SHRIMP ETOUFFEE

Last night I made the Shrimp Etouffe recipe that is in Joy of Cooking. I substituted a 1 pound bag of frozen jumbo shrimp (these had been in the freezer for a while and needed to be used up) for the fresh shrimp called for in the recipe. I was pleasantly surprised by the results. We ate the left overs for lunch today and it was very good.

"This Louisiana classic is rich, complex, and intense."
4 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 onion quartered
2 cloves garlic lightly crushed
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp ground black pepper
10 coriander seeds
1 small dried chili pepper
Add:
3 pounds large shrimp
Return the liquid to a boil, reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and let the shellfish cool in the liquid for 10 minutes. Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon. Strain the liquid into a clean saucepan and boil until reduced to about 2 cups. Meanwhile, peel the shrimp.
Heat in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot:
3 T peanut or other oil
Stir in:
3 T flour
Cook, stirring often, until the flour turns brown, about 10 minutes, stir in:
1 red or yellow bell pepper, minced
1 medium onion, minced
1 jalapeno seeded and finely minced
1 T minced garlic
Cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the reduced stock and cook, stirring, over medium-low heat until thickened. Stir in the peeled shellfish along with:
4 scallions, minced
2 T butter, cut into small pieces
1 T fresh lemon juice
ground red pepper to taste
salt and ground black pepper to taste
Heat through and taste and adjust the seasonings.
Serve with:
Hot cooked rice