Shrimp Creole

Served over a piping hot plate of white rice, shrimp creole is another one of the Louisiana Creole origins. The dish is a blend of flavours of French and Spanish heritage, consisting of tender shrimp cooked in spicy tomato gravy, served over rice.

This easy version of the shrimp creole is a recipe for a quick dinner. Perfect for any day of the week, this dish is both comforting and exotic in taste. Paired with a glass of red wine, this recipe will leave everyone on the table satisfied.

You can make this dish kid-friendly by reducing the amount of pepper used in the sauce.

Health Benefits

Although the dish is an excellent source of protein and carbohydrates, it has high cholesterol content from the shrimps. In order to prevent the cholesterol from having negative effects, consume this occasionally once in a while, in small quantities.

Ingredients

uncooked medium-sized shrimp in shells (thawed if using frozen): 2 lbs

butter or margarine: 1/4 cup

medium-sized onions—finely chopped: 3

medium-sized green bell peppers (finely chopped): 2

medium stalks celery (finely chopped): 2

cloves of garlic, finely chopped: 2

cup of water: 1

fresh parsley (finely chopped): 2 tsp

tsp of salt: 1/2

ground red pepper (cayenne pepper): 1/4 tsp

dries bay leaves: 2

tomato sauce: 1 can

rice (cooked and hot): 6 cups

How To Make Shrimp Creole

1. Peel the shells off the shrimp.
2. Use a sharp knife to make a shallow cut down the back of each shrimp and remove the vein.
3. Wash the shrimp thoroughly, cover and refrigerate.
4. Heat a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat and melt the butter.
5. Add celery, onions, bell pepper and garlic to the saucepan and cook for 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Stir occasionally to avoid vegetables sticking to the pan and browning.
6. Add water and tomato sauce to the saucepan and season it with salt, ground red pepper, parsley and bay leaves.
7. Let the sauce cook until it comes to a boil. Then reduce heat to low and let the sauce simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
8. Add shrimp to the sauce and increase the flame to high until the sauce boils again.
9. Then reduce heat back to a low, cover the pan and cook the sauce for 4-6 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and firm.
10. Remove bay leaves from the sauce and serve it over hot rice.

Trivia

Shrimp Creole is a part of the Creole and Cajun cuisine based in the state of Louisiana, USA. The dish was a result of mixing African, French and Spanish flavours which were brought to the local area by early settlers during the slave trade.