Shrimp Creole
This recipe is pure New Orleans, an icon of Louisiana, with succulent shrimp simmered in a perfectly seasoned tomato sauce made with the Cajun holy trinity. You may need to make an extra large batch. I’ll take mine extra spicy.
Shrimp Creole coming your way, my friends. I LOVE this recipe. It’s EASY for one. I’ve been really trying to update my Quick and Easy Recipes lately, as that is the focus of my new cookbook that is coming out in October, called “The Spicy Food Lovers’ Cookbook“.
The idea is to share with you recipes that are easy to prepare, yet BIG on flavor and spice.
Basically, it’s everything I want in life!
I just turned it into my publisher and am waiting on changes, but DANG was it fun to write. I include a few different shrimp recipes, but this one is a total CLASSIC that, to be honest, is surprising I don’t have on the site already.
I was like – WHAT?
I need a Shrimp Creole recipe on the site! You NEED Shrimp Creole in your life!
It’s a recipe that’s been around forever, and it’s open to certain interpretations, so feel free to customize here and there to your personal tastes.
I like to use the classic Cajun Holy Trinity to start – bell peppers, onion, and celery – though I’ll either substitute jalapeno peppers for the bell, or I’ll toss a jalapeno into the mix, or sometimes something spicier, like a serrano pepper, or maybe a habanero pepper.
Ghost pepper, anyone? Yeah, you can go REALLY spicy on this if you’d like.
Just don’t surprise your dinner guests, OK? Haha.
How to Make Classic Shrimp Creole – The Recipe
Making Shrimp Creole is easy enough. First, cook down your peppers, onion, celery and garlic in a pan with some oil until they soften up.
Next, stir in some tomato paste and cook it down about a minute.
Then, add canned tomatoes, stock, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, Creole seasonings and bay leaves. Adjust for salt and pepper to your preferred levels.
Stir it all together and let it simmer for 20 minutes to thicken and let the flavors develop. You can simmer longer if you’d like.
Remove the bay leaves, then add the shrimp and tuck them under the sauce. Cook another couple minutes, or until the shrimp is nicely pink and cooked through.
Finally, serve it over rice, if desired, sprinkled with parsley, extra hot sauce and extra peppers! Or just eat it out of the pan. It’s OK. Really.
I served mine over this new, awesome Cajun Cauliflower Rice Recipe. SO good. Works great as an appetizer, too.
That’s it! Easy enough! It’s definitely a favorite recipe here, my friends. Love it! Pretty low calorie. I could eat this all day. Let me know how it turns out for you. Super curious! Send pics! — Mike H.
Check Out Some of Our Other Popular Cajun Dishes
- Cajun Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
- Cajun Pasta with Shrimp and Smoked Sausage
- Creole Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
- Mike’s Spicy Gumbo
- Cajun Corn Maque Choux
- Seriously Awesome Jambalaya
- Hoppin’ John
- Cajun Red Beans and Rice
- Creole Chicken
- Chicken Fricassee
- Boudin Balls
Try Some of My Other Popular Shrimp Recipes
- Grilled Buffalo Shrimp
- Habanero-Honey Glazed Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
- 10 Minute Grilled Shrimp and Sausage Skewers
- Shrimp with Chipotle-Bourbon-Butter Sauce
- Shrimp in Fiery Chipotle-Tequila Sauce
- Bang Bang Shrimp
- Camarones a la Diabla (Diablo Shrimp)
If you try this recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and tag a photo #ChiliPepperMadness on Instagram so we can take a look. I always love to see all of your spicy inspirations. Thanks! — Mike H.
Shrimp Creole – Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large green bell pepper chopped (Or use jalapenos peppers for a spicier version)
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 1 stalk celery chopped
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 14.5 ounce can chopped tomatoes
- 1 cup shrimp stock or use chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons Creole seasoning or more to taste
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons Louisiana style hot sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined
- Rice, chopped parsley, sliced peppers and extra hot sauce for serving
Instructions
- Heat a large pan to medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the peppers, onion and celery and cook them down about 5 minutes to soften.
- Add the garlic and cook another minute, stirring.
- Swirl in the tomato paste and cook another minute.
- Add the canned tomatoes, stock, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, Creole seasonings and bay leaves. Adjust for salt and pepper.
- Stir and simmer the sauce for 20 minutes to thicken and let the flavors develop. You can simmer longer if you’d like.
- Remove the bay leaves.
- Add the shrimp and tuck them under the sauce. Cook another couple minutes, or until the shrimp is nicely pink and cooked through.
- Serve over rice, if desired, sprinkled with parsley, extra hot sauce and extra peppers!
Notes
Nutrition
6 comments
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you use olive oil/ what kind and,regular \ ex virgin, brand?
Gerald, I use a Mediterranean blend for general cooking.
recipe for shrimp creole was wonderful. I used both green bell and jalapeno.
I also used fire roasted tomatoes instead of reg. and of course the Louisiana
hot sauce.. hubby who likes hot and spicey said too spicey.
so next day I toned it down with reg tomatoes and lime juice and of course more shrimp which he had eaten ( lol ) it was wonderful thx
Thanks, Debra! Super happy you both enjoyed it.
When I saw this recipe I realized that I hadn’t made it for years. I will check the recipe I used but expect I will use yours. Really, if mine was that good, I wouldn’t have forgot about it! Thanks. I am putting it on the menu for tomorrow.
Let me know how it turns out for you. I hope you like it! It’s definitely a tasty dish.