Instant Pot Shrimp Étouffée: Use your Instant Pot to make a rich, buttery Shrimp Étouffée. A foolproof guide to dark roux, easy homemade shrimp stock, and perfectly tender shrimp in one pressure cooker.
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Étouffée - say it with me - Eh-too-FAY. Étouffée is the famous Cajun and Creole stew, thickened with roux, simmered with stock, and used to coat shrimp. I use a pressure cooker to speed the recipe along, making the shrimp stock and simmering the étouffée broth. Instead of taking all afternoon, the recipe takes…um…OK, most of an evening. Making roux can't be rushed. Please, pay attention while you're making roux.
Um…not that I know anything about burnt roux. I would never try to multitask and mince the trinity while the roux is cooking, and scorch the flour in the pot. Not me, nope, never happened.
Ingredients Notes and Substitutions
Homemade Shrimp Stock: It's quick and easy to make in your Instant Pot, all you need is the shells from the shrimp - if you buy easy-peel shrimp or shell-on shrimp, you've got the shells already, why not use them? Well, OK, you're busy, I get that. Substitute store-bought seafood broth, or if you're really desperate, chicken broth. (As always I recommend homemade chicken broth, but if you're not making shrimp broth, I assume you won't be making chicken broth, so low-sodium chicken broth is fine.)
26-30 count shrimp: This is my preferred size, the oxymoronic "Jumbo" shrimp, which provides the best balance between shrimp size and time spent peeling. Shrimp "count" is the best way to tell how big the shrimp are - the count is the number of shrimp per pound. Any size from colossal (16-20 count) down to medium (51-60 count) will work in this recipe. I'd avoid larger or smaller shrimp; larger is too big to fit on a spoon, and I rarely find shell-on smaller shrimp at my local store. Speaking of shell-on…
Shell on or Easy Peel Shrimp: Since I want the shells for the stock, I buy shrimp with the shell on. Most of the time that means easy peel shrimp at my local grocery store. Also, I think shell-on shrimp tastes a little better, because the shell protects the shrimp meat from freezing, but it's a subtle difference.
Can I use frozen shrimp without thawing it? Yes, but you'll have to use store-bought seafood broth, since frozen shrimp means you won't be able to peel the shells off.
Homemade Cajun Spice Rub vs Store Bought: I make my own homemade cajun spice rub, which is salt-free, so I can control the salt levels separately. That said, I also have a jar of cajun seasoning in my pantry (my current favorite is Slap Ya Mama TKLINK), for seasoning emergencies. If you use a store-bought spice rub or seasoning, it's going to have salt in it already, so skip the salt as directed in the ingredients and/or instructions.
The trinity of aromatics: onion, celery, and green bell pepper: You need all three for true Cajun flavor. You can substitute a red bell pepper or yellow bell pepper if you can't find green bell peppers, but green bell peppers have a slightly bitter taste that works better in this dish.
How to make Instant Pot Shrimp Étouffée in pictures
Make shrimp stock, pressure cook for 10 minutes
Put the shells from the shrimp in the pot with a chopped onion, carrot, and rib of celery. Add crushed garlic, a bay leaf, a sprig of thyme, salt, and a quart of water, and pressure cook for 10 minutes with a natural release. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer and save for later in the recipe.
Make a roux
Melt the butter using Sauté mode - medium in the Instant Pot. When the butter stops foaming, whisk in the flour and some cajun seasoning, and keep whisking until the roux turns brown, the color of peanut butter.
Sauté the trinity
Add a minced onion, rib of celery, green bell pepper, and garlic. Sauté, stirring and scraping to make sure nothing is sticking, until the onion softens.
Broth and tomatoes into the pot, pressure cook for 10 minutes
Pour the broth into the pot and add a can of diced tomatoes. Lock the lid and pressure cook for 10 minutes with a natural release
Cook the shrimp
Stir the shrimp into the pot and let them cook in the hot étouffée broth using keep warm mode, about 5 minutes.
Season and serve
Stir minced parsley and ground pepper into the pot, and serve the shrimp étouffée with white rice, a sprinkling of more minced parsley, and a bottle of Cajun hot sauce. Enjoy!
Scaling the recipe
You can easily double this recipe in an 8-quart Instant Pot. Doubling it in a 6-quart Instant Pot puts it too close to the max fill line. You can halve the recipe if you need to fit it in a 4-quart Instant Pot.
Adapted from: Emeril Lagasse, Louisiana Real and Rustic
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Instant Pot Shrimp Étouffée recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Description
Instant Pot Shrimp Étouffée recipe - shrimp and étouffée sauce, cajun style, sped up by pressure cooking.
