Étouffée is a Louisiana dish in which crawfish, shrimp, or another main ingredient is smothered in a rich, seasoned sauce and served over rice. The sauce is thicker than gumbo broth but generally looser than a heavy gravy, with regional versions using butter, crawfish fat, light roux, tomatoes, stock, and aromatic vegetables.
Jambalaya and paella are one-pan rice dishes that may contain meat, seafood, vegetables, and seasoned liquid. Paella comes from Valencia and traditionally uses a wide, shallow pan, round rice, olive oil, and saffron. Jambalaya developed in Louisiana and commonly uses long-grain rice, deeper pots, browned meat, smoked sausage, and Cajun or Creole seasonings.
Chicken and sausage jambalaya is a Louisiana one-pot rice dish in which browned poultry, smoked sausage, aromatic vegetables, stock, and seasonings cook together before the rice absorbs the pot’s accumulated flavor.
Jambalaya is a Louisiana one-pot rice dish made with meat, seafood, aromatic vegetables, stock, and seasonings. Brown jambalaya develops its color from browned meat and rendered fat, while red jambalaya includes tomatoes or tomato paste.