass $348/year (12/months)|Member+ Lifetime Pass $998 (One-time payment)|Member+ Lifetime Pass Complimentary|7 Day Free Trial|Substack VIP Subscriberl"]
Crawfish & Shrimp Étouffée
Louisiana is an area of the U.S. that is rich in history, and that history shines, especially in the foods that are made and enjoyed there! These foods begin with simple ingredients and focus on what’s available both on and off the shore. Because the state is located on the gulf coast, shrimp is a popular option as a protein when it comes to cooking. Crawfish are also famous as a Cajun delicacy, with the rivers, bayous, swamps, and lakes of the Atchafalaya and Vermilion-Teche basins being significant sources of wild crawfish. But most of the state's crawfish production and harvesting is farm-raised in thousands of acres of ponds. Approximately 90 percent of production comes from Louisiana. And if you were wondering – they are a species that only are found in the good ‘ole USA! This post celebrates Louisiana and its food culture with one of our favorite Creole recipes. It’s a comforting stew that lets the crawfish and shrimp truly shine in a flavorful stew broth that begins with making a roux.
What is Roux?
Roux (pronounced “roo”) is a primary cooking method for thickening sauces and soups. It’s made by combining equal parts of fat and flour, then adding the mixture to milk or stock. For this recipe, we’re making a blond butter roux – the essential thickening agent for making étouffée.
How to Make a Good Blond Butter Roux
Professional chefs will tell you to keep an eye on the color. While there are many degrees in doneness (from white roux to light or dark brown roux), for making blond butter roux, you’ll melt butter, add flour, and cook it until the butter and flour fully incorporate and the raw flour smell disappears, becoming slightly toasty and almost nutty smelling. But unlike a traditional gumbo dark brown roux, you only cook this until it is golden yellow before adding it to the stock and vegetable mixture in the étouffée. So, once you reach the golden yellow stage, remove from the heat to avoid further browning or burning. New to Roux? Watch for our upcoming video tutorial and recipe (coming soon) with detailed instructions on making a roux!
What is in Étouffée?
Spices & Seasonings
Much of the rich and spicy flavor in étouffée starts with a spice mixture that you might recognize as a prepared Cajun Seasoning that can easily be found almost everywhere these days. But if you’d like to make your own, whisk together the following in a small bowl. Cajun Spice Blend – (Makes 2 tablespoons, the exact amount needed for this recipe.)
2 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground thyme
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Crawfish: One pound of crawfish meat, peeled and deveined (approx. 2 pounds whole crayfish). Shrimp: One pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined. Stock: Use store-bought or homemade crawfish, seafood, clam, fish, chicken stock, or a combination of any two. We prefer using equal amounts of chicken stock with either seafood or fish stock to enhance the briny flavor of the shellfish. Butter: 2 ½ sticks divided for sauteing the vegetables, making the roux, and finishing the sauce to make it extra creamy. Vegetables: You’ll need a large onion and two stalks of celery, diced. Approximately one cup of chopped green bell pepper (or a combination of green, red, and yellow) — four to six cloves of minced garlic, and about eight pods of trimmed and sliced okra. Tomato Paste: Add for flavor and beautiful color. Flour: All-purpose gluten-free flour is used with butter to make the roux that thickens the stock and vegetable mixture. Rice: Étouffée is served over cooked white rice. Parsley and scallions: Purely optional for use as a garnish before serving.
How to Make Gluten-Free Creole Étouffée
You’ll find the complete, step-by-step recipe below – but here’s a quick summary of what you can expect when making creole étouffée at home:
Melt three tablespoons of butter in a heavy Dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté the onion, celery, garlic, and bell pepper(s) until the onions turn translucent, about 8 minutes. Next, add the okra, stock, tomato paste, and Cajun seasoning. Stir to combine, then reduce the heat to medium-low to keep warm.
Cook the rice according to the package directions.
Make the roux by melting four tablespoons of butter over low heat using a medium-sized saucepan or skillet. Add the gluten-free all-purpose flour, whisking continually for about three minutes, allowing it to simmer on low to cook until the mixture is light golden-brown in color. Immediately whisk the roux into the vegetable and stock mixture to thicken.
