Shrimp etoufee simplified

After a recent Wisconsin cheese and White Hall Vineyard wine tasting, I came away with an incredible urge to begin cooking with wine as we head into the summer season.

Bright, fresh flavors and sweet tones of citrus abounded in the Gewurztraminer wine I sampled, so I excitedly pulled out an old recipe and set forth to create and sample in the kitchen.


A true etouffee takes hours to cook, but I pared down this recipe to a mere two hours, but two of the most worthwhile hours you can spend in preparing my all-time favorite recipe.  

When preparing this dish, you can also substitute a nice dry white or blush wine, if you desire. Hearty reds will overpower the dish, so you should save them for another recipe. If you wish to experiment, try adding chorizo with the shrimp or substituting crawfish in the recipe. You will not be disappointed.


— Scott C. Anderson is associate food service director and chef with Shepherd University dining services in Shepherdstown, W.Va., and Chef Ambassador to the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.



Shrimp Etouffee

3 tablespoons peanut oil

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped

1/2 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

3 ounces tomato paste

1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium beef broth

1 1/2 cups Gewurztraminer wine

4 bay leaves

1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

2 tablespoons hot sauce — favorite variety