Food - Drink
The Difference Between Jambalaya And Étouffée
By HEATHER LIM
Jambalaya and étouffée are staples of Creole cuisine, and both dishes usually include a variety of seafood paired with grains. It’s possible that a jambalaya recipe could contain identical ingredients to an étouffée recipe, but there are some critical differences between these two dishes that make them unique from each other.
Jambalaya is a stovetop dish that uses rice as its base ingredient, rather than serving it on the side, and it doesn't contain thickening agents like a roux or cornstarch slurry. The dish naturally thickens up using the starch of the rice, combined with meat and/or seafood, vegetables, and broth, creating a sort of thick, scoopable rice stew.
Etouffée uses the same celery, onion, and bell pepper mixture found in jambalaya, but it's more of a gravy-like stew that’s served over rice. In addition to being more liquidy than jambalaya, etouffée is thickened with a roux, and is usually focused on seafood like shrimp and crawfish, while jambalaya may include smoked meats like sausage.