Shrimp Stuffed Poblano Étouffée is one of my original creations, inspired by a dream. Yes, I do have dreams of food. This one turned out to be an epicurean epiphany. Savory shrimp and rice stuffed inside a panko breaded poblano pepper. Fried until golden brown, then served in an étouffée, with a jumbo shrimp perched on top.
And talk about good! This dish came out beautiful, delicious, and amazing! It was a lot of work, but well worth it. The Creole flavors in the shrimp, rice, and sauce meld perfectly with the smoky and slightly peppery poblanos. The crunch of the panko and the savory, rich étouffée are a match made in Creole heaven.
I hope you give this a try. If you do, I want to read about so please let me know how it goes!
Shrimp Stuffed Poblano Étouffée Recipe
Shrimp Stuffed Poblano Étouffée
Equipment
- cutting board
- kitchen knife
- paring knife or dissecting scissors – for filleting the poblanos
- glass casserole dish – for roasting the poblanos
- glass dish with lid – for steaming the poblanos
- 3 pie pans – for breading the poblanos
- dutch oven
- slotted metal spoon
- 2 medium skillets
- metal spatula
- ladle
Ingredients
For Roasting the Peppers
- 6 medium Poblano peppers
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Other Vegetable Ingredients
- 2 large bell peppers – finely chopped
- 2 celery stalks – finely chopped
- 1 large onion – finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic – minced
- 1 bunch green onions – finely chopped
For the Creole shrimp and rice filling
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 pound medium shrimp – peeled and deveined
- ¼ tsp Creole seasoning – like Tony Chacheres
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper – finely ground
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup tomato sauce
- 1 cup dry long grain white rice
- 2 cups chicken stock
For the Étouffée
- ¼ cup butter
- 6 jumbo shrimp – peeled and deveined. Shells reserved.
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken stock
For the Croquettes
- 2 cups cooking oil – such as canola
- 2 eggs – beaten
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup panko – Japanese bread crumbs
Instructions
Roast and peel the poblano peppers
- Wash and dry the poblano peppers.6 medium Poblano peppers
- Using a sharp knife or dissecting scissors, carefully cut a straight line, lengthwise through each poblano pepper.
- Carefully cut out and remove the seeds. Try not to remove the stem, or tear the pepper.
- Add peppers to a casserole dish. Coat each pepper in olive oil.1 tbsp olive oil
- Roast the peppers at 425℉ for 20-30 minutes, or until blistered. Transfer the hot peppers to a glass dish with a tight fitting lid.
- Close the lid, allowing the hot peppers to steam for 10 minutes.
- Remove the peppers to a cutting board.
- Carefully peel off the blistered skin. It should easily detach from the pepper.
Prepare other ingredients
- Chop bell peppers, celery, and onions, then set aside.2 large bell peppers, 2 celery stalks, 1 large onion
- Chop the garlic and set aside.3 cloves garlic
- Chop the green onions, and set aside.1 bunch green onions
Make the Creole Shrimp and Rice Filling
- Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or heavy stock pot.1/4 cup butter
- Sauté the medium shrimp until pink. Sprinkle with Creole seasoning.1 pound medium shrimp, 1/4 tsp Creole seasoning
- Remove the cooked shrimp, and set aside for later.
- Add half of the chopped bell peppers, celery, and onions.
- Add salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and half of the chopped garlic.1 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- Add the tomato sauce, stir to incorporate.1/4 cup tomato sauce
- Add the white rice.1 cup dry long grain white rice
- Toss the rice in the tomato mixture until well coated.
- Preheat chicken stock in the microwave, then add it to the rice.2 cups chicken stock
- Stir to incorporate, then bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cover with the lid. Let simmer for 14 minutes without peeking.
- Remove the lid, fluff the rice, and reintroduce the medium shrimp to the pan.
- Toss to combine.
- Add the chopped green onions.
- Toss to combine, then remove from the heat to cool.
Making the Étouffée
- Melt butter in a medium skillet or medium heat. Add the jumbo shrimp and their shells.1/4 cup butter
- Add the remaining garlic. Sauté the jumbo shrimp and shells until pink through.6 jumbo shrimp
- Remove the sautéed jumbo shrimp, and set aside. Discard the shells.
- Add the flour to the hot shrimp butter.2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- Make a medium colored roux.
- Add the remaining chopped bell peppers, celery, and onion. Sauté until soft.
- Add the remaining chicken stock.2 cups chicken stock
- Stir to incorporate. Increase the heat, bringing the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce to heat to low, and simmer until sauce thickens by half.
- Add the green onions and stir to incorporate.
- Continue to simmer, allowing sauce to reduce to a stew-like consistency.
- Add the cooked jumbo shrimp back to the pan.
- Toss the thick étouffée with the shrimp until well coated.
Making the Croquettes
- Heat oil to 325℉ in a medium skillet. Add egg wash, flour, and panko to three separate pie dishes.2 eggs, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup panko, 2 cups cooking oil
- Carefully stuff the roasted and peeled peppers with the shrimp and rice mixture. Be careful to avoid ripping the soft peppers. Fill each pepper until it is bulging with shrimp and rice. Make sure to get several shrimp into each stuffed pepper.
- Dredge the stuffed peppers with flour until thoroughly coated.
- Roll the floured stuffed peppers in egg, until thoroughly wet.
- Roll the stuffed peppers in the panko, until well coated in bread crumbs.
- Add three stuffed peppers to the hot oil at a time. Fry until golden brown on one side, about 3 minutes.
- Carefully turn the peppers to fry on the other side, about 3 minutes more.
- Remove the croquettes to a baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain.
Putting it all together
- Add a ladle of Étouffée to a shallow bowl. Add three croquettes on top of the sauce. Add a jumbo shrimp to the top of each croquette. Garnish with fresh parsley or cilantro.
PRIVATE NOTES
Nutrition
More Information
There’s nothing like a warm, freshly baked French baguette to enhance your meal. Serve it slathered with Herbed Butter for extra yummy goodness.
Lots of Steps
Work Efficiently
This recipe has lots of steps, but many can be taken simultaneously. I have grouped them in the recipe according to major ingredients, but I did not cook everything one at a time.
Take Advantage of Idle Time
For example, I chopped vegetables and sautéed the shrimp while the peppers were roasting. I started making the étouffée while the rice was cooking. I simmered and reduced the sauce while I was frying the croquettes.
A Labor of Love
Even with that, it still took 2 hours to produce. It was indeed a labor of love. An artists work is done when it is done, and not a minute before or after. That being said, I think I will reserve making this again for a dinner party or a special occasion.
Inspiration
Lots of Peppers!
DaLynn and I have been harvesting lots of poblano peppers this year. Our poblano plant has been working overtime, pumping out peppers into the double digits. It’s left us wondering what are we going to do with all of these peppers! Good thing they freeze well – I’m definitely stocked up for the Winter!
Creative Dreams
It’s got me thinking about different ways I could use all of those peppers. So much so, that I had a dream about it. I pictured an amazing Creole dish in my head. It looked beautiful, had interesting textures, familiar flavors and aromas, but with a surprising twist. I woke up hungry, and I wanted a bite. So, I set about trying to make my dream a reality.
Risky Proposition
I wondered if the poblano flavor would be compatible with Creole flavors of shrimp and étouffée. I worried that the bright, tomatoey rice and shrimp filling would clash with the rich étouffée. There is always an element of risk in adventure. It could turn out to be a big kitchen mess. But, it might turn out as amazing as I dreamed it would be. The only thing I was risking was the work of cleaning up. I was going to have to do that anyway. It isn’t fun cleaning up a big mess if the meal didn’t turn out well. So, I guess the only thing at risk was my pride. Not much of a risk after all.
Epicurean Gift
I have a God-given gift of being able to taste and smell things in my mind, even in novel arrangements. In my imagination, the flavors and textures in my dream would pair perfectly.
The Stuffing
I thought about how to best stuff the peppers. The creamy texture of Creole Jambalaya would be perfect as a stuffing, because it sticks together in the same way that it sticks to your ribs. But I wanted the flavor of the filling to be less complex than jambalaya, without all of the extra meats. I decided to make a jambalaya using only shrimp for the meat.
Seeking the Elusive Perfect Bite
I imagined a crusty bite of spicy stuffed poblano drenched in rich étouffée sauce. Golden-fried panko would make a perfect crust because its grainy texture would hold onto the sauce. It would create a crunchy barrier between the rich, savory sauce, and the peppery, bright, and tomatoey shrimp and rice. It seemed like an opportunity to create the perfect bite.
Shrimp Stuffed Poblano Étouffée was born. It absolutely turned out to be everything I dreamed it would be. The flavors were not only extremely compatible, but also very complementary. The panko perfectly held up the sauce, and the peppers held in the Creole flavors of the shrimp and rice. I ravenously devoured every bite! I was fat, happy and content for the rest of the day.
Related Recipes
French Baguettes
Roux
Creole Jambalaya
Cajun Chicken Fricassee
Creole Chicken Sauce Piquant
Blackened Shrimp
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