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Platter of shrimp in orange-brown étouffée gravy surrounding parsley-flecked long-grain and wild-rice pilaf

One-Pot Dinners

Louisiana-Style Shrimp Étouffée with Wild-Rice Pilaf

Tender shrimp simmer briefly in a buttery, brick-orange Cajun gravy and surround a mound of parsley-flecked long-grain and wild-rice pilaf.

Developed for DishGal · Updated 2026-09-09

One-Pot DinnersEasy Seafood Recipes
Prep25 min
Cook50 min
Total75 min
Cost$5.40

Directions

  1. Start the wild rice

    Combine the wild rice and 1 1/2 cups chicken stock in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to the lowest simmer, cover and cook for 25 minutes. The grains will have started to split but will not yet be tender.

  2. Finish the two-rice pilaf

    Stir the rinsed white rice, remaining 1 cup chicken stock, 1 tablespoon butter and 1/4 teaspoon salt into the wild rice. Return to a simmer, cover and cook over low heat for 18 minutes. Remove from the heat, leave covered for 10 minutes, then fluff and fold in 2 tablespoons parsley. If your wild rice is unusually firm after the rest, add 2 tablespoons hot water, cover and steam over low heat for 5 minutes more.

  3. Season the shrimp

    While the pilaf cooks, pat the shrimp very dry. Toss them with 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, then refrigerate while you build the gravy. Keeping the shrimp cold prevents them from overcooking before the sauce is ready.

  4. Cook the butter roux

    Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a wide 5-quart sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, whisking almost constantly, until the roux is smooth and the color of peanut butter. Reduce the heat if dark specks appear; a scorched roux must be discarded.

  5. Soften the Cajun trinity

    Add the onion, bell pepper and celery to the roux. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the vegetables soften and the onion turns translucent. Add the garlic, tomato paste, scallion whites and remaining 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning; cook for 2 minutes, until the paste darkens slightly.

  6. Build the étouffée gravy

    Slowly whisk in the 2 cups seafood stock, about 1/2 cup at a time, smoothing the sauce after each addition. Stir in the Worcestershire, hot sauce, bay leaf, thyme and black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until the gravy coats the back of a spoon but still flows around the rice.

  7. Poach the shrimp safely

    Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the seasoned shrimp in one layer. Simmer gently for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring once, until the shrimp are opaque, curled into loose C shapes and reach 145°F in the thickest pieces. Do not continue cooking after they form tight O shapes.

  8. Brighten and adjust

    Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the lemon juice, half the scallion greens and all but 1 tablespoon of the remaining parsley. Taste and add salt or hot sauce only as needed. If the gravy is too thick, loosen it with hot stock 1 tablespoon at a time.

  9. Plate like the photograph

    Pack about 3/4 cup pilaf into a small bowl and invert it in the center of each warm plate. Spoon the shrimp and flowing orange-brown gravy around the rice, leaving the rice mound visible, then scatter with the reserved parsley and scallion greens.

Why this works

Why it worksCooking the wild rice before adding white rice gives both grains enough time to become tender without turning the white rice mushy.
Why it worksA carefully cooked blond-to-peanut-brown butter roux thickens the stock and supplies the nutty backbone associated with étouffée without making the sauce pasty.
Why it worksAdding the shrimp only after the gravy is fully developed keeps them plump and tender, while tomato paste and the Cajun trinity create the photographed brick-orange color without cream.

Useful kitchen gear

Tools that make this easier.

Compare the function and specifications first; skip anything your kitchen already handles well.

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Red enameled Dutch oven on a kitchen work surface Compare on Amazon6-quart Dutch ovenA broad heavy pot cooks the roux and Cajun trinity evenly, then holds the shrimp in a shallow layer for gentle, even poaching.See current options → Round countertop rice cooker with a metal lid and removable inner pot Compare on AmazonFamily-size rice cookerA rice cooker can handle the long-grain and wild-rice pilaf hands-off while the étouffée gravy develops.See current options → Two digital probe cooking thermometers beside prepared ingredients Compare on AmazonInstant-read thermometerConfirm the thickest shrimp reach 145°F, then stop cooking before their texture turns firm and rubbery.See current options →

Swaps & notes

Easy swaps

  • Use 1 1/2 cups cooked plain long-grain rice instead of the pilaf when time is short; warm it thoroughly and omit the wild-rice cooking steps.
  • Crawfish tail meat can replace the shrimp ounce for ounce. Stir thawed, drained tails into the finished gravy for only 2 to 3 minutes, until they reach 145°F.
  • For a gluten-free gravy, replace the flour with 3 tablespoons sweet rice flour and verify that the Cajun seasoning, stock and Worcestershire sauce are gluten-free.

