This hearty tomato and shrimp stew recipe is bursting with Creole flavor with lots of shrimp and fire roasted tomatoes, thickened with a rich roux, a family favorite.
Creole Tomato and Shrimp Stew Recipe
If you're looking for the best shrimp stew recipe around, you have to try my Creole Tomato and Shrimp Stew.
This is a one-pot recipe loaded with a blend of Creole spices that highlights the flavors of juicy tomatoes and succulent shrimp.
It's an easy shrimp stew recipe that starts with a quick flavor-building roux, much like a Cajun shrimp stew or a seafood gumbo, but with lots of tomato and corn added to round out the flavor.
It's the perfect easy weeknight dinner, sure to become a family favorite, something you can let sit and simmer on the stovetop until you're ready to eat.
Let's talk about how to make Creole tomato and shrimp stew, shall we?
Creole Tomato and Shrimp Stew Ingredients
The full ingredients list with measurements is listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Butter. For making the roux. You can also use vegetable oil.
- All-Purpose Flour. For the roux.
- Trinity. Onion, bell pepper (or use jalapenos for a spicy version), celery, garlic.
- Fire Roasted Tomatoes. Canned is great, or roast your own. You can use other fresh or canned tomatoes, or tomato sauce, but I love fire roasted.
- Corn. I prefer fresh corn for this recipe, but frozen is great.
- Shrimp Stock. Or use chicken stock.
- Seasonings. Use your favorite Creole blend, or try either my Creole Seasonings Recipe or Cajun Seasonings Recipe. Also, red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper to taste.
- Shrimp.
- Parsley. Freshly chopped.
How to Make Creole Tomato and Shrimp Stew - the Recipe Method
Make the Roux. Many great Cajun and Creole recipes start with a roux, which is a huge flavor builder. To make the roux, melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
Stir in the flour to form a roux. Cook, stirring continually, for 5-10 minutes, or until the roux turns the color of peanut butter.
For further information, see my post on How to Make a Roux.
Cook the Vegetables. Add the onion, peppers, and celery. Stir and cook 5 minutes to soften.
Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until the garlic becomes fragrant.
Tomatoes, Liquids, Spices. Add the tomatoes, corn, chicken stock, seasonings, and red pepper flakes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir.
Simmer the Stew. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Simmering will develop and merge all those wonderful flavors. You can simmer longer if you'd like.
Cook the Shrimp. Stir in peeled and deveined shrimp and parsley. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until the shrimp cooks through. If you prefer a bit more snap to your shrimp, sear it separately in a hot pan, then simply stir it into the stew before serving.
Remove from heat. Serve into bowls with fresh parsley and red pepper flakes for garnish.
Boom! Done! Your tomato and shrimp stew is ready to serve. Doesn't it look wonderful? It's so thick and creamy from the roux, so full of flavor.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- You can easily add in your favorite vegetables to customize this stew. Some favorites include green onion, potato, okra, spinach, or other greens.
- You can also add in other seafood, like crawfish, crab, or fish to make it like your favorite fish stew.
Storage & Leftovers
Creole tomato and shrimp stew will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. You can easily warm it in a pot on the stove top to enjoy the leftovers.
You can also freeze it for 2-3 months.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my easy shrimp stew recipe, Creole style. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you, and if you decided to spice it up!
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Creole Tomato and Shrimp Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped (use jalapenos for a spicy version)
- 1 stalk celery chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 28 ounces fire roasted tomatoes canned, or use equivalent fresh
- 1 cup corn kernels about 1 ear of fresh corn, or frozen
- 4 cups chicken stock or use shrimp stock
- 2 tablespoons Creole Seasoning blend or use Cajun Seasonings – See Recipe notes
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or more to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Stir in the flour to form a roux. Cook, continually stirring, for 5-10 minutes, or until the roux turns the color of peanut butter.
- Add the onion, peppers, and celery. Stir and cook 5 minutes to soften.
- Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until the garlic becomes fragrant.
- Add the tomatoes, corn, chicken stock, seasonings, and red pepper flakes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in shrimp and parsley. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until the shrimp cooks through.
- Remove from heat. Serve into bowls with fresh chopped parsley and red pepper flakes for garnish.
Susan says
I made this today, omitting the corn and all I had was diced tomatoes in a can, yummy!
Mike H. says
Thank you for the feedback! Glad you enjoyed it!
Ed Moder says
OK! I customized this. First of all when I see celery in a menu I right away think substitution. How about Asparagus? Then Connie had a lot of mushrooms that needed to be used. I used a bag of jalapeno peppers and 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and that made this a 4-alarm dinner. So Connie suggested adding rice to tone it down for the leftovers. I used a lot extra and ended up with 3 pounds of shrimp, so we have enough for several meals of leftovers.
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One aside that the amateur cook figured out. The roux was not taking, so I added an extra 4 tablespoons of butter and it cooked up nice.
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Even an amateur can get it right once in a while.
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Thanks for a great recipe.
