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4.42 from 77 votes

Langostino Étouffée

Langostino étouffée is a twist on a New Orleans classic made with delicate langostino tails.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Seafood
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 cups
Calories: 591kcal
Author: Cheryl Bennett

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons butter or oil
  • 6 tablespoons flour
  • 5 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 cups yellow onion diced
  • 1 cup celery diced
  • 1 cup green bell pepper diced
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt I use Diamond Crystal - see note
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • pinch crushed red pepper
  • 1 tsp. dried thyme or 2 sprigs fresh
  • 3 cups shrimp stock or seafood stock - store bought or homemade (recipe below)
  • 1 cup diced tomatoes optional but recommended
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine optional but recommended
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 pounds langostinos
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/4 cup scallions chopped
  • 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley chopped
  • Cooked white rice for serving

For the Shrimp Stock

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 pounds shrimp shells
  • 1 onion
  • 4 stalks celery
  • 1 carrot
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
  • 6 cups water

Instructions

  • In a Dutch oven or large heavy bottomed pot, melt butter over medium - medium high heat (or add oil). Add flour and whisk to combine. (This is a roux).
  • Continue cooking the roux for 10-12 minutes, whisking frequently, until it is a light brown (peanut butter) color.
  • Lower heat to medium and add garlic, onion, celery, green bell pepper, salt, black pepper, cayenne, crushed red pepper, and thyme. Cook, stirring frequently for 10 - 12 minutes, until vegetables have started to soften.
  • Add stock, tomatoes, wine (if using), and bay leaves. Cook for an additional 15 - 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot when stirring.
  • Add langostinos, lemon juice, scallions and parsley. Stir to combine, let it simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve with white rice.

Homemade shrimp stock

  • Heat olive oil in a large pot, add shrimp shells and sauté for 5 minutes.
  • Add everything except water and give it a stir. Let it cook for another 4 - 5 minutes, then cover with the water and let it simmer for 30 minutes.
  • Remove from heat, strain and cool. Freeze remaining stock for up to 3 months.

Notes

CHEF'S NOTES:
  • Wine adds a nice depth to your étouffée.
  • If using Morton's salt, cut the amount by almost half.
  • Roux = equal parts fat and flour by WEIGHT. The longer a roux cooks, the less thickening power it has, but it develops more flavor, which is what we want. For this roux, we are aiming for more than a blond roux, but not past a brown roux. It should be similar to the color of peanut butter.
  • I have seen a few recipes calling for creole or cajun spice. If you read the ingredient list, it is salt, pepper, garlic, cayenne and red pepper flakes. You likely have all of these ingredients in your pantry, and they are probably fresher than the jar of spice blend at the store.
  • Onions, celery and bell pepper are the "holy trinity". They are the base for many dishes in this part of the country. Mirepoix (onion, celery, carrots) is the French version & also the base to almost every single soup recipe.
  • Buying the seafood stock will cut your prep time by 30 minutes

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 591kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 62g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 510mg | Sodium: 3202mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 13g