Keto Shrimp Etouffee with Crawfish

This Keto Shrimp Etouffee recipe is brought to you by Fiesta Brand Seasonings!

Spicy, comforting and packed with Cajun flare, this Keto Shrimp Etouffee with Crawfish is rich, flavorful and became an instant hit with the family!  This quick and easy dinner can be on the table in less than 30 minutes and will have you family begging for seconds!

Well, even though the temperature are still in the high 90’s, I’ve declared it officially fall in this house. My pumpkin and fall décor is out and I’m ready for cooler weather and comfort food!  It’s truly my favorite time of year to cook because soups, stews and other soul satisfying dishes are back on the menu! I’m not sure the Cowboy is onboard yet since he is still working out in the heat but he’ll come around!  That being said, I’m easing into comfort food slowly…and I decided to start off with something I knew he’d love…spicy Shrimp Etouffee ketofied.

Now, if you know your Cajun food you may be scratching your head.  The base to most amazing stew like Cajun recipes is a roux…you know, flour and fat cooked together to provide the thickening power for the sauce or stew.  Well, since I’m gluten free and flour is not keto…the traditional recipe just wasn’t an option, although I wanted all the flavor the classic etouffee had to offer. 

So, I’m going to leave this right here…no, this is not a traditional etouffee BUT it’s just a delicious…so good in fact, the Cowboy didn’t know that this was my keto version of this dish!

How to develop amazing Cajun flavor in your keto shrimp etouffee with no roux

When you make a traditional roux for an etouffee recipe, the flour and fat are cooked to a medium brown color, which adds deep rich flavor to the final dish.  To get that caramelized flavor in this keto shrimp etouffee recipe, we browned the butter a bit in the pan before adding our veggies, then cooked them over medium till translucent and they began to brown.  No flour needed!

Time to spice things up…

The seasonings for this keto shrimp recipe are simple!  Paprika, dried thyme, oregano, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper.  This spice combination is spot on and creates incredible, spicy deep flavor that will whisk you way straight to the bayou!  Be sure to use fresh spices for this recipe.  As I’ve said before this isn’t the time to dig out that paprika that you used on deviled eggs last Easter.  These seasonings are simple but they create the backbone of this etouffee recipe so FRESH is the only way to go!!  Fiesta Brand Seasonings & Spices are great quality, always fresh, affordable and widely available…hands down my go to spice brand so check them out!

How to thicken keto shrimp etouffee

So, since we didn’t use a roux, we have to use alternative methods for thickening.  Keto friendly flours like almond or coconut are little help when trying to thicken a dish like Keto Shrimp Etouffee.  To keep it keto, I used the thickening power of heavy cream with a touch of cream cheese.  Yes, I know its not traditional but trust me here! 

The stock is added to the veggies and reduced a bit then the cream is added and reduce until the sauce thickens. Heavy cream simmered and reduced makes an incredible sauce! To thicken it just a touch more I added a few ounces of cream cheese…completely undetectable in the final dish…but gives the sauce a little more umph and thick’nin!

You can also leave out the cream cheese and thicken the sauce as desired with a tiny bit of xanthum gum…I would start with about 1/8 tsp.  Xanthum gum has amazing thickening power so it takes a very light hand! Personally, I try to stay away from xanthum gum when I can as it can create tummy troubles for me! 

Not a fan of crawfish?

I used shrimp and crawfish tails in my etouffee…I think the crawfish tails really lend to the incredible, rich seafood flavor of this dish! If your not a crawfish fan, you can simply double up on the shrimp!

I serve this keto shrimp etouffee over steamed cauliflower rice for a quick ans easy meal! If you are like me and you’re also cooking for the carb eaters in the family, you could serve this etouffee with with steamed rice….after all why make two completely different dishes! After it was all said and done, the girls and the Cowboy could not get enough of this keto shrimp recipe! The Cowboy was even shocked to find out that this was not my usual traditional etouffee recipe I make for ranch guests!  If that’s not a win, I don’t know what is!

I’m telling you this may be one of my favorite keto dishes ever! If you’re a lover of Cajun food, you’ve got to give this recipe a try!

Try some of my other favorite keto comfort food dishes!

• Keto Jambalaya with Shrimp & Andouille
• Keto Grilled Lemon Chicken Quarters
• Keto Stuffed Cornbread Casserole
• Low Carb Loaded Baked “Potato” Soup

Print Recipe

4.41 from 15 votes

Keto Shrimp Etouffee with Crawfish

Spicy, comforting and packed with Cajun flare, this Keto Shrimp Etouffee with Crawfish is rich, flavorful and became an instant hit with the family!  This quick and easy dinner is on the table in less than 30 minutes and will have you family screaming for more!

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Cajun

Keyword: shrimp etouffee

Servings: 4

Calories: 427kcal

Ingredients

• 1 pound raw large shrimp peeled & deveined,
• 1 pound crawfish tails thawed
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced bell pepper
• ¾ cup diced onion
• 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp. pepper
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 cup shrimp or chicken stock
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 3 oz. cream cheese softened
• ¼ cup sliced green onions

Garnish: Chopped Parsley

Steamed Cauliflower Rice

Instructions

• In a large skillet over medium heat, add butter. Melt butter and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 minutes or until the butter is lightly browned. Add the diced celery, onion, and pepper to the butter and continue to cook until the onion is translucent and the veggies start to brown, about 5-7 minutes.
• In a small bowl combine the paprika, oregano, thyme, peppers and salt and set aside. Add the chopped garlic to the veggies and cook another minute.

  Add the spice mixture into the veggies and cook for another minute, stirring constantly. Add the stock to the veggie and spice mixture and stir well to combine. Simmer uncovered for 6-8 minutes. Add the cream to the pan and continue to simmer for another 5-7 minutes or until the mixture has thickened and will coat the back of a spoon.
• Once the sauce has thickened, add the crawfish and shrimp to the pan. Cook 2-3 minutes until the shrimp is cooked through. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cream cheese until fully melted and incorporated.
• Sprinkle the green onions over the top of the shrimp and crawfish and garnish with chopped parsley if desired. Serve over steamed cauliflower rice.

Notes

To thicken the sauce with the help of Xanthum gum instead of the cream cheese, add about 1/8 tsp. at a time until you reach your desired consistency.  

Nutrition

Calories: 427kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 32g | Sodium: 1318mg | Potassium: 447mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Calcium: 252mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition facts are approximate and will vary depending on the ingredients used. Carbs from sugar alcohols have been excluded since they have shown to have no impact on blood sugar.

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