Étouffée

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Étouffée or etouffee is a Creole seafood dish typically served over rice, similar to gumbo, very popular in New Orleans and in the Cajun country of the Atchafalaya Basin to the west.

In French, the word "étouffée" means, literally, "smothered", from the verb "étouffer" meaning "to stifle, choke or suffocate".

The usual staple of an étouffée is crawfish, whereas shrimp or crabmeat are more often found in gumbos. Étouffée also differs from gumbo in the spices used, and in the roux or base from which is it made. Gumbo is generally less spicy, flavored with file and has a brown color. Étouffée uses more cayenne pepper and other hot spices and tends to have a more reddish color, and also to have thicker consistency. In some areas it has become popular to add tomatoes or tomato paste to the dish. However, most purists believe that once tomatoes are added, the dish ceases to be a true étouffée, and instead becomes a stew. The main difference between a stew/gumbo and an étouffée is that an étouffée is made with a "blonde roux" (about the color of a paper bag) instead of a typical Creole roux, which is dark brown. A small amount of tomato sauce is usually added to this roux. Onions, green peppers and a bit of garlic are also staples in this sauce. The finished product should have the color of a pumpkin.

Beginning in the late 20th century, with the popularization of Louisiana cuisine beyond its place of origin, innovations to these basic forms have abounded. In fact, the term "gumbo" is often used in slang parlance to mean a mixture of anything and everything. One seemingly may add whatever is available in one's kitchen to a pot of gumbo. Étouffée on the other hand, appears to be held to more exacting standards.