Recipe: Shrimp Creole

Adjust the cayenne, hot pepper flakes and hot sauce to make this creole sauce as mild or spicy as you’d like. This classic Louisiana dish only takes 20 minutes to cook, so it makes an easy dinner for busy weeknights or casual entertaining.

Shrimp Creole

By Josie Malevich 

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tsp each paprika and Old Bay seasoning
• ¼ tsp each hot pepper flakes and cayenne pepper, or to taste
• Salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• ⅓ cup dry white wine
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• Louisiana style hot sauce (to taste)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 can (398 mL) diced tomatoes
• 1 lb large shrimp, peeled, deveined and tail removed 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 ¼ cups long grain rice, cooked according to package directions

Preparation

Heat olive oil and butter in large skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, celery, red pepper, garlic, thyme, paprika, Old Bay seasoning, hot pepper flakes, cayenne, salt and pepper until vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute.

Stir in wine, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Stir in tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Cook until sauce starts to thicken slightly, about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in shrimp, sprinkle with a pinch more salt and pepper to season the shrimp. Cover and cook until shrimp turn pink, start to curl and are cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove bay leaf. Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Serve with rice.

Recipe notes:

Tender and sweet white shrimp are a good variety to use in this dish.

You can substitute Old Bay seasoning with chili powder. It’s not the same in flavour, but has the same intensity.

You can substitute diced tomatoes with 1 ¾ cups chopped, fresh or canned, plum tomatoes.