Shrimp Creole

With this easy Shrimp Creole recipe you’re only one pot and under 45 minutes away from enjoying this authentic Cajun classic! Jumbo shrimp simmer in a spicy stewed tomato sauce, loaded with the holy trinity of onion, bell pepper, and celery. Served over a bed of white rice, this dish will make the perfect main course for your next Mardi Gras celebration.

Authentic Shrimp Creole

With Mardi Gras right around the corner, and king cakes in every grocery, I just can’t help but get nostalgic for my days growing up in a small town in Southern Texas, right on the border of Louisiana. 

The seafood was always so incredibly fresh, and ever since I moved to Austin, it’s been difficult to find good Cajun or Creole food to satisfy those cravings.

So I recreated an old family favorite at home, this classic Shrimp Creole.

New Orleans-style home cooking is famous for its bold flavors, and this recipe is no exception. It delivers a TON of unique, spicy flavors in less than an hour of prep and cooking.

For more Cajun and Creole flavors, try Blackened Salmon, Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo, Instant Pot Jambalaya and Shrimp and Grits.

Ingredients

• Shrimp. Choosing the right kind of shrimp for this dish is SO important to yield a good, authentic creole. Buying wild shrimp is recommended for quality assurance, ideally fresh, as they have a much better taste and texture than frozen shrimp. Aim to get 20/24 count shrimp. This means there are 20-24 shrimp in one pound, at a relatively consistent size. Shrimp should be peeled and deveined, with tails left on or off, according to preference.
• “Holy trinity.” Diced celery, green bell pepper, and onion — otherwise called the “holy trinity” of Louisiana cuisine — are essential to creating the flavor base typically found in Cajun and Creole recipes.
• Stewed tomatoes. Unlike other canned tomatoes, stewed tomatoes have a bit of sugar added to them. If you are on a Whole30 or Paleo diet you can substitute these for diced tomatoes, but just know the taste and flavor will be slightly different.
• Tomato sauce. Make sure when selecting your tomato sauce you get the regular, plain tomato sauce, not the Italian-style. This will prevent any additional flavor profiles from interfering with the Creole seasonings.
• Blackened/Cajun seasoning. The spice level of your dish will change drastically depending on the type of blackened or Cajun seasoning you use. Homemade blackened seasoning is recommended for the most control, but Slap Ya’ Mama Cajun Seasoning or Emeril’s Blackened Seasoning from the grocery store are both excellent alternatives. Creole seasoning is similar; it generally has more herbs but it will work.

How to Make Shrimp Creole

Please see the recipe card below for more detailed ingredient amounts.

1. Sauté the Vegetables

In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil and/or butter over medium heat, then add the chopped onions, bell pepper, and celery. Sauté the vegetables for 3-4 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.

Add the crushed garlic, and sauté for another minute. 

The vegetables should only sauté just long enough to soften the slightest bit and begin to release their flavors. If they’re cooked for too long at this stage, they’ll grow mushy and disappear into the creole by the time it’s done simmering.

2. Combine and Simmer

Add the stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili powder, blackened or Cajun seasoning, salt, and bay leaves. Stir until all the ingredients are well mixed, and then bring to a boil.

Once the mixture is boiling, reduce the heat back down to low, cover the pot, and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Allowing the creole to sit and cook at a low temperature allows all those strong flavors to meld together, and gives the vegetables time to soften just enough to be tender.

3. Thicken the Mixture

While the creole simmers, whisk together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl until fully dissolved. Doing this in a separate container from the dish ensures that there are no lumps of cornstarch remaining, which tend to clump up when added to hot liquid. 

After 20 minutes, carefully remove the bay leaves from the creole and mix in the cornstarch slurry very well. 

The starch helps the creole to thicken up as it continues to simmer, so that it reaches its characteristically thick, almost curry-like texture without the need to cook it down for an extended period of time.

4. Season to Taste

Once the starch slurry has been mixed in, this is the perfect time to give the creole a taste to determine how much seasoning it still needs. Add the Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce, and more salt or seasoning mix to taste, if needed.

5. Add the Shrimp

When the desired spice and seasoning level has been reached, add the raw shrimp and continue simmering, uncovered, for another 5-6 minutes, or until the shrimp are cooked through. Shrimp are done cooking when they turn from translucent to opaque and their tails begin to curl.

Make sure not to overcook the shrimp, or else they will become rubbery. Remove the creole from the heat as soon as it’s finished cooking.

Serve It Up

If you would like to serve this shrimp creole recipe the authentic New Orleans way, then you will want to pile it on top of a bed of white rice with a garnish of fresh parsley. The rice provides a neutral base to soak up that spicy sauce, and the parsley brings visual contrast and a bright, peppery freshness to the dish.

A toasted baguette or some gluten-free biscuits on the side make for an excellent addition, too. 

Alternatively, this dish can be served without rice or on a bed of sautéed cauliflower rice, to keep it low-carb and high in nutrition.

FAQs

What to Serve with Shrimp Creole

While this shrimp creole will be the star of any meal, there’s plenty of ways to round it out with these easy side dishes:

Of course, you can’t go wrong with Instant Pot White Rice.

Keep things light with Easy Green Beans Almondine with Garlic or Roasted Cauliflower,

Add a hearty carb like Cheddar Bay Biscuits, Mini Cornbread Muffins, Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits to balance the kick.

A decadent dessert of sweet, syrupy bananas foster can also serve as a pleasant relief from the spice, after the meal.

More Cajun Recipes

While Mardi Gras might only come once a year, you can enjoy New Orleans-style cooking year-round with these classic recipes: 

• Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
• Shrimp and Grits
• Cajun Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo
• Blackened Salmon Recipe
• Remoulade Sauce Recipe
• Sausage & Chicken Cajun Jambalaya
• Blackened Shrimp Tacos
• Blackened Fish Tacos
• Instant Pot Jambalaya