Erin’s shrimp creole

6/10/2011

A couple of people have been asking me for my shrimp creole recipe, so I figured that I would write it up while a pot of NOLA-style black eyed peas stews for a few hours. Since I cooked it for Erin, she gets the naming rights. So without much ado, here it is: This is my take on shrimp creole. There are so many versions of this recipe, so here’s another. Personally, I don’t like shrimp creoles made from a roux. That’s more like a shrimp sauce piquant in my book. Rouxs are typical of Cajun cuisine. Shrimp Creole is creole NOLA cuisine — not Cajun. This is why the two dishes are separate in my mind, and why mine isn’t made from a roux. I could be totally off base here, but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

1 – 2lbs of unpeeled shrimp
2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups chopped sweet onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1-2 tablespoon Tony Cachere’s creole seasoning
2 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cups diced tomatoes
2 tablespoonds of diced garlic
3 bay leaves
thyme (single bunch)
parsley, minced. about 1/8-1/4 cup
cayenne, black pepper, and kosher salt to taste
1 tablespoon of worcestershire sauce
2 cups of shrimp stock
2 tablepoons of hot sauce, preferrably Crystal
1-1.5 cups of boiled white rice

Start off by making the shrimp stock. If you can buy fresh shrimp stock locally, go for it. Honestly, it’s not very hard to make, and you can freeze the rest. It keeps for a very long time. Use the recipe listed here, http://www.nolacuisine.com/2008/04/13/shrimp-stock-recipe/. It’s pretty good and will give you something to do with all the shrimp peelings. Throw the peeled shrimp in a bag or dish with some Tony’s (2 teaspoons). Mix ‘em up and then place in the fridge.

1. Brown 1/2 cup of onions in frothy butter on medium/medium-high heat. Going for a golden brown color here. Use something like a dutch oven or cast iron pot.
2. Add in the celery, bell pepper, onions. Reduce to medium heat.
3. Add in 1 tablespoon Tony’s creole seasoning and some salt. Shouldn’t need much salt as Tony’s is already pretty salty.
4. Cook the vegetables until they’re wilted.
5. Mix in the tomato paste and stir it up. Cook until the paste browns, stirring frequently.
6. Add in the chopped tomatoes and a pinch of salt.
7. After the tomatoes break down, add the shrimp stock, bay leaves, thyme, dry seasonings, splash of Crystal, and another pinch of Tony’s. Increase heat and bring to a boil.
8. Once at a boil, reduce to low heat and simmer for at least 45 minutes.
9. Add (Crystal) hot sauce and worcestershire sauce. Add salt and more Tony’s here to taste (teaspoon or so?).
10. Increase heat to a boil, turn down heat to low, then add shrimp.
11. Cook on low heat until shrimp are done. Be careful not to overcook them. Cook the shrimp slowly(ish) on low heat! About 4-6 minutes?
12. Serve over rice and garnish with green onions and parsley.

Of course some pics: