Etouffee vs. Gumbo: What’s the Difference?
Dive deeper into these iconic Louisiana dishes.
Gumbo and etouffee, two irresistibly rich dishes often mistaken for each other, are staples of Creole and Cajun cuisines. And for these recipes, the roux runs deep, both representative of entire cultures in their bold flavor and hearty ingredients. There are, however, a few key differences in these iconic meals.
What Is Etouffee?
Etouffee is a dish consisting of a thick, chunky gravy ladled over rice. The word etouffee is French for smothered, which is demonstrated by rice being quite literally smothered in a scrumptious sauce.
Related: What Is the Holy Trinity of Cajun Cooking?
Etouffee begins with a roux, flour, and fat (usually butter) cooked together for a thick, creamy base. It also includes the Cajun/Creole trinity; celery, onions, and bell peppers. From there, a protein (traditionally shellfish), seasonings, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, and stock are added —everything is then simmered together for hours.
Etouffee is typically served with a mound of rice before being topped with green onion. In terms of varieties, crawfish etouffee might be the most common, but there are also shrimp, chicken, and game meat varieties.
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Get the recipe: Chef John's Shrimp Étouffée
What Is Gumbo?
Gumbo is a thick, flavorful stew that hails from southern Louisiana. Most gumbos start with a roux that’s allowed to cook until it is very dark in color. Added to this dark roux is trinity and chicken, shellfish, and/or andouille sausage.
The stew is further thickened with dried sassafras leaves called file powder (or simply file) before being poured over white rice or ladled into bowls and topped with a scoop of rice. Sometimes, gumbo is served with a side of rice. But no matter where the rice is, it goes hand in hand with gumbo without being a part of it.
There are all kinds of gumbos: sausage, seafood, chicken, or gumbo z’herbes, a green variety that's chock full of vegetables. But okra is the true star of the dish. The word gumbo can be traced from a West African word for the vegetable, illustrating how gumbo is an excellent example of cultural fusion.
Related: How to Make Gumbo
Key Differences
Despite the abundance of similarities in these two tasty dishes, there are four key differences that are important to note:
Consistency
Both etouffee and gumbo are broth-based, using shrimp stock, seafood stock, crawfish tail stock, or chicken stock. But etouffee has a thicker, gravy-like consistency whereas gumbo is a thinner stew.
Protein
Etouffee tends to be more restricted than gumbo as far as protein is concerned, choosing only to highlight crawfish, shrimp, and possibly chicken, with occasional deviations from chefs trying something new. Gumbo is more varied, using a mix of meats like chicken, shellfish, and andouille.
Related: What's the Difference Between Gumbo and Jambalaya?
Flavor
Gumbo and etouffee both start with the vegetable trinity of Cajun seasonings (bay leaf, paprika, and cayenne), but etouffee tends to be lighter and almost sweet in flavor, while gumbo is deep and savory.
Roux
Etouffee typically uses a lighter-colored roux, but gumbo is made with a dark brown variety, a result of being cooked long and slow.
What About Jambalaya?
Yes, jambalaya is a rice dish, made with a mix of proteins like shellfish, andouille, shrimp, and more, and stands tall as a beautiful representation of this cuisine, but you can’t lump it in with gumbo and etouffee. Jambalaya is a fully rice-based dish, more akin to paella than either of these.
