The Best Shrimp Creole Recipe
Sharing The Best Shrimp Creole recipe! Friends, this is IT! This New Orleans-inspired dish is one I’ve been making for clients for as long as I’ve been a personal chef and this easy shrimp creole recipe never fails to please!
“Sooooo good! Will be a go-to recipe for me. The flavor was outstanding and that squirt of lemon….chef’s kiss!”
Why This Recipe is a Keeper:
It’s always a little scary when you proclaim something to be…. The best! The greatest! The most perfect!
Well, can I just tell you I’ve made this shrimp recipe a few times over a 22-year personal chef career?
I’ve been to New Orleans a couple of times and I really love that city. What’s not to love? Food. Character. Architecture. Spirit! That’s where I first had Shrimp Creole and this comes mighty close!
Best of all, Shrimp Creole is a super-simple dish!
Ingredients:
- Canola oil
- Butter
- Onion
- Green bell pepper
- Celery
- Garlic
- Cajun seasoning
- Dried thyme
- Cayenne pepper
- Bay leaf
- Tomato sauce
- Water
- Worcestershire
- Hot, cooked rice (brown or white rice)
How to make Shrimp Creole:
- Start with the Holy Trinity, the start of many a creole recipe. The Holy Trinity in New Orleans cooking is simply onions (mature, not green onions), green bell pepper and celery. It’s similar to a French mirepoix, which is onions, celery and carrots. However, this has green bell pepper instead of the carrot. With the “Holy Trinity,” you want to keep the ratio approximately the same as a mirepoix: 2 parts onion, 1 part celery and 1 part green bell pepper.
- Then, cook the combination in a large skillet along with some garlic over medium heat to melty, soft goodness in some oil and butter.
- It needs to be super melty soft so the flavors of the Holy Trinity really come through!
- Add the New Orleans-inspired seasonings! Cajun seasoning, thyme, cayenne, bay leaf (or two bay leaves if they’re small)..
- Some tomato sauce…
- Worcestershire…
- Simmer the sauce in the skillet over medium or medium-low heat stirring occasionally.
- The shrimp (preferably wild-caught American gulf shrimp!) …
- And you have The Best Shrimp Creole recipe…
EVAAA!
Serve with rice and garnish with parsley. Serve some lemon wedges at the table in a small bowl.
The Best Shrimp Creole!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Shrimp Creole is a dish of Louisiana Creole origin with a tomato base. Another famous New Orleans dish, shrimp etouffee, has a roux (fat plus flour) base. Both are usually served over rice.
Shrimp Creole originated from southern Louisiana. Creole cooking comes from French, Spanish, and African people.
Creole sauce is a flavorful tomato sauce that typically consists of whole, diced, or canned tomatoes, green bell peppers, onions, celery, and traditional hot pepper spices.
Believe it or not, Shrimp Creole is a pretty healthy dish! According to my nutrition calculator, one serving with brown rice has under 400 calories.
Enjoy these other amazing New Orleans-inspired dishes!
- Low-Carb Jambalaya with Chicken, Shrimp and Sausage
- Baked Catfish Pecan Meuniere with Spicy Sauteed Greens
- Smothered Shrimp with Andouille Sausage and Creamy Parmesan Peppercorn Grits
- Cajun-Smothered Pork Medallions
- Easy Red Beans and Rice
- 18 New Orleans Inspired Recipes for a Taste of the Big Easy
The Best Shrimp Creole Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion - finely chopped
- 1 medium green bell pepper - seeds and membrane removed finely chopped
- 2-3 stalks (ribs) celery - you want about the same amount as green bell pepper
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning - or to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 can (15-ounce) tomato sauce
- 1 cup water - approximately to rinse out the can
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 pound large shrimp - 16-20 count, peeled and deveined, tail removed
- Tabasco sauce - to taste
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley plus sprigs for garnish
- Lemon wedges
- Cooked rice - for serving
Instructions
- Heat oil and butter over medium-high heat in a skillet or saute pan. Add the onion, pepper and celery.
- Reduce heat to medium and cook approximately 10-12 minutes or until vegetables are very soft, adjusting heat as necessary so vegetables don’t burn.
- Add the garlic, Cajun seasoning, thyme, cayenne pepper and bay leaf. Stir briefly.
- Add the tomato sauce, water and Worcestershire.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered 8-10 minutes or until sauce thickens.
- Stir in the shrimp and cook 1-2 minutes or until just firm.
- Add hot sauce, salt and black pepper to taste.
- Remove bay leaf, sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately with hot, cooked rice and lemon wedges.
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Notes
Nutrition
These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
Hello! I will make this dish tonight but will add some leftover bratwurst, small l can of tomato sauce and small can of diced fire roasted tomaoes. And since my boyfriend loves pasta, i will serve over fettuccini. I will let you know how it goes! Thanks for the inspiration and the recipe!
Hi, Myrrh, Thanks so much and definitely let me know how it turns out!
Bratwurst in shrimp creole served over fettuccine? That’s interesting.
Oh, well! Folks are free to change up recipes however they please.
MJ same thing I was thinking. What’s the point of wanting authentic and then turning it into something off the wall?
Like I said…to each their own. 🙂
I bought all the ingredients and my husband made this Shrimp Creole dish tonight. It was delicious and a keeper! Perfectly spicy comfort food that once you get the chopping of vegetables and peeling of shrimp done and in the pan, the flavor really develops!
Thanks so much, Gemma! Glad you and he enjoyed!
I have tried several recipes for this dish. I think this one was the best! My boys loved it. Thank you for sharing!
Hi, Tracy and thank you so very much! So glad you and your kids enjoyed! 17 years of making this for a variety of personal chef clients was a pretty good indicator I need to share this recipe. Thanks again!
Many of the shrimp recipes on Pinterest don’t mention whether you use uncooked or cooked shrimp. Not everyone is a trained chef and I mean that with all due respect. So please, all you chefs, let us know if uncooked or not. Thanks.
Jeff, Thank you SO VERY MUCH for mentioning this and I’m glad you pointed this out! I actually never use precooked shrimp (I like to cook the shrimp myself) but will absolutely clarify my shrimp recipes. Thank you again for bringing this to my attention constructively and kindly. You rock and I hope you enjoy this dish!
I made this recipe! It’s excellent! A little too hot for us, so making tonight and will cut down on the heat!
Hi, Connie, Thanks so very much! Yes, definitely start with a little bit of heat. You can always add it later and different brands of cayenne pepper are going to vary with the amount of heat because heat can vary from pepper to pepper. Thanks again and so glad you enjoyed! Please stay in touch!
Just made this for our Easter meal. Excellent dish to improve our moods during the coronavirus lockdown. Thank you for sharing!!
Hi, DeAnna, Thank you SOOOO very much! I can’t begin to tell you how much that means to me–especially in these times. So glad you enjoyed and a Happy Easter to you and yours!
I made this shrimp creole. It was great! Making it again tonight, but will double the recipe! I will cut down on the heat a little bit! Loved it!
I’ve been on such a shrimp kick lately, and the spicier, the better! This looks like a winning dish for dinner!
Thanks, Leanne! It’s also pretty easy, too! Hope you enjoy!
I think you meant “never fails to please?” Because I’ve tried several of your recipes and they have not ever disappointed.
Thanks so much, Laura! Oh my. I was thinking one thing and wrote another! I appreciate it and I appreciate hearing you are enjoying my recipes! Thanks again!