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Mike Hultquist says
Glad you enjoyed it, Ed! Yay!
Richard Anke says
I made this recipe using Jalapeno instead of Green Pepper and it is very spicy, but that's fine with me. I do have to comment that the ratio of butter to flour for the roux needs attention. It's always been my belief that one is to use and equal amount of butter to flour. Aside from that I love the recipe and thank you for posting it.
Mike Hultquist says
Richard, yep, roux are usually made with a 1:1 ratio. I wanted a bit less butter here, and used only half of what I might normally use. You can, of course, use more butter if preferred. Or use only 1/4 cup flour. Glad you enjoyed it overall.
Cecil says
Per your roux web page (1), the amount of flour for 4 tablespoons of butter is 1/4 cup, not 1/2 cup. Or if 1/2 cup is correct, the the butter amount should 8 tablespoons. (2)
Loved the dish! Almost as much as Jambalaya!!
References:
(1) https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/how-to-make-a-roux/
(2) Calculator: https://www.google.com/search?q=convert+cup+to+tablespoon&rlz=1CADRLH_enUS1021&oq=convert+cup+to+&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j0i512l9.10917j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&bshm=rime/1
Mike Hultquist says
Cecil, not all rouxs are equal. It's best to follow this recipe as written, though you CAN adjust if you want to. Thanks!
Amy Hardesty says
my son made this for our dinner and it was absolutely delicious thank you for sharing the recipe
Mike Hultquist says
Great! Thanks, Amy!
Kathryn Hicks says
This one I am going to try and hopefully enjoy. Thanks!!
Mike Hultquist says
It's one of our favorites, Kathryn!
Ed Moder says
I overdid the spices again. It was 4-alarm, so Connie is fixing it now. It was delicious even though too spicy for us. I used 3 of Connie's red jalapenos and still put the red pepper flakes in. I should have known better.
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She is now making a double batch with some pasta to dilute the spices.
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I can't wait for the leftovers.
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Mike Hultquist says
Haha, oops! You'll need to start making notes about the number of spicy peppers you put into the dish for next time! Glad you enjoyed it overall!
Ed Moder says
The fixed version is awesome. I forgot to mention that Connie had fire roasted tomatoes from her garden and all ingredients (including the parsley) were fresh from her garden.
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Also this is the first time I ever made a roux. In fact before this year, I had never even heard the word roux and did not know what it was. This shows what a neophyte I am when it comes to cooking. I also did not know what "fire roasted" meant.
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Mike Hultquist says
Glad to help you keep learning and getting better at cooking!
Ed White says
Just retired and started cooking. My wife thought it was a little spicy (added a homegrown jalapeño) but it turned out amazing! The next time will definitely roast my own tomatoes! This is for sure a keeper. Thank you!
Mike Hultquist says
Outstanding! Glad you enjoyed it, Ed! This has become one of our favorites here. I hope you find many recipes you enjoy!
Neal says
Mike, I was surprised to find that your Creole Tomato And Shrimp Stew calls for fire roasted tomatoes and not Creole tomatoes. I realize that Creole tomatoes are probably just as hard to put your hands on out there in your area as they are here in Elgin, IL, but I certainly would have anticipated a Creole dish to call for Creole tomatoes rather than the ones from a company out of Chicago. Was it just the availability issue that resulted in you specifying fire roasted tomatoes?
Mike Hultquist says
Hey, Neal. Fire roasted tomatoes are perfect here, but you can use Creole Tomatoes. From my understanding, "Creole Tomatoes" is more of a marketing term to describe tomatoes grown in that area. I'm in the Charlotte area now, but funny - I grew up in Carpentersville, IL, and the surrounding area.
Gail Peacock says
I am making this tonight
It smells heavenly and broth tastes wonderful
I'm sure to much to eat so I will try freezing the leftovers.
thank you so much for sharing this recipe
it's wonderful. I did dice little potatoes and add to mine.
Happy Cook Gail
Mike Hultquist says
Sounds wonderful, Gail! Thanks so much! Glad you like it!
john says
What is the best size shrimp to use?
Mike Hultquist says
Use medium to large shrimp, John. Enjoy!
Jérémie says
Hmmmm Mike, the sauce was so delicious! Thanks alot, Buddy! Did it with fresh habanero instead of flakes. This would also be perfect with fried fish, what do you think? Perhaps not a very Creole idea…
Mike Hultquist says
Awesome, Jérémie! Yes, this has quickly become a new favorite here for us. We definitely love it. Fried fish? I say YES!!!
Michael Souther says
this looks delicious can't wait to try it. everything in it is easily available.
Mike Hultquist says
Enjoy, Michael! I love this dish.
Ramya says
Cant wait o make this soon for me can i use vegan butter / vegetable stock and tofu and skip green bell pepper as am not a big fan of green bell pepper i never had creole tomato and shrimp stew before perfect for my after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Mike Hultquist says
Enjoy, Ramya. Cheers.