Shrimp Creole
Description
Dropped in my inbox from New York Times Cooks, this was a lovely bowl of zippy goodness…I just made it larger. And if you have your ingredients all chopped, measured and ready it’s also really rather quick to put together – enjoy!
Ingredients
Creole Seasoning – I have a favorite called Bayou Country Creole Seasoning from The Silk Road Spice Merchant, but if you’d like to mix your own, there’s an outline on the NYT original recipe
1 bag (907 g) frozen shrimp, thawed in the fridge overnight, tails removed
2 T. creole seasoning, divided (more or less to taste)
1/4 c. EACH butter AND flour
1 medium onion, finely diced AND 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 green pepper, seeded and finely chopped AND 4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can (680 mL) tomato sauce AND ~1/4 c. water to rinse the can
1 t. + Tabasco – or to taste
1 t. sugar AND 2 t. kosher salt AND 1/2 t. freshly ground pepper
1/2 t. EACH dried thyme, dried oregano AND dried basil
for garnish – chopped scallions or green onion and/or chopped fresh parsley
for serving – steamed rice and extra hot sauce
Instructions
Toss the raw shrimp with 1 tablespoon creole seasoning and set aside. In a large skillet (or Dutch oven), melt the butter over medium heat, sprinkle in the flour and whisk constantly until a browned roux forms – this will take a few minutes. Add in the onion, celery and green pepper, cook for a few minutes until the vegetables soften, then stir in the garlic and cook for another minute or so until the mix is very fragrant.
Stir in the tomato sauce, water, hot sauce, 6 spices and another tablespoon of creole seasoning, bring all to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 or so minutes until thickened. Add more water if you think it needs it or if you’d like a bit more sauce.
When your rice is ready and you’re close to dinner time, add in the seasoned shrimp and cook and stir for about 5 minutes until the shrimp are cooked through. Taste for seasonings, and dish up over big bowls of rice, garnishing as you wish!
