Easy Shrimp Etouffee

It's officially 2012! And what better dinner to make on New Year's Night than Shrimp Etouffee? I've been wanting to make etouffee for quite some time now, but have been putting it off mostly because I didn't know of a good recipe that was also simple, fast, and easy. This recipe is most definitely all of those qualities.

I'm amazed how authentic this tastes. I'm hoping in the near future to actually make an etouffee recipe from scratch with a roux, more butter, and maybe even a shrimp stock, but for now this will most definitely do! I might just have to go out and buy some crawfish, seeing as we are in the South and all, and make some Crawfish Etouffee!

Apart from waiting for the rice to cook, this takes all of 10 minutes to make. Talk about a fast weeknight dinner. I love it. And I'm sure you'll love it too. Especially if you're up for a little Cajun flavorful goodness. And who isn't?

Easy Shrimp Etouffee
(adapted from Food.com)

Ingredients:
2 tbs. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup medium Pace Picante Sauce
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
parsley, for taste and color
1 lb. medium raw shrimp (peeled, deveined)


Directions:

1. Melt butter in large skillet and saute garlic until fragrant. 
2. Add cream of mushroom soup, Picante sauce, and milk.
 Mix well until hot, about 5 minutes. 
3. Add crushed red pepper, parsley, and stir until well combined.
4. Add raw shimp and cook until shrimp are white, about 2-3 minutes. (Do not overcook shrimp).

5. Serve over hot rice.

Makes about 4 servings