Ingredients
Shrimp Stock
- Shells from 2 pounds of 26-30 count shrimp (shrimp reserved for étouffée)
- 1Â medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1Â medium carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1Â stalk of celery, roughly chopped
- 4Â cloves garlic, crushed
- 1Â bay leaf
- 1Â sprig fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 quart water
Roux
- 6 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon Homemade Cajun spice rub (or use store bought)
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt (skip if using store-bought rub)
Aromatics
- 1Â large onion, minced
- 1Â stalk celery, minced
- 1Â medium green bell pepper, minced
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
The Rest of the Étouffée Broth
- 1 quart shrimp stock (from above) or store-bought seafood broth
- 1Â (14-ounce to 16-ounce) can of diced tomatoes
Shrimp
- 2Â pounds 26-30 count shrimp, peeled (shells reserved for stock)
- 1 tablespoon Homemade Cajun spice rub (or use store bought)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (skip if using store-bought rub)
Final Seasonings
- ¼ cup minced parsley
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Accompaniments
- More minced parsley for topping the bowls
- White rice
- Cajun hot sauce (like Tabasco)
Instructions
- Pressure Cook the Shrimp Stock for 10 minutes with a natural release: Peel the shrimp, saving the shrimps and the shells. Put the shrimp in the refrigerator for later, and the shells in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker. Add the rest of the shrimp stock ingredients (onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, ½ teaspoon salt) to the pot, and pour 1 quart of water over everything. Lock the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 10 minutes (use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook-custom mode set to 10 minutes in an Instant Pot.) Let the pressure come down naturally, about 20 minutes. (If you're in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes of natural release.) Open the lid carefully - the pot is full of hot steam. Strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer, discard the solids, and set the stock aside for later.
- Make the roux: Rinse and wipe out the pot liner (or pressure cooker pot), and put it back in the Instant Pot base (or back on the stove). Set the Instant Pot to Sauté mode - medium (medium heat for a stovetop PC), add the butter, and melt the butter until it stops foaming. Stir the flour and Cajun seasoning to the pot. Cook, stirring constantly (preferably with a whisk or a flat-edged wooden spoon), until the flour is the color of peanut butter, about five minutes.
- Sauté the aromatics: Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic to the pot with the roux. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon fine sea salt and sauté until the aromatics soften, about 5 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot with a flat-edged wooden spoon to make sure nothing is sticking and burning.
- Pressure cook the étouffée broth for 10 minutes with a natural release: Stir in the shrimp stock, and scrape the bottom of the pot one last time to make sure the roux isn't sticking (and prevent a burn warning). Pour the tomatoes on top of the broth, but don't stir. Lock the lid and pressure cook on high pressure for 10 minutes (use Manual, Pressure Cook, or Pressure Cook - Custom mode set to 10 minutes in an Instant Pot). Let the pressure release naturally. (If you're in a hurry, you can quick release any remaining pressure after 15 minutes of natural release.)
- Cook the shrimp: Open the lid, tilting it away from you to avoid the hot steam. Leave the pot on keep warm mode (low heat for a stovetop PC). Toss the shrimp with 1 tablespoon Cajun spice rub and ½ teaspoon salt (if using homemade spice rub), then add the shrimp to the étouffée broth. Let the shrimp cook through in the hot broth, about 5 minutes.
- Season and serve the étouffée: Stir the ¼ cup parsley and black pepper into the broth. To serve, put a scoop of white rice in a bowl, ladle the étouffée on top, then sprinkle with a little chopped parsley. Pass the hot sauce at the table for anyone who likes extra kick with their dinner. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cups
- Calories: 236
- Sugar: 2.8 g
- Sodium: 591.4 mg
- Fat: 9.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 12.4 g
- Fiber: 1.8 g
- Protein: 26 g
- Cholesterol: 205.4 mg
Notes
- Two-pot cooking - do the shrimp stock and roux at the same time: You can speed up the recipe by doing steps 2 and 3 (make the roux, saute the aromatics) in a separate pot while the shrimp stock is pressure cooking. After straining the stock, pour a cup or two into the pot with the roux and aromatics to loosen them up, then pour everything back into the pressure cooker and continue with step 4, pressure cook the étouffée broth.
- Making Roux: A dark roux is the key to étouffée, and the tricky part of this recipe. It's essential for the flavor, though, so don't rush it - keep stirring and it will get there. Also, have the aromatics (the cajun trinity of onion, celery, and bell pepper) ready to go, so you can add them in when the roux is ready, or the roux might burn. (If they're not ready, take the pot off the heat until the aromatics are chopped. For an Instant Pot, remove the pot liner and set it aside on a trivet.)
- Why a natural release instead of a quick release? Two reasons. For the shrimp stock, a natural release traps more of the flavor molecules in the pot, resulting in a more flavorful stock. For the étouffée broth, the natural release is gentle, where a quick release throws the pot into a sudden boil. Because of the extra starch in the broth, a quick release can sometimes result in starch spitting out of the release valve. That's why I recommend you wait for 15 minutes before quick releasing if you're in a hurry - the pot will have cooled most of the way, and there's less chance of spitting starch.
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts
- Pressure Cooker Chicken Gumbo
- Sautéed Shrimp
- Cajun Spice Rub
- Instant Pot Salmon and Rice
- Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
- Instant Pot Dirty Rice
- Instant Pot Brown Rice Jambalaya
- My List of Instant Pot and Pressure Cooker Recipes
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Kristen says
Headed into Lenten season and I normally prepare my mother’s Shrimp Creole dish for one of the meatless-Fridays but I believe i will try my hand at this recipe. I love etouffee and agree with the fun in saying the word!! Wish me luck!!
