What does etouffee mean?
Étouffée (often written without accents as 'etouffee') is a signature dish of Louisiana Cajun and Creole cuisine, built on the French verb 'étouffer', meaning 'to smother'. True to its name, it involves smothering shellfish—most famously crawfish, though shrimp and chicken are also common—in a thick, flavorful sauce. The sauce begins with a roux of butter and flour, enriched with the 'Holy Trinity' of chopped onions, celery, and green bell peppers, along with garlic, cayenne, and other seasonings. The finished dish is traditionally ladled over steamed white rice. Rich, warming, and moderately spicy, étouffée occupies a central place in Louisiana home cooking and restaurant menus alike, and it is frequently featured at festivals and celebrations such as Mardi Gras. Outside the Gulf Coast region it is encountered chiefly on menus of restaurants serving Cajun or Creole food, where the name itself signals authentic South Louisiana flavors.
nounA Cajun and Creole dish from Louisiana consisting of shellfish or chicken smothered in a thick, seasoned sauce made with a roux and the 'Holy Trinity' of onions, celery, and bell peppers, typically served over rice.
- A Louisiana Creole and Cajun dish of shellfish or chicken smothered in a roux-based sauce with onions, celery, and bell peppers, served over rice.
"The restaurant's crawfish étouffée came out bubbling hot, served over a bed of steamed white rice."
"Her shrimp étouffée, rich with butter and cayenne, was the highlight of the Mardi Gras dinner."
"In Lafayette, nearly every family has its own closely guarded recipe for crawfish étouffée."
Rarely pluralized in practice; when referring to multiple servings or varieties, the plural 'étouffées' may appear, but the word is most naturally treated as an uncountable noun.
"The buffet offered two different étouffées, one crawfish and one chicken."
The name literally means 'smothered' in French — because that's exactly what the cooking method does to the seafood: buries it in sauce.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of etouffee
Étouffée comes from the French verb 'étouffer', meaning 'to smother' or 'to stifle', derived from the Old French word 'estoufer', related to 'estoupe' meaning tow or coarse fibers used for stopping up. The name refers directly to the dish's cooking technique of smothering the main ingredient in sauce. The term entered American English through Louisiana's French-speaking Cajun and Creole communities, where the dish developed alongside related preparations like gumbo.
How etouffee is actually used
Often written with accent marks as 'étouffée', reflecting its French origin; the unaccented spelling 'etouffee' is common in American usage. The word carries strong associations with Louisiana culture and is considered regional Americana rather than general English vocabulary. Both crawfish/crayfish and shrimp versions are traditional.
Easily confused with etouffee
Gumbo is a soup-like stew often containing okra or filé powder, while étouffée is a thicker, smothered dish served over rice rather than as a soup.
Jambalaya is a rice dish in which the rice cooks together with the meat and seasonings, whereas étouffée is a sauce-based dish ladled over separately cooked rice.