Crayfish étouffée, served at a Cajun restaurant in
New Orleans.
'Étouffée' or 'etouffee' is a
Creole seafood dish typically served over
rice, similar to
gumbo, very popular in
New Orleans and in the
Cajun country of the
Atchafalaya Basin to the west.
Etymology
In
French, the word "étouffée" means, literally, "smothered", from the verb "étouffer" meaning "to stifle, choke, or suffocate".
Description
The usual staple of an étouffée is seafood such as
crawfish (crayfish),
shrimp, or
crabmeat. Shrimp and crabmeat are, however, more often found in gumbos. Other meats, such as chicken, tofu, or a combination of chicken and seafood, are also popular. Étouffée also differs from gumbo in the spices used, and in the
roux or base from which is it made. Gumbo is generally less spicy, flavored with ''file'', and has a brown color.
Étouffée uses more
cayenne pepper and other hot spices and tends to have a more reddish color, and also to have thicker consistency. In some areas it has become popular to add
tomatoes or tomato paste to the dish. However, most purists believe that once tomatoes are added, the dish ceases to be a true étouffée, and instead becomes a
stew.
Roux
The main difference between a stew/gumbo and an étouffée is that an étouffée is made with a "blonde roux" (about the color of a paper bag) instead of a typical Creole roux, which is dark brown. A small amount of tomato sauce is usually added to this roux.
Onions,
green peppers and a bit of
garlic are also staples in this sauce. The finished product should be bright orange with a hint of brown to the colour.
Related cuisine
Beginning in the late
20th century, with the popularization of
Louisiana cuisine beyond its place of origin, innovations to these basic forms have abounded. In fact, the term "gumbo" is often used in
slang parlance to mean a mixture of anything and everything. One seemingly may add whatever is available in one's kitchen to a pot of gumbo. Étouffée, on the other hand, appears to be held to more exacting standards.
External Links
★
About.com Southern Food
★
MealsMatter (non-authentic) Crawfish Etoufee recipe
★
Crawfish Etoufee recipe (can substitute shrimp, scallops, or lobster)
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