Ollie’s Shrimp Etouffee
Absolutely NO secret recipes. Sharing recipes is so much more than just passing on words on paper. When you share a recipe with someone you are wishing the best for them. You carefully consider the measurements and ingredients so that your recipient can succeed. You want them to feel accomplished and satisfied, for their guests or family to be impressed by what they created, and to feel the same happiness or comfort that the recipe brings you and your family.
Despite my love for cookbooks and cooking magazines, I would choose another home cook’s worn and weathered recipe over any glossy, sleek cookbook recipe every time. Like so many of the recipes on this site, I got it from a friend. This is her mother’s recipe for shrimp etouffee and tasting her leftovers in the office got me half-way over the personal hurdle that is Cajun food. I’m still climbing that particular mountain but, like so many foods I thought I would never like, I’m getting there-slowly and with lots of help!
Ollie’s Shrimp Etouffee
serves 4, prep 10 min, cook 20 min, adapted slightly by me from Ollie’s recipe- 1 1/2 cups green onions, diced
- 2/3 cup green bell pepper, diced
- 2/3 cup celery, diced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
- 1 lb shrimp, cleaned or crawfish meat
- 3 tbsp brandy or cognac
- fresh parsley for garnish
- lemon slices for garnish
- Saute onion, pepper, and celery in olive oil over medium heat until softened.
- Combine lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, cornstarch, and seasoning with about 1/2 cup water.
- Add liquid and shrimp to vegetables, cover and simmer about 15 minutes or until thick. Add brandy.
- Garnish with parsley and lemon slices, serve over rice.
And Ollie says: Bon Appetite! Enjoy!
November 13th, 2011 at 8:04 am
I’ve been a cajun/creole fan since my trip to New Orleans a few years ago. Unbelievable flavors and especially in etouffee’s. This looks wonderful. Now if I could just find some crawfish meat. I always have to use shrimp (not complaining). 🙂
November 16th, 2011 at 12:37 pm
I wish I was there for the brownie bake off!
I love the worn cookbooks too – splatters of food and all.
I was at a garage sale once, and found a cookbook that had about 20 blank pages in the end – the cook had handwritten recipes, notes such as “next time more butter!” etc.
I thought it was a mistake that it was for sale and when I went and told them, they said no one wanted it, but I could have it for a quarter. I bought it!
November 19th, 2011 at 9:06 am
What a wonderful recipe. It looks delicious and it is easy to make. That is an unbeatable combination. This is my first visit to your blog, so I took some extra time to browse through your earlier posts. I’m so glad I did that. You’ve created a great spot for your readers to enjoy and I really enjoyed the time I spent here. I’ll definitely be back. I hope you have a great day. Blessings…Mary
November 25th, 2011 at 9:15 am
What a mouthwatering recipe. By the way I love your oven. I agree, I love my recipes when they come from worn books it almost feels like i’m cooking up a historical recipe.
April 23rd, 2013 at 6:12 am
Is it possible to leave out the Worcestershire sauce? I like it but a buddy of mine doesn’t.
I don’t know how much brandy or cognac costs where you live, but for my budget–and lack of much of a drinking habit at all–both alcoholic beverages are a bit of a splurge. I’ve never had cognac (as a drink), so I don’t want to buy a bottle and have it sit in my fridge untouched apart from using it in this recipe, which I would only make once in a while.
So is there any way this dish would suffer if I left out the alcohol?
With two substitutions, I would consider choosing a different recipe. You can usually substitute broth for alcohol in recipes like this. If you are considering omitting the Worcestershire then I would sub beef stock for both the cognac and the water called for. It should work but you will sacrifice some flavor. Good Luck! -katie