Louisiana Kitchen’s Creole Shrimp Etouffée (for 2)

This Creole-style shrimp etouffée starts with the “holy trinity” of Louisiana cooking: sauteed onions, celery, and bell peppers, along with garlic, diced tomatoes, Cajun spices, parsley, clam broth, a blonde roux (a well-cooked flour-and-butter mixture that thickens the sauce while adding a ‘nutty’ nuance) and a touch of light cream. Shrimp are seared in a skillet and simmered in the piquant vegetable-laden etouffée sauce. To serve, mound the warmed up rice on the center of a plate and surround the rice with hot etouffée. Serves 2.

*Etouffée is a French word for “smothered.” This recipe is inspired by “Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen Cookbook.”

**When Jay refers to Cajun spices, he usually means a combination of white pepper, black pepper, paprika, chili powder, cayenne, and thyme.