This shrimp Creole recipe made with tender shrimp in a Cajun-spiced tomato sauce creates a classic New Orleans stew served over rice loaded with flavor.
This Classic New Orleans Dish Is Ready in Under an Hour
There are a few dishes that I always associate with New Orleans: po boys, jambalaya, and shrimp Creole. New Orleans has such a rich and robust culinary history, steeped in bold, lively flavors. This shrimp creole recipe is no exception.
Unlike my favorite gumbo or etouffé recipes, my shrimp creole doesn’t call for a roux so it has a lighter Cajun-flavored tomato sauce. Instead, I start with the holy trinity — an aromatic veggie base of green peppers, onion, and celery — perfumed with garlic, Cajun spices, cayenne, hot sauce, and tomatoes.
Then, fresh shrimp are simmered in the flavorful, saucy stew. It’s such a vibrant and hearty dish, but so easy to make and I love serving it the traditional way — over rice, topping it with plenty of fresh green onions, parsley, and a few more dashes of hot sauce.
Enjoy!
Ingredient Notes
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
- Medium-sized shrimp — I use fresh, peeled, and deveined shrimp (or you could peel and devein yourself)
- Butter — I love the richness of butter in this recipe that mixes with flour to thicken the broth. I use salted butter but unsalted works too.
- “Holy Trinity” — green bell pepper, yellow onion, and celery are all musts in Creole cooking
- Cajun seasoning — use a good-quality brand because this is a key ingredient that gives this dish its signature, spiced flavor
- Flour — flour thickens the tomato-based broth
- Diced canned tomatoes — I use diced tomatoes for a bit of texture but chopped fresh Roma tomatoes work too
- Chicken broth — gives the broth a rich, savory base note (try shrimp stock for even more seafood flavor)
- Dried thyme — earthy and aromatic, dried thyme packs more punch than fresh
- Bay leaf — this herb adds a balanced pep to the sweet tomato sauce
- Cayenne pepper — for just a bit of heat
- Hot sauce — for tanginess and oomph (or you could add a squeeze of lemon)
- Green onions — for color and a topping of heat
- Rice — I serve this with brown or white rice, the traditional New Orleans way
How to Make New Orleans-Style Shrimp Creole
- Sauté the veggies. Sauté the veggies in butter until they become tender. They don’t need to develop much color, they just need to soften.
- Bloom the spices. Dried herbs and spices are fat soluble, meaning their flavor really wakes up when they hit hot oil or butter. Let the Cajun seasoning bloom in the skillet for a good minute to really wake up its flavors.
- Cook the flour. Sprinkle the veggies with flour and stir regularly for about a minute. This step is key because it cooks of the flour’s raw flavor.
- Simmer and thicken. Add the remaining ingredients (but not the shrimp!) and simmer until thickened.
- Add the shrimp last. The shrimp only needs about 5 minutes to cook, and it’s easy to overcook. Always add it to the skillet at the very end to prevent this from happening.
Need to make your shrimp creole less spicy? Add less Cajun seasoning. