Transport your taste buds to the heart of Louisiana with this grilled Cajun Steak and Shrimp Étouffée. Skip the rice and pile the spicy shrimp on top of your tender steak, saving the garlic bread to mop everything up. Get ready for a fiery, rich meal! 

Today we’re using NY strip steaks, which has a great balance of fat and flavor without overshadowing the shrimp. Building a crispy crust on the outside adds a great contrast to the meal, which is topped with the saucy shrimp étouffée. 

The thick sauce is fortified with celery, peppers, and onions and seasoned with tomato paste, shrimp stock, and bold spices. Preparing this meal is much easier than it seems, as the étouffée comes together while the steak is resting. You’ll need a hot bed of coals and a cast iron skillet, plus an empty stomach. 

This recipe was prepared using the PK AF300. Find the original recipe and more using PK Grills on Chiles and Smoke

Ingredients: 

Cajun Steaks 

• 2 or 3 NY strip steaks 
• 3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning, more as needed 

Shrimp Étouffée 

• ¼ cup unsalted butter 
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour 
• ½ sweet onion, finely chopped 
• 1 poblano chile, finely diced 
• 2 stalks of celery, finely diced 
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 4 cloves garlic, finely diced 
• ¼ cup tomato paste 
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, diced 
• 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning 
• 1 teaspoon celery seed 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 
• 1 bay leaf 
• 2 cups seafood stock 
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce 
• 2 pounds medium-sized shrimp, peeled and deveined
• Louisiana hot sauce to taste 
• Chopped fresh parsley for garnish 

Instructions 

1. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat, with a cooler spot to 1 side. Clean the grates and wipe them down with a little oil using a paper towel. 
2. Prepare the steaks. Pat them dry and apply the Cajun seasoning on all sides. Allow them to rest at room temperature while the grill warms up. 
3. Grill the steaks. Place the steaks on the grill and allow them to sear directly over the coals for about 30-45 seconds before flipping. Continue to flip the steaks in this way until a crust has formed. Sear off the fat cap on the side. Move the steaks to the cooler side of the grill as needed if they are cooking too quickly. Cook until they are about 10° from your target temperature, medium-rare being 130-135°F. Pull them from the grill and rest under loosely tented foil. 
4. Start the étouffée with the roux. Place the skillet over the coals to warm up, and add in the butter and flour. Whisk them together well to incorporate the flour, cooking out the raw flavor. Keep whisking as the roux will start to darken into a peanut butter color. This is where we want to be. 
5. Add in the vegetables. Mix in the trinity of celery, onion, and poblano with the salt. Stir to coat the vegetables with the roux, and cook for a few minutes until they are slightly soft. 
6. Cook out the tomato paste. Add in the tomato paste, thyme, Cajun spices, celery seed, black pepper, and bay leaf. Stir to mix everything, and cook for a couple of minutes until the tomato paste doesn’t smell raw. 
7. Slowly add in the stock. Pour a little at a time, stirring to mix it in. After all of the stock has been added, pour in the Worcestershire sauce and allow the sauce to simmer for about 5-7 minutes. Stir on occasion, and look for the sauce to slightly thicken. 
8. Fold in the shrimp. Add the shrimp gently, and fold them into the sauce. Allow them to cook for about 3-5 minutes, flipping once to make sure both sides have been cooked. They should be opaque and have about 120°F internal temperature. 
9. Serve it up. Slice the steak against the grain and serve with the shrimp étouffée. Toast up a slice of bread with butter for the side. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and more hot sauce.