THE HIGH CULTURE WHAT TO SMOKE? We have some suggestions.
Roux the day MARDI GRAS IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER, THE CHEFS AT GUYUTES HAVE PREPARED AN INFUSED SHRIMP ÉTOUFFÉE TO GET THE PARTY STARTED WITH A FULL STOMACH.
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By Matt Dinger
With spring on its way, it’s a good time for a hearty meal that packs a bit of heat to keep you warm during those last remnants of winter chill. This month, the chefs at Guyutes bring an infused shrimp étouffée to the table. And when you tell your guests that you’ve made a roux, they’re likely to be impressed by your cooking prowess, even though the process itself is extremely simple. “All it is is literally just a quarter cup of oil with a quarter cup of flour,” Matt Pryor said. “You can be kind of generous with [the flour]. You don’t have to clear any off [the top of the cup] … You’ve got to be very careful, because … it’ll go from dark brown to
burnt very fast. It takes a second to get there but after you get there, it can turn real quick. It’s one of those you keep an eye on. Don’t walk away.” Since you put in the work for that, you can cut corners with the shrimp stock and shrimp itself if you’d like. “If you can find shrimp stock or fish stock in the store, you might as well go ahead and get that. If you don’t want to mess with peeling and deveining your own shrimp, you can already buy peeled and deveined so then you’re just ready to roll. All you’re going to have is your actual cooking process at that point,” Pryor said.
Shrimp étouffée Shrimp stock (optional): Shells from 2 pounds of shrimp 1/2 large onion, chopped Top and bottom from 1 green pepper 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 celery rib, chopped 5 bay leaves Pour 2 quarts of water into a pot and add all the shrimp stock ingredients. Bring to a boil, drop the heat down and simmer the stock gently for 45 minutes. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve into another pot set over low heat. You will only need about 2 cups of stock for this recipe. Use the leftover stock for soup, risotto, etc. It will last in the fridge for a week or frozen for up to three weeks. Shrimp étouffée 2 pounds shrimp, peeled (save the shells for shrimp stock) 1/4 cup vegetable oil or lard Heaping 1/4 cup flour 1/2 large onion, chopped 1 bell pepper, chopped 1 to 2 jalapeño peppers, chopped 1 large rib celery, chopped 4 garlic cloves, chopped 1 pint shrimp stock (see above), clam juice, or fish stock 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning 1/2 teaspoon celery seed 1 tablespoon sweet paprika salt 3 green onions, chopped Hot sauce, such as Crystal or Tabasco, to taste Recipe: To make the étouffée, start by making a roux. Heat the vegetable oil or lard in a heavy pot over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the flour, making sure there are no clumps. Let this cook, stirring often, until it turns very brown — this should take about 10 minutes or so. Add the celery, green pepper, jalapeño and onion, mix well and cook this over medium heat for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Slowly add shrimp stock, then the seasonings and the shrimp. Measure out 2 cups of the shrimp stock and slowly add it a little at a time, stirring constantly so it incorporates. The roux will absorb the stock and seize up at first, then it will loosen. Add additional stock as needed to make a sauce about the thickness of syrup. Add the Cajun seasoning, celery seed and paprika and mix well. Add salt to taste, then mix in the shrimp. Cover the pot, turn the heat to its lowest setting and cook for 10 minutes Add the green onions and hot sauce to taste. Serve over white rice. For the infused oil recipe and dosage information visit OKGazette.com.
Shrimp Etouffee. Photo: Berlin Green
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