Low Carb Shrimp Étouffée. Ah Yes, Étouffée. Another Louisiana classic. There are always alternatives to a high carby roux and we are going to kind of go the in-between route here in that I am not using any flour but I am using tomato paste. Many an expert you might care to name, says a good low carb shrimp étouffée is not only made with, duh shrimp, but also with a stock made from the shells and this couldn’t be easier as you’ll see in the directions below. Since we are not making a roux there is no laborious stirring and waiting for it to turn dark brown. We are also not using traditional rice but instead using either riced cauliflower or a Cauliflower Grits recipe which can easily be made days in advance and frozen for later use.
Some of you may look at the list of ingredients here but I would bet most of you have them in your pantries. Including making the stock, from start to finish, it takes only about 1½-2 hours and that’s while you can be doing other things. Once you have made it you may say; that was really easy-everybody loved it so…I think I’ll make that low carb shrimp étouffée again.
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- 2 T Olive Oil
- Reserved Shells From 2 Lb Peeled Shrimp
- ½ Medium Onion Chopped
- 1 Rib Celery Rough Chopped
- 3 Bay Leaves
- 3-4 C Chicken Stock
- 1 Medium Head Cauliflower Rice (Yes And Including The Core)
- Reserved Bacon Grease
- 2-3 T Olive Oil
- 6 Slices Cooked And Crumbled Bacon (Reserve Fat)
- 1½ Sticks Butter
- 1 Diced Medium Onion
- ½ C Bell Pepper
- 3 T Crushed Garlic***
- 1½ T Cajun Seasoning
- 2 t Crushed Dried Thyme
- 1 t Chili Garlic Paste
- 1 Small Can Tomato Paste
- 2 Celery Ribs Sliced Thinly On The Bias
- 1 C Green Onion Tops (Divided)
- 2 Lbs Large Shrimp, Shelled And Shells Reserved
- 1 T Lemon Juice
- 2 T Dried Parsley (Yes, Fresh Works Too)
- Salt (Only If Necessary)
- Freshly Ground Pepper
- Lemon Wedges to Garnish
- In large sauce pan heat olive oil, add shrimp shells stirring for several minutes.
- Add rest of ingredients, cover, and simmer 45 minutes. Turn off heat, allow to sit another 30 minutes, strain, Set aside.
- In large sauté pan, cook and crumble bacon, reserving fat. Set bacon aside.
- Add 3 T olive oil to bacon fat, dump in riced cauliflower and sauté until just beginning to turn golden brown. Set aside in large bowl and keep warm.
- On medium low in same sauté pan add butter to melt, then add garlic, onion, bell pepper, Cajun seasoning, thyme, chili garlic paste, and gently cook while stirring, until onion become translucent. 10-15 minutes.
- Stir in celery.
- Add tomato paste and cook for 3-4 minutes until mixed well.
- Add lemon juice and parsley then begin adding stock about 1 C at a time stirring and until well mixed. Repeat until all stock is used or until desired consistency is reached.
- Add lemon juice and shrimp and gently poach until shrimp is barely cooked. The time will depend on how large your shrimp are but it will not take long.
- Taste and add any salt if needed.
- Divide cauliflower rice into bowls, spoon étouffée to the side, and garnish with remaining green onions.
- Fresh pepper to taste and it may not need any.
- Serve wedge of lemon to the side.
- 6 Servings
- 532 Calories, 29.7g Protein, 40.7g Fat, 15.1g Carbs, 7.4g Fiber, 7.7g Net Carbs
- I am here to guarantee that you will never miss the high carby floured roux or rice. You just won't.
- Nutritionals include 5 T olive oil, cauliflower head, reserved bacon fat, and 8 medium shrimp per person.
- Yes, you can skip making the shrimp stock and just use a good purchased chicken stock.