Shrimp Creole is a easy-to-make seafood dinner with fresh shrimp, tomatoes, and the “Holy trinity” of onions, celery, and sweet bell peppers. Oh, and don’t forget the hot sauce!
Shrimp Creole originated in southern Louisiana’s “Creole” region. Down there, the seafood is plentiful and it is so fresh, it practically jumps out of the boat and onto your plate. I love shrimp, but I am forever embarrassed by the lack of fresh seafood at the Wisconsin grocery stores. When I do find a batch that doesn’t smell like the death of the ocean, I buy it, but I pay so much money for it that the rest of my menu usually suffers for it. I repeat… the menu plan usually suffers, but not always!
Enter stage right: shrimp Creole.
This quick and easy dinner can be cooked and ready to serve in just under 30 minutes, making it perfect for Brian and I. He’s always super hungry when he gets home from work and I’ve been working hard all day too, so I usually don’t cook things up until he gets home. Well, unless I’m making one of our favorite slow cooker meals.
This shrimp Creole is loaded with flavor, it’s filling, and it has some of the least expensive pantry ingredients in it; rice, canned tomatoes, onions, celery, and sweet bell peppers. I only have $50 a week to spend on groceries, so when $20 of it is used buying shrimp, you’d better believe that I’m going to find a way to stretch the money for the remaining ingredients.
Hey, growing up in a house with 7 other people can make you a little bit crazy, but it also makes you a whole lot frugal. I’m pretty proud of my smart shopping habits.
If you’re not able to find fresh shrimp in your area, don’t worry. Almost every grocery store stocks frozen uncooked shrimp and frozen cooked shrimp. If you buy the cooked shrimp, the only thing that needs to be done to it after thawing is to warm it up, so just toss it into the creole in the final 2 minutes. If you’re using uncooked shrimp that you’ve thawed out, let it drain well and then use it in the recipe just as if you had purchased it fresh.
I hope you love this shrimp Creole recipe!
Oh, and if you’re a seafood lover like I am, be sure to come follow my Fish and Seafood board on Pinterest. There are some amazing recipes there from my favorite food bloggers!
Shrimp Creole Recipe: Dinner in Under 30 Minutes
Tender shrimp, tomatoes, and a "holy trinity" of vegetables are seasoned with Creole spices cooked up, and served over hot rice. The perfect dinner in under 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 2 ounces (1/4 cup) butter
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt (more or less, if desired)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more if desired)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 small bay leaf
- 4 drops hot sauce (more if desired)
- 1 medium green bell pepper, cleaned and diced
- 19 oz canned tomatoes
- 2 pounds fresh shrimp**, peeled and deveined
Instructions
- Melt butter in frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook slowly until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Stir in flour and seasonings until well blended. Stir in bell pepper and tomatoes.
- Reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp and cook until shrimp turns pink (3-4 minutes).
- Serve over cooked rice.
Notes
- ** You can also use thawed from frozen uncooked shrimp.
- This recipe is from Lynn at Southern with a Twist . She graciously granted me permission to share it in this post.
Nutrition
Jason Bowers says
May 22, 2016 at 8:29 amMmmmm. That looks like something I’d love to have for dinner. Yum!
Hafsa says
May 17, 2016 at 12:47 pmwonderful recipe ! thanks for sharing 🙂
Chef Bec says
May 18, 2016 at 4:32 amThank you for stopping by, Hafsa!
Betty says
May 14, 2016 at 7:29 pmWhy don’t you give the nutrition information?
Chef Bec says
May 14, 2016 at 8:10 pmHi Betty,
I don’t provide the nutrition information on the majority of my recipes because it can vary depending on what brand of ingredient you use. For example, there are some canned tomatoes that have 3 times as much salt as another. The calories in one brand of cheddar cheese versus another also vary.
If you’re looking for an accurate nutritional count, I recommend that you use the calorie counter on the SparkPeople website. It allows you to put in ingredients by brand name. Here’s the link to the calculator: https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
Bernadette Martin says
May 13, 2016 at 11:33 amI feel the same about fresh seafood here. I do buy it but I wish I lived where it is fresher! This sounds delicious, and you really need to teach me to budget groceries better!
Chef Bec says
May 13, 2016 at 11:53 amI’m surprised to hear that you don’t have fresh seafood in your area, Bernadette. At least you’re closer to the ocean than I am 🙂
I’d be happy to give you my tips on grocery budgeting any time!