Breanna & Matt says
my husband made this for me for dinner last night, it was FANTASTIC! Actually, we've tried several of your pressure cooker recipes and everyone has been dynamite! Thanks for the variety of recipes, we look forward to trying them all 🙂
Mike Vrobel says
You're welcome!
Yet another Mike says
Can't wait to try this one... I see 2tbsp minced garlic in the broth ingredients, but not mentioned in the directions - do you add that with the crushed garlic to the aromatics, use it for seasoning after cooking, or is it an oversight?
Mike V says
It's in step 3:Sauté the aromatics. "Add the onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic to the roux. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and sauté until the aromatics soften, about five minutes."
Recipe updated to make that clearer.
Yet another Mike says
Thanks for the quick reply! Makes perfect sense - it was just a reading comprehension error on my part... 🙂 I was mixed up between the garlic for the stock vs.the aromatics.... But of course the crushed garlic gets used with "the rest of the shrimp stock ingredients" in step 1.
beth says
This was amazing!!!! I changed up the roux as I don't eat butter or flour. Mixed palm oil and coconut oil, almond flour and arrowroot. Omitted the salt at the end as my cajun seasoning had salt. We just came back from visiting NOLA. I ran the half marathon. HUGE hit from my husband, son and me!!! Thank you!!
Lisa says
Would I be able to use a tall screened mesh sieve that fits into the pot when making the shrimp stock? I'm thinking it would make draining the shrimp shells easier, but I trust your judgement and advice. Thanks! I can't rate this recipe yet, as I haven't tried it. I will come back and do that.
Mike V says
My instincts tell me there isn't enough water in the pot - you'll wind up with some of the shells and veg above the water if you start in the mesh sieve. But, give it a try - you can always dump the shells out of the strainer and into the water in the pressure cooker if it doesn't look right.
Beverly says
Can I use a grain free flour like coconut or almond flour?
Mike V says
I don't think so - flour releases starch, which acts as a thickener in the roux. I don't think you get the same effect with coconut or almond flour.
CorallineAlgae says
You can use rice flour with a teaspoon of potato flower, or Cup for Cup brand gluten free flour, to make roux. I'm Cajun and have done both substitutions a few times for other recipes.
Chandra says
Oh my WOW! Excellent flavors and the family devoured this.
Kyle says
Made it, yum was a total of about 1 stick of butter.
Eric A. says
Made this yesterday. Hands down the best meal I've EVER made!!! My family and I couldn't get enough of it. I've never made shrimp etouffee before, but stumbled across this recipe, so I thought I'd give it a try. I'm fairly new to cooking, but this recipe was easy to follow. I'll definitely make this again, and again.
Mike V says
Great! Glad it worked so well for you.
Lisa says
I forwarded this recipe to my daughter, age 25, to make for her boyfriend who grew up in New Orleans. They loved it! And they really loved the leftovers. One of her best efforts with her pressure cooker.
Mike V says
Excellent! I'm glad they enjoyed it.
Jen Tester says
Hi there, I just got a pressure cooker and am going to break it in with this recipe! About how many people does this recipe serve? And do you think it will fit/work in a 6 quart pressure cooker? Thanks!
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Darn it, another mixup. Use 6 tablespoons of butter (or 1/4 cup of vegetable oil, as listed in the instructions - there's extra water in the butter, so we need more to get the fat content right.)
Fixed the recipe to show this. Sorry about that!
ssunaoka says
Hi Mike,
This recipe looks incredible! I'd like to try to make it for dinner tomorrow night! Can you tell me how much butter you're using to make the roux? I'm not totally familiar with making a roux and I don't want to make a mistake.
Thanks!
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Thanks, Peter! Fixed both of those things. I wrote the recipe assuming 21-25 pound shrimp...and found US Gulf shrimp in 26-30 size on sale at the store. (And the add the shrimp, then toss with spices, then add the shrimp bit slipped past my editor. Which is me.)
I try to buy US shrimp - Gulf shrimp seems like a natural for a cajun or creole recipe. But, it's only occasionally available in my local grocery stores, so I usually go with the IQF, shell on, easy peel shrimp that they have in the freezer case.
If you're interested, check out the Monterrey Bay Seafood Watch recommendations for shrimp: http://www.seafoodwatch.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.aspx?gid=58
PeterWimsey says
This sounds really good!
But a couple of things are not clear in the recipe - in the "Shrimp Stock" part of the ingredients list, you have shells from 2 lbs of 26-30 shrimp, but in the shrimp section, it's 2 lbs 21-25 shrimp. I hope we can just use one size!
And in Sec. 5 of the directions, it says to add the shrimp to the pot, bring it to a simmer, toss the shrimp with spice rub and salt, and add to the simmering broth. Do we just toss the shrimp with the spices and salt and add to the simmering broth (which I would assume to be the case), or do we simmer the shrimp, remove them, toss them with spices and salt, and return to the pot (which might be a cajun technique?).
Also, do you have any recommendations for the best brands of frozen shrimp?