Best Dang Shrimp Creole

This classic Shrimp Creole is the perfect eat and my favorite weeknight & weekend savior. It’s my “quick and easy” go-to recipe that works equally for easy dinners, long lazy Sunday brunches as well as fancy dinners to wow my friends and families.

I loooooove being able to effortlessly add the flavors of the Deep South to my dishes with minimal effort and minimal prep and basic cooking techniques. And this recipe is delicious whether you serve on top of rice or turn it into a traditional creole shrimp and grits meal.

Related Link : Yellow Squash Casserole.

Creole sauce, along with its various other names (aka red gravy, creole tomato sauce, and sauce piquant) is a staple found in southern cuisine as well as Caribbean cuisine. Folks, trust me when I say that this tasty aromatic Creole shrimp recipe truly brings the best of both those worlds.

Why You Will Love This

• Easy – this flavorful meal comes together in under 30 minutes.
• Affordable – it requires just a few everyday affordable ingredients and can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd. Plus, it’s an ideal way to use up your leftover tomatoes or leftover shrimp.
• Prep Ahead – a great make-ahead and freeze dish for when you need to grab something quick for dinner.

P.S. if you are interested – Creole Cuisine, which originated in Louisiana (thank you peeps) is my kind of cooking, as it is a mish-mash of African, Amerindian, French, Haitian, Spanish and southern cooking. This means aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall the best finger-licking flavors and then some.

How To Make Shrimp Creole Very Easily

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan on medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and peppers and sauté for about 5 minutes until soft.
2. Mix the garlic, chili, creole seasoning, and cayenne pepper and cook for about 30 seconds and stir until fragrant.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes, stock, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, tomato purée, and butter. Allow to boil, then simmer, with the lid ajar, for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened (feel free to simmer for a further 5 or so minutes if you want your sauce to reduce more).
4. Add in the shrimp and cook for up to 5 minutes until the shrimp is cooked through.
5. Switch off the heat and serve with some rice.

Recipe Tips

• You can prep the sauce ahead of time and store it in the fridge.
• Use a sharp knife to cut your veggies up nice and small so that they cook quickly.
• The flavor really develops over time, so best to prep ahead a few hours before serving.
• For best results use fresh shrimp but alternatively use frozen shrimp that you defrost just before cooking.
• Make your life easier by buying peeled and deveined shrimp for cooking.
• You can use fire-roasted tomatoes if you prefer some extra flavor.

Meal Prep and Prep Ahead

This recipe was practically made for meal prep and prepping ahead. 

Prep Ahead – The best thing you can do is whip up the sauce and store it in the fridge for a day or two beforehand.

Store – Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. 

Related Link : Meal Prep Glass Containers.

Freeze – You can freeze the creole sauce (or even double or triple the amount) and follow these steps to store in the freezer until needed.

• Let the sauce cool down, blend or mash, then transfer into glass jars or these very handy Ziploc bags.
• If using bags, squeeze out all the extra air, seal, label, and then lay flat in the freezer.
• Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• Remove from the freezer the night before needed and let it thaw in the fridge. Then reheat and add in the shrimp just before you want to eat it.

Recipe Variations

This recipe is sooooo as good as is, but you can easily mix and match herbs, spices, and other ingredients to suit your taste. And they don’t even have to be creole, just things that will pack this dish full of flavor such as:

• Dried basil
• Dried oregano
• Bay leaf
• Fresh cilantro
• Fried bacon (y’all seriously need to try this!)

FAQs

What Is Creole Sauce Made Of?

Creole Sauce is a fragrant and spiced tomato sauce made with the holy trinity of Louisiana style creole cooking => celery, bell peppers, and onions, along with a variety of seasoning and spices.

You can start with juicy fresh tomatoes if you have them, or grab some canned tomatoes, aka convenient staple foods, and use those.

And Creole shrimp is a variation of this classic sauce that includes good old juicy and tender shrimp. Pretty much a thick flavourful Louisiana spiced shrimp stew that is traditionally served over fluffy white rice. #somuchyum

Can I Make Shrimp Creole Less Spicy?

This classic sauce recipe gets its heat from the homemade Creole Seasoning. So if you have a hot seasoning mix, add about half the required amount and adjust the next time.

If you want to make it less spicy, or not spicy at all, I suggest making your own homemade seasoning and adjusting the amount of chili – or even omit it altogether.

When I make this sauce for guests or for the kids, I only use about a half to two-thirds of the seasoning required.

What To Serve With Shrimp Creole

• Instant Pot Brown Rice.
• Instant Pot Rice.
• Easy Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.
• Jamaican Cornmeal Porridge. (to turn into creole shrimp and grits)

More Southern Recipes

• Cajun Shrimp.
• Air Fryer Cajun Fish Fillets.
• Red Potato Salad.
• Cajun Shrimp Salad.
• Cornbread- Instant Pot + Skillet Versions.
• Yellow Squash Casserole.
• Grape Salad.
• Creole Sauce.
• Salmon Croquettes.

Weight Watchers Points

There are 6 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this.

Thank you for reading my Creole Shrimp Recipe post. And please come visit again as I continue to slice, dice and dream up affordable Air Fryer recipes, Instant Pot Recipes, Southern Recipes and more. Thanks for supporting Recipes from a Pantry, food blog.

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