Blackened Shrimp Étouffée

Ingredients

• 1 lb jumbo (8-12) shrimp, tails on
• 3 cups unsalted chicken stock
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
• Cattleman’s Grill Blackening Seasoning
• 1 tbsp Colonial Chile Oil
• 1/2 cup onion
• 1/2 cup green bell
• 1/2 cup celery
• 1 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill Cajun Fusion Seasoning
• 1 tbsp garlic
• 1 cup San Marzanos, crushed
• 3 tbsp all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp Cattleman’s Grill Pit Fire Hot Sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp Bear & Burton’s W Sauce
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
• 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream
• White rice

Instructions

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.

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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.

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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.