Today we're smothering plump shrimp with a thickened gravy-like sauce with the addition of tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and plenty of Cajun seasoning to make this southern shrimp etouffee as flavorful as it is.
Add olive oil to a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp and sauté for 1-2 minutes, just until it gets some color and is no longer opaque. You won’t be completely cooking the shrimp at this point as it will cook more in a later step. Remove shrimp and set aside.
Melt butter in the skillet until foamy. Add flour and stir together to make a roux. When flour mixture begins to thicken, add onion, green pepper, and celery. Stir to combine.
Add remaining ingredients except for the tomatoes, thyme, and bay leaves. Stir to combine and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and cook one more minute.
Add bay leaves, thyme, and reserved shrimp. Stir to combine and simmer for 2 minutes, just enough to heat through and finish the shrimp.
Notes
We do not recommend using precooked shrimp in this dish as the flavor will not be the same. However, if it’s a must, skip the first step of sautéing the shrimp. Add the Cajun seasoning with the rest of the ingredients and add the precooked shrimp last.
Store leftovers in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. You can separate the shrimp from the gravy when reheating if desired, as the gravy will likely take longer to warm up compared to the shrimp.