This dish was really yummy. I did sub the water with chicken broth, and next time I will use a pound less shrimp. My fiance ate 4 huge bowls and I had leftovers for breakfast.

Everyone loved this easy to make dish. I followed the recipe exactly, although I did substitute chicken broth for water and I made a little more roux becaue I like lots of sauce, but all other portions worked well. Careful on the tabasco, a little at a time.

I followed the instructions and used the listed ingredients and found that it turned out extremely well. What I altered was the amount of liquid. I also used chicken stock instead of water (about 1.5 cups), 2 lbs of shrimp, a couple dashes of cayenne pepper and some Cajun seasoning. I had to reduce the liquid somewhat as I prefer a thicker etouffee. I was trying to achieve something similar to what I’ve had in New Orleans. Other than not being crawfish with crawfish fat, mine came out pretty darn good. I was happily surprised! The key is achieving the right color and consistency when making the roux (should be fairly brown) and not adding too much liquid.

Mine did not turn out well. But it was probably my fault. So, after failing with this recipe, I dug up a recipe from a chef at a Cajun restaurant I used to work at and it was easy and turned out good, if you ask me. Here it is: 1/2 Cup Safflower Oil (it is better for you) 1 Cup Flour (all-purpose unbleached) 1/2 Cup Onions chopped 1/2 TBSP Garlic (make it easy and used the minced garlic in the jar) 3 Cups Chicken Broth 1/4 tsp Oregano (dry because it is easier) 1/2 tsp Basil (dry again) 1/2 Cup Bell Peppers chopped but not too fine 1/2 Cup Celery chopped 1 TBSP Parsley (dry again) 1 tsp Tomato Paste 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper (more if you want, it won't kill you, I don't think) Make your roux with the oil and flour. Stir frequently but don’t obsess. When it gets to be a nice golden brown and smells a tiny bit burnt, mix in the onions and garlic. Don’t be afraid to let it go a little longer than you think it should in order to get that dark, rich flavor. After mixing in the onions and garlic let it cook a few minutes with the heat off, then gradually stir in the 3 cups of chicken broth. Be careful, it might splatter. Now add the rest of the ingredients and cook for 30 minutes to an hour depending on how soft you want the vegetables. Now you can add whatever meat you want. Or no meat at all but I would recommend shrimp, chicken, or crawfish tails. If you use chicken, sauté it a little first. The shrimp or crawfish tails should cook just fine in the hot Etouffee in a few minutes. Serve over cooked white rice and don’t forget the Tabasco! Hope you like it. If not, C'est la vie!

I keep with the ingredients and served it over penne pasta with a squeeze of lemon juice. (I had no quality rice and you can't just eat this with any kind so the penne pasta was an ecellent substitute). I am not ashamed, I had to lick my plate it was that good. My daughter loved it and said that her dad would also love it. Today was a good day in the kitchen.