Add the crawfish and shrimp and adjust the seasonings, if necessary, then cover and heat for five minutes.
Turn off the heat and cream the gravy by adding the remaining butter, one pat at a time, whisking until the butter melts to give the sauce a beautiful glossy appearance.
Ladle one to two scoops of the stew over cooked rice. Serve with a side of toasted garlic bread. Garnish with parsley or sliced scallions if desired.
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The Great Étouffée Dispute
Our first experience eating étouffée was at a small restaurant near the airport in Milwaukee. And while the restaurant has long since closed, its southern hospitality and delicious Creole stew are hard to forget. Since then, we’ve always made it as the chef there did – thickening the stock and vegetables with roux, adding okra with the vegetables, including tomato paste for flavor and color, and making it with a mixture of crawfish and shrimp. In our internet searches, we’ve found many variations for étouffée. Debates over whether it ought to have roux to thicken it, whether to use tomato or tomato paste abound, and whether more than one type of seafood should be used. Ultimately, it’s up to you and your family’s taste preferences. Thanks for stopping by. Have a happy time cooking! XXO Kymberley P.S. When you try this recipe, let us know how you like it! Leave a comment below, share it, and rate it – it’s super helpful for other readers and us. Just click the blue-green comment bubble on the bottom left of your screen to jump to the comment area below.
Enjoy the Recipe!
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Gluten-Free Creole Étouffée
Rich and spicy with the sweet, briny flavor of shellfish, our recipe for Étouffée (pronounced ay-too-fay) uses a traditional French-style blonde butter roux to make a thick, velvety stew served over rice with plenty of crawfish and Creole seasonings.
Dutch Oven or a large, heavy pot
Medium-sized Saucepans (or saucepan and skillet)
Utensils (Cooks Knife, Whisk, Measuring Cups and Spoons, Ladle, or Large Spoon)
White rice for serving
4 cups Stock (crawfish, seafood, clam, fish, or chicken)
2 stalks Celery (finely chopped)
1 large Onion
1 large Bell pepper (diced)
1 cup Okra (about 8 pods, trimmed and sliced)
4-6 cloves Garlic (minced (approx. 2 tablespoons))
3 tablespoons Tomato paste
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
1 Pinch Cayenne (optional)
1 ½ sticks Butter (divided)
¼ cup gluten-free All-purpose Flour
2 pounds Crawfish Meat (peeled and deveined (approx. 1 pound))
1 pound Shrimp (peeled and deveined)
Parsley and scallions for garnish
Make the Stew
Melt three tablespoons of butter in a heavy Dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté the onion, celery, garlic, and bell pepper(s) until the onions turn translucent, about 8 minutes. Next, add the okra, stock, tomato paste, and Cajun seasoning. Stir to combine, then reduce the heat to medium-low to keep warm.
Cook the Rice
Follow the package directions.
Make the Roux
Meanwhile, make the roux by melting four tablespoons of butter over low heat using a medium-sized saucepan or skillet. Add the flour, whisking continually for about three minutes, allowing it to simmer on low to cook until the mixture is light golden-brown in color. Immediately whisk the roux into the vegetable and stock mixture to thicken.
Assemble
Add the crawfish and shrimp and adjust the seasonings, if necessary, then cover and heat for five minutes.
Turn off the heat and cream the gravy by adding the remaining butter, one pat at a time, whisking until the butter melts to give the sauce a beautiful glossy appearance.
Serve
Ladle one to two scoops of the stew over cooked rice. Serve with a side of toasted garlic bread. Garnish with parsley or sliced scallions if desired.
Buffet, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Soup, Supper
American, Cajun, Creole, French, Southern
Gluten Free
bell pepper, Butter, Cajun seasoning, celery, chicken stock, crawfish, fish stock, garlic, okra, onion, rice, Seafood, shrimp
Recipe Card with Nutrition powered by WP Recipe Maker (Nutritional values are an approximation. Actual nutritional values may vary due to preparation techniques, variations related to suppliers, regional and seasonal differences, or rounding.) Copyright © 2017-2023 Kymberley Pekrul | GfreeDeliciously | gfreedeliciously.com | All content and photographs are copyright protected. The sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. However, copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please read my Photo Use Policy for detailed guidelines and further clarification.
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