This Instant Pot Shrimp Étouffée is a classic New Orleans recipe made with Creole spices and plenty of shrimp in a spicy tomato-based sauce. The rich and delicious stew tastes great over rice. This recipe is perfect for Mardi Gras but is so easy that you could make a regular weekday meal extra special.
Shrimp Étouffée (pronounced ‘eh-too-fay’) is one of the more popular dishes from Louisiana, along with gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, and shrimp creole. The word ‘étouffée’ is translated from French as “smothered” – I just learned that while writing this post! Étouffée can be made with crawfish or shrimp.
Since shrimp is more easily available, that’s what I’ve used for this recipe. I always keep a bag of frozen shrimp in my freezer so I don’t have to run out to the store at the last minute when I want to make a quick dinner entree!
Instant Pot Shrimp Étouffée is quite similar to Instant Pot Gumbo, but there are a few differences.
- This étouffée is made with shrimp whereas the Instant Pot Gumbo has shrimp, sausage and chicken.
- Étouffée is made with a blonde roux (pronounced ‘roo’ and is flour and oil/butter cooked together) compared to the dark roux in the gumbo. This changes the taste of the sauce and reduces the cooking time!
- I use
olive oil and flour for the roux in the gumbo but for the étouffée I use butter and flour. The gumbo recipe also has okra for thickening.
olive oil and flour for the roux in the gumbo but for the étouffée I use 
butter and flour. The gumbo recipe also has okra for thickening.Click Below to Check out all my Cajun Recipes!
Tips and Substitutions
- Some people prefer shrimp étouffée without tomatoes. I have made this same Instant Pot Shrimp Étouffée recipe without tomatoes but my family likes the version with tomatoes and that’s what I’m sharing with you here. You can omit the tomatoes if you wish.
- I use fresh tomatoes, but you can substitute canned diced tomatoes.
- Occasionally, I add a tablespoon of tomato puree with the tomatoes to give the dish more of a tomato flavor.
- I feel it’s important to use seafood stock because I notice a marked taste difference if I use chicken broth. It’s really easy to make homemade seafood stock; you can even make it ahead of time. Just peel the shrimp and toss the shrimp peels and some aromatics in the Instant Pot and go about your business! Strain and store in the fridge (up to a couple of days) until ready to use.
- The color of roux for étouffée is lighter than the roux you would make for gumbo – a blonde roux rather than a dark roux. That means that the roux takes much less time to make for this étouffée. If you prefer the stronger flavor of dark roux, you can cook it for longer.
- Tony Chacheres Creole seasoning is terrific and I use it in all my Cajun and Creole dishes. If you have another favorite, feel free to substitute.
- Finish with a dash of tabasco sauce if you want to add more spice to the dish.
- You can serve the shrimp étouffée over pasta or even grits instead of rice.
- You can also substitute crawfish for the shrimp, but you’ll have to cook it for longer.
- This recipe was made in a 6 quart Instant Pot Ultra and I’ve have had no sealing issues or burn errors. If your Instant Pot is prone to getting the ‘Burn’ message, you can try the following:
- Deglaze really well.
- After sauteing onions, celery, etc. turn off the Instant Pot and let it cool down.
- Add an extra 1/4 to 1/2 cup of broth.
[Also Read: Instant Pot Shrimp and Grits]
If you’re new to the Instant Pot
and aren’t familiar with how to use it, please read the Instant Pot DUO Beginner’s Quick Start Guide or the Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Quick Start Guide first and then come back here to learn how to make this Instant Pot Shrimp Étouffée.
Instant Pot Shrimp Étouffée Ingredients
How to Make Instant Pot Shrimp Étouffée (Step-by-Step Instructions)
- Rub shrimp with 1 tsp of Creole seasoning and set aside.
- Instant Pot DUO: Select the ‘Saute’ function.
- Instant Pot ULTRA: Select the ‘Saute’ function and press ‘Start’.
- When Instant Pot has heated, melt butter in the inner pot of Instant Pot.
- To make the roux, add flour to the inner pot and stir flour and butter until the mixture becomes a light caramel color. Make sure you stir the roux constantly, otherwise it will burn. This will take about 5 minutes.
- If you need to, press ‘Cancel’ to turn of the Instant Pot to cool it down and then select ‘Saute’ again.
- This is what the roux looks like when it is the correct blonde (caramel) color. It starts out slow but gets dark quickly toward the end!
- This roux was sauteed on medium/normal heat level.
- Add onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Stir until vegetables are slightly soft, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in remaining Creole seasoning, white pepper, black pepper, thyme, salt.
- Using a spatula, scrape the bottom of the inner pot to make sure there are no burnt bits stuck to the bottom. Deglaze with a tablespoon or two of stock if needed.
- Add shrimp stock, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and stir.
- Add tomato and tomato puree (if using) and gently push down with a spatula, no need to stir.
Instant Pot DUO Pressure Cook:
- Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in ‘Sealing’ position
- Press ‘Manual’ (or ‘Pressure Cook’) and ‘+’ or ‘-‘ until display reads ‘10′ (10 minutes).
Instant Pot ULTRA Pressure Cook:
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 10 minutes (00:10).