Cook notes

  • Salt levels vary widely in Cajun seasoning. A salt-free blend lets the measured salt, stock and Worcestershire provide controlled seasoning.
  • The roux continues to darken from residual heat when the vegetables are added, so stop at peanut-butter brown rather than waiting for a dark chocolate color.
  • A wide pan matters: it lets the shrimp sit in a shallow layer so they cook evenly and makes it easy to judge whether the gravy flows like the photographed sauce.

Storage

Divide the pilaf and étouffée into separate shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours for up to 3 days. Reheat the gravy gently over medium-low heat, adding a splash of stock, until it reaches 165°F; prolonged boiling will toughen the shrimp. Reheat rice with 1 tablespoon water per serving, covered, to 165°F. Freeze the gravy without shrimp for up to 2 months; freshly cook and add shrimp after thawing.

Questions

Why did my étouffée gravy turn lumpy?

The stock was added too quickly or was very cold. Whisk in room-temperature or warm stock gradually, smoothing each addition before adding more. If small lumps remain, strain the gravy before returning the vegetables and adding shrimp.

Can I prepare shrimp étouffée ahead for guests?

Prepare the pilaf and gravy through the 15-minute simmer up to 1 day ahead, cool promptly and refrigerate separately. Reheat the gravy to a gentle simmer, then add raw seasoned shrimp and cook to 145°F just before serving.

Is étouffée supposed to be thick like gumbo?

It should be thicker than gumbo but looser than pot-pie filling. The finished gravy should coat a spoon and pool around the rice. Use hot stock to loosen an overly thick sauce or simmer a thin sauce a few minutes before adding the shrimp.

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Louisiana-Style Shrimp Étouffée with Wild-Rice Pilaf
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1. Start the wild riceCombine the wild rice and 1 1/2 cups chicken stock in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to the lowest simmer, cover and cook for 25 minutes. The grains will have started to split but will not yet be tender.
2. Finish the two-rice pilafStir the rinsed white rice, remaining 1 cup chicken stock, 1 tablespoon butter and 1/4 teaspoon salt into the wild rice. Return to a simmer, cover and cook over low heat for 18 minutes. Remove from the heat, leave covered for 10 minutes, then fluff and fold in 2 tablespoons parsley. If your wild rice is unusually firm after the rest, add 2 tablespoons hot water, cover and steam over low heat for 5 minutes more.
3. Season the shrimpWhile the pilaf cooks, pat the shrimp very dry. Toss them with 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, then refrigerate while you build the gravy. Keeping the shrimp cold prevents them from overcooking before the sauce is ready.
4. Cook the butter rouxMelt 6 tablespoons butter in a wide 5-quart sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, whisking almost constantly, until the roux is smooth and the color of peanut butter. Reduce the heat if dark specks appear; a scorched roux must be discarded.
5. Soften the Cajun trinityAdd the onion, bell pepper and celery to the roux. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the vegetables soften and the onion turns translucent. Add the garlic, tomato paste, scallion whites and remaining 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning; cook for 2 minutes, until the paste darkens slightly.
6. Build the étouffée gravySlowly whisk in the 2 cups seafood stock, about 1/2 cup at a time, smoothing the sauce after each addition. Stir in the Worcestershire, hot sauce, bay leaf, thyme and black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until the gravy coats the back of a spoon but still flows around the rice.
7. Poach the shrimp safelyReduce the heat to medium-low and add the seasoned shrimp in one layer. Simmer gently for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring once, until the shrimp are opaque, curled into loose C shapes and reach 145°F in the thickest pieces. Do not continue cooking after they form tight O shapes.
8. Brighten and adjustRemove the bay leaf. Stir in the lemon juice, half the scallion greens and all but 1 tablespoon of the remaining parsley. Taste and add salt or hot sauce only as needed. If the gravy is too thick, loosen it with hot stock 1 tablespoon at a time.
9. Plate like the photographPack about 3/4 cup pilaf into a small bowl and invert it in the center of each warm plate. Spoon the shrimp and flowing orange-brown gravy around the rice, leaving the rice mound visible, then scatter with the reserved parsley and scallion greens.