Prawn Étouffée

étouffée

Étouffée made with crawfish or shrimp (prawns are the closest thing in the UK) is a very popular dish from Louisiana. The word étouffée comes from the French étouffer, which means to smother or suffocate – the crawfish (or prawns in this case) are quite literally cooked by smothering them in a sauce. It is thought that this method dates back to the 1920s, but wasn’t popularised until it was “discovered” at Aline Champagne’s Rendezvous Restaurant (as crawfish court bouillon) in Breaux Bridge during the 1940s or 50s. Breaux Bridge is said to be the crawfish capital of the world and holds an annual festival. Étouffée is normally made with shellfish (including crab) and served with rice.

As with many Louisiana recipes, the sauce for étouffée starts with a roux, usually followed by a onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic. There are two types of cooking in Louisiana – Creole (from the original French and Spanish colonists in New Orleans), containing tomatoes and Cajun (from the Cajun people of South Louisiana who were originally French colonists of Canada, expelled by the British), without tomatoes. Both Cajun and Creole styles of cooking use a trinity of celery, onions and sweet peppers – when garlic is used, it becomes a  holy trinity. It seems to me that a trinity made with sweet peppers comes from Spanish cuisine, because a French mirepoix normally contains carrots instead.

raw prawns

One can buy good shrimp or fish stock, for this type of recipe, but in my opinion, if you are buying raw prawns, why not use their heads and shells for something completely home made.

Shrimp Stock recipe:

the heads and shells from 2.2lbs (1Kg) prawns (or shrimp)
1 medium onion (chopped)
1 stick celery (chopped)
6 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
juice of a lemon
2 bay leaves
a few sprigs thyme
a squirt anchovy paste
a few black peppercorns
salt (to taste)
2 pints of water

peeled prawns

Keep the peeled prawns in the fridge while making the stock.

Twist the heads off the bodies, pull out the black vein that runs down the spine (it’s easy, most of the time, to grab when the head comes off) and peel off the shells.

prawn shells

Put all the stock ingredients into a cast iron casserole, except the salt, which I add at the end.

cooked stock

Bring to a simmer, scoop off any foam, put the lid on and remove to a preheated oven at 160ºC for 45 minutes.

prawn stock

Adjust the seasoning, allow to cool and strain into a jug.

Etouffée recipe (serves 4):

2.2lbs (1Kg) prawns (peeled)
1/4lb (113g) butter (cubed)
1/4lb (113g) plain flour (sieved)
1 large onion (chopped)
1 stick celery (chopped)
6 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 green bell pepper (chopped)
5 medium tomatoes (grated)
2 spring onions (finely chopped)
a handful fresh parsley (finely chopped)
5 heaped teaspoons Cajun seasoning: 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of onion powder, 1 teaspoon mustard powder, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, a pinch of fennel seeds and 2 teaspoons pimentón de la Vera (picante) – all mixed together
2 bay leaves
a dessertspoon tomato purée
1 pint shrimp stock
Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce (to taste if you think it needs it)
the juice of half a lemon
cracked black pepper (to taste)
1 cup long grain rice per person

butter

Melt 1/4 lb butter in a cast iron pan.

roux

Make a roux with an equal amount of sieved plain flour. This should be cooked on a hot flame, stirring constantly or it will burn. If it burns you’ll need to throw it away and start again! This is a lighter roux than I usually make for gumbo and it took about 15 minutes. If you cook the roux too dark, the flour looses it’s ability to thicken when the stock is added. A gumbo is generally soupier than étouffée.

holy trinity

Take the pan off the heat, to stop the roux browning further and stir in the holy trinity.

tomatoes

Turn the heat back on low and grate in the tomatoes – cut them in half, shred the wet side and throw away the skin.

parsley

Sprinkle on some parsley, squirt in the tomato purée and add the bay leaves.

stock

Pour on the prawn stock.

cajun seasoning

Add 5 heaped teaspoons Cajun seasoning, bring the sauce to a simmer, put the lid on and remove to a preheated oven at 140º C for an hour.

prawns with spring onions

Taste and add seasoning or Worcestershire sauce (if you think it needs it). For more heat, splash on some Tabasco Sauce. Cook the rice and while it rests, smother the peeled prawns in the étouffée sauce, along with chopped spring onions and a little more parsley – for no longer than 5 minutes!

prawn étouffée

Squeeze on the juice of half a lemon and serve immediately, with rice, a little more parsley and spring onion. You might want a Dixie beer to go with this, though my recommendation is a glass of Lobster & Shrimp Muscadet-Sevre et Maine.