- Press ‘Start’.
- Instant Pot display will change to ‘On’.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down from 10 to 0; it will then switch to ‘Keep Warm’ mode and display ‘L0:00’ or ’00 00′ and begin to count up.
- Wait for 10 minutes after cooking is complete, and release any remaining pressure.
Instant Pot DUO 10-minute Natural Pressure Release (NPR):
- Move the steam release handle to ‘Venting’. I like to place a folded towel over the steam release handle and move it to the venting position. Remove the towel after turning the knob.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press ‘Cancel’ and open the Instant Pot.
Instant Pot ULTRA 10-minute Natural Pressure Release (NPR):
- Press down on the Steam Release Button until it locks into place, and steam begins to come out of the Steam Release Valve.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press ‘Cancel’ and open the Instant Pot.
- Immediately stir in the shrimp and dry sherry (if using) and close the Instant Pot for 10 minutes. *
- The shrimp will cook in the residual heat. If you have trouble shutting the lid, keep the steam release valve in the venting position (or push down on the steam release button on the Ultra) while closing.
* Be sure not to let too much heat and steam escape before adding the shrimp. The shrimp will be cooking in the residual heat.
- Open the Instant Pot again (release pressure if needed) and gently stir the shrimp.
- Stir and sprinkle the Instant Pot shrimp étouffée with green onions and parsley.
- Serve over Instant Pot Jasmine Rice or a rice of your choice.
New Orleans Instant Pot Shrimp Etouffee
This Instant Pot Shrimp Étouffée is a classic New Orleans recipe made with Creole spices and plenty of shrimp in a spicy tomato-based sauce. This rich and delicious stew tastes great over rice. This recipe is perfect for Mardi Gras but is so easy that you could make a regular weekday meal extra special.
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Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 304 kcal
Ingredients
- 2 lbs shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 Tbsp Creole seasoning divided
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup onions diced
- 1 cup green bell peppers diced
- 1 cup celery diced
- 1 Tbsp garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp salt optional
- 2 cups seafood stock
- 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 cup tomatoes chopped
- 1 Tbsp tomato puree optional
- 1 Tbsp sherry optional, to finish
- 2 Tbsp green onions green parts only, sliced thinly
- Chopped parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Rub shrimp with 1 tsp of Creole seasoning and set aside.
- Press 'Saute' and when Instant Pot has heated, melt butter in inner pot of Instant Pot.
- Add all-purpose flour to inner pot and cook butter and flour until the mixture resembles a light caramel color, stirring frequently, and being careful not to burn. This will take about 5 minutes. *
- Add onions, bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Stir until vegetables are slightly soft, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in remaining Creole seasoning, white pepper, black pepper, thyme, salt.
- Using a spatula, scrape the bottom of the inner pot to make sure there are no burnt bits stuck to the bottom. Deglaze with a tablespoon or two of stock if needed.
- Add seafood stock, worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and stir.
- Add tomatoes and tomato puree (if using) and gently push down with a spatula; don't stir.
- Close Instant Pot and cook on 'Manual' or 'Pressure Cook' mode for 10 minutes.
- Do a 10-minute natural release and open the Instant Pot.
- Immediately stir in the shrimp and sherry (if using) and close the Instant Pot for 10 minutes. The shrimp will cook in the residual heat.
- Open the Instant Pot again and gently stir the shrimp.
- Serve Instant Pot Shrimp Étouffée over Instant Pot Jasmine Rice or a rice of your choice.
- Sprinkle the shrimp étouffée with green onions and parsley.
Notes
- Prep time does not include steps that are already accounted for in the ingredient list, e.g. peeled shrimp, minced garlic, cut vegetables, etc.
- If you prefer a thicker étouffée, reduce the sauce by cooking in 'Saute' mode before adding the shrimp or discard half the sauce before serving.
- * étouffée is made with blonde (light) roux while gumbo's roux is a darker color. If you wanted a darker étouffée, cooke the roux for another 5 to 10 minutes.
- This recipe was made in a 6 quart Instant Pot Ultra, and I have not had any burn message or sealing issues.
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 304 kcal | Carbohydrates: 16 g | Protein: 33 g | Fat: 11 g | Saturated Fat: 5 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4 g | Cholesterol: 248 mg | Sodium: 1086 mg | Fiber: 3 g | Sugar: 5 g
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I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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You might also like to try these Instant Pot Recipes:
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| Instant Pot Jambalaya | Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice | Instant Pot Gumbo |
Michael
I just made this tonight and I’ve gotta say that the flavor is almost spot on to the étouffée we always order at one of our favorite restaurants in DC, Hot N Juicy Crawfish. I made the seafood (shrimp) stock following the link on this website and what I did differently was to use the shrimp heads in addition to the shells. Made for a bit more intense seafood flavor that went well with the étouffée. When I made the étouffée I used about 2.5 lbs of shrimp and a little more roux to thicken it up a bit. Served it over some jasmine rice and my wife and kids absolutely loved it, so this recipe is definitely a keeper!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Wow, thanks Michael! It’s so great to hear from people who compare a recipe to their favorite restaurant version. And I can imagine that the shrimp heads add a lot of flavor!