Shrimp Etouffee

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

-1/2 cup vegetable oil

-1/2 cup flour

-1 cup chopped yellow onion

-1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

-1 cup chopped celery

-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

-1/2 tsp. black pepper

-1/2 tsp. white pepper

-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

-1 tsp. Cajun seasoning

-1/2 cup finely chopped scallions,

plus extra for garnish

-1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

-2-3 dashes of hot sauce

-1 8 oz. bottle of clam juice

-1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes

with green chiles

-Salt

-2 lbs. small/medium shrimp,

peeled and deveined

-4 Tbs. butter

-6 cups cooked rice, for serving

-In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the oil and flour over low heat to prepare the roux. Whisk the flour into the oil to form a paste. Continue cooking over low heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture turns a caramel color and gives off a nutty aroma, 15-20 minutes.

-Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic and cook over low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the black pepper, white pepper, cayenne pepper, Cajun seasoning, 1/2 cup scallions, the parsley, and hot sauce. Pour in the clam juice and diced tomatoes, stirring to blend. Add salt, starting with 1 tsp., then add more if you’d like. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes.

-Add the shrimp and stir. Cook for about 3-5 minutes until done. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the butter. The heat from the dish will melt the butter. Place the etouffee in a serving bowl with rice, garnished with scallions.