Shrimp Étouffée Loaded Sweet Potatoes
By Vallery LomasPublished on December 11, 2025
Time
Time: 1¾ hours
Yield
Serves 6
Ingredients
Before You Begin
We developed this recipe with Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning, but you can use any Cajun or Creole seasoning you like. Since brands vary in salt content, taste the cream sauce at the end of step 3 and adjust seasoning accordingly.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Poke 6 (8- to 10-ounce) sweet potatoes several times with tines of fork and space evenly on prepared sheet. Bake until potatoes are tender, about 1¼ hours. Let potatoes sit until cool enough to handle, at least 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined, to large bowl and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning; toss to coat. Melt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp in single layer. Cook for 2 minutes, then flip and cook 2 minutes longer or until shrimp are cooked through. Using slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to clean bowl and set aside.
- Add 1 small finely chopped onion, ½ finely chopped green bell pepper, and 2 thinly sliced celery ribs to butter left in skillet. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened, 7 minutes. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour and cook until lightly golden, 2 to 4 minutes. Add 2 cups chicken broth, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 diced small tomato, 1 cup half-and-half, 2 tablespoons hot sauce, 1 bay leaf, ½ teaspoon table salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and bring to simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Simmer until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and discard bay leaf. Stir in 2 tablespoons lemon juice and cooked shrimp.
- Split potatoes in half and fluff with fork. Divide shrimp mixture evenly among potatoes. Sprinkle potatoes evenly with 1½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese and 3 thinly sliced scallions. Serve.
Time
Time: 1¾ hoursYield
Serves 6Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
Baked potatoes mounded with creamy seafood, such as shrimp étouffée, are a Creole favorite. Étouffée means “smothered” in French, a reference to the rich gravy that envelops the shrimp. Here we swap the usual russets for sweet potatoes, all the better to complement the shrimp’s sweet taste. For a quicker version of the gravy, we skip making a stock from the shrimp shells and use chicken broth. Instead of cooking the shrimp directly in the gravy, we sear it in lots of butter and incorporate that flavorful fat into the roux, adding the cooked shrimp to the finished sauce off heat. Louisiana’s holy trinity of sautéed onion, celery, and green bell pepper is a must for the gravy, along with Worcestershire sauce, Creole seasoning, a little tomato, and plenty of hot sauce. We also add half-and-half for creaminess. Cheddar cheese and scallions sprinkled over the top of the loaded sweet potatoes make for a deeply satisfying dish.
Before You Begin
We developed this recipe with Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning, but you can use any Cajun or Creole seasoning you like. Since brands vary in salt content, taste the cream sauce at the end of step 3 and adjust seasoning accordingly.
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Poke 6 (8- to 10-ounce) sweet potatoes several times with tines of fork and space evenly on prepared sheet. Bake until potatoes are tender, about 1¼ hours. Let potatoes sit until cool enough to handle, at least 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined, to large bowl and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning; toss to coat. Melt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp in single layer. Cook for 2 minutes, then flip and cook 2 minutes longer or until shrimp are cooked through. Using slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to clean bowl and set aside.
- Add 1 small finely chopped onion, ½ finely chopped green bell pepper, and 2 thinly sliced celery ribs to butter left in skillet. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened, 7 minutes. Add 2 minced garlic cloves and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour and cook until lightly golden, 2 to 4 minutes. Add 2 cups chicken broth, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 diced small tomato, 1 cup half-and-half, 2 tablespoons hot sauce, 1 bay leaf, ½ teaspoon table salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and bring to simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Simmer until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and discard bay leaf. Stir in 2 tablespoons lemon juice and cooked shrimp.
- Split potatoes in half and fluff with fork. Divide shrimp mixture evenly among potatoes. Sprinkle potatoes evenly with 1½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese and 3 thinly sliced scallions. Serve.
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Key Equipment
Keep Exploring
0 Comments