Shrimp Ettoufee

 Today I made Shrimp Ettouffee in honor of Fat Tuesday (New Orleans Mardi Gras). Not really, I just saw this recipe pop up on an email I get from allrecipes.com and it sounded good.  Truth be told I didn't even know it was Fat Tuesday until my husband told me.  Anyway, so glad I made this recipe!  It's rich and spicy.  It I is a little time consuming to prep all the ingredients but well worth it.  Next time I make this I want to try it with shrimp and smoked sausage.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 14.5 oz can petite diced tomatoes, drained

1 tablespoons Louisiana-style hot sauce

1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)

1 tablespoons seafood seasoning (Old Bay)

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup chicken broth (see hint below)

1 pound medium shrimp - peeled and deveined (reserve shrimp shells-see hint below)

1 pound smoked sausage or andouille sausage, sliced into bite size pieces 

*Serve with cooked rice

Directions:

1.   Heat the butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Gradually stir in flour, and stir constantly until the mixture turns 'peanut butter' brown or darker, at least 15 or 20 minutes.  This is your base sauce or 'Roux'. It is very important to stir this constantly. If by chance the roux burns, discard and start over.

2.  Once the roux is browned, add the onions, garlic, celery and bell pepper to the skillet, and saute for about 5 minutes to soften. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and broth, and season with the Old Bay seasoning, hot pepper sauce and cayenne pepper (if using).   Reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3.  Add the sausage and shrimp. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the shrimp are opaque and all is heated through.  Serve over rice.

Hint:  To add a depth of flavor use the shrimp shells to flavor the broth.  I saw this on food network!  Place the shrimp shells and the broth in a saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes.  Strain and reserve the broth.