Celebrate Mardi Gras with Chef Tom's mouthwatering Blackened Shrimp Étouffée cooked up on the Yoder Smokers YS480s Pellet Grill! Enjoy the succulent shrimp and rich Cajun flavors, all cooked to perfection. Ready to take your taste buds on a flavorful adventure?
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- The shrimp shells become the stock's flavor base. Simmering the peeled tails with chicken stock, thyme, and bay leaf infuses genuine shrimp flavor into the liquid before it's even strained, rather than relying on plain chicken stock alone.
- A quick sear builds color before the shrimp ever hits the sauce. Blackening the skewered shrimp hard and fast on the griddle — without worrying about cooking them through — develops a deep char that a single simmer in the étouffée couldn't achieve on its own.
- The griddle cooks the shrimp; the skillet cooks everything else. Using two different cast iron surfaces on the same grill lets the intense sear happen separately from the slower-building holy trinity base, so neither step compromises the other.
- Two Cattleman's Grill seasonings do different jobs. Blackening Seasoning goes straight on the shrimp for a hard char, while Cajun Fusion seasons the sautéed vegetables — distinct spice profiles for two different components.
Blackened Shrimp Étouffée
Tom Jackson
Rated 3.8 stars by 28 users
Category
Seafood
Cuisine
Cajun
Servings
6
Prep Time
45 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Calories
1173
Welcome your taste buds to Louisiana with Chef Tom’s Blackened Shrimp Étouffée, cooked to perfection on the Yoder Smokers YS480s Pellet Grill. Rich Cajun flavors and succulent shrimp offer a tantalizing treat to celebrate Mardi Gras. Ready for a flavorful adventure? Try it today!
Ingredients
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1 lb jumbo (8-12) shrimp, tails on
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3 cups unsalted chicken stock
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3 sprigs fresh thyme
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1 bay leaf
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3 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
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Cattleman’s Grill Blackening Seasoning
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1 tbsp Colonial Chile Oil
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1/2 cup onion
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1/2 cup green bell
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1/2 cup celery
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1 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill Cajun Fusion Seasoning
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1 tbsp garlic
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1 cup San Marzanos, crushed
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3 tbsp all purpose flour
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2 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill Pit Fire Hot Sauce
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1 1/2 tsp Bear & Burton’s W Sauce
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1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
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2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
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White rice
Directions
Preheat the Yoder Smokers YS480s Pellet Grill to 600ºF, set up for direct grilling (diffuser removed), with a Yoder Smokers Reversible Cast Iron Griddle installed on the left side of the grill (directly over the flame).
Peel the shrimp. Place the tails in a Finex 1 quart pot. Add the chicken stock, bay leaf and fresh thyme to the pot. Bring to simmer. Reduce the heat to low. Let steep while prepping the remaining ingredients.
Thread the peeled shrimp onto skewers. Melt 2 tbsp butter. Brush the melted butter onto the shrimp. Season the shrimp with Cattleman’s Grill Blackening Seasoning.
Place the shrimp skewers on the hot griddle. Press with grill weight to sear. Cook briefly. Less than one minute per side. Remove from the grill. The shrimp does not need to be cooked through, just seared and “blackened.”
Turn the grill temp down to 475ºF. Place a Finex 12” Cast Iron Skillet on top of the griddle to preheat for 5 minutes.
Strain the chicken stock mixture. Discard the solids. Return the liquids to the pot.
Melt one tablespoon of butter with one tablespoon Colonial Chile Oil in the hot skillet. Add the “holy trinity” (onion, bell pepper, celery) and season with Cattleman’s Grill Cajun Fusion. Cook until softened, about 10 minutes.
Add the garlic and flour. Cook for one minute, stirring frequently.
Add the tomatoes and cook until thickened. Then, add the chicken/shrimp stock, Cattleman’s Grill Pit Fire Hot Sauce and the W sauce. Bring to simmer to thicken. When thickened to your desired consistency, add the shrimp and parsley and let simmer for 5 minutes to cook shrimp through. Remove from the grill.
Serve over white rice.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why simmer the shrimp shells in the chicken stock?
Steeping the tails with the stock, thyme, and bay leaf extracts shrimp flavor directly into the liquid, giving the base of the étouffée more depth than plain chicken stock alone would provide.
Why sear the shrimp without fully cooking them through first?
A hard, fast sear on the griddle builds a deep blackened char in under a minute per side. Cooking them fully at that stage would risk overcooking them before they ever reach the sauce, where they finish cooking gently.
Why cook the shrimp and the holy trinity base on two separate cast iron surfaces?
The griddle delivers the intense, quick heat needed for blackening, while the skillet handles the slower building of onions, celery, and bell pepper — running both simultaneously on different surfaces keeps each step from compromising the other.
Why add the shrimp back into the sauce for a final simmer?
The initial sear is mainly for color and char. Simmering the shrimp in the sauce for five minutes finishes cooking them through fully and safely.
How much rice should I serve this over?
The recipe doesn't specify an amount — plan on a standard serving of cooked white rice per portion, adjusting to your own preference for how much sauce-to-rice ratio you like.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
3 out of 5 — the étouffée base can be built on any stovetop, but the hard griddle sear that blackens the shrimp is easiest to replicate with a very hot cast iron surface or grill.
Recipe Highlights
Building stock from the shrimp shells: Simmering the tails with aromatics extracts shrimp flavor directly into the liquid base.
The quick, hard sear: Blackening the shrimp fast without fully cooking them develops char without risking overcooking before the final simmer.
Two-surface cooking: Running the griddle and skillet simultaneously lets the sear and the sauce base develop independently.
Finishing the shrimp in the sauce: The final five-minute simmer ensures the shrimp are fully and safely cooked through.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 6 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 1173
- Fat
- 29 grams
- Cholesterol
- 348 milligrams
- Sodium
- 1725 milligrams
- Carbs
- 159 grams
- Fiber
- 4 grams
- Sugar
- 5 grams
- Protein
- 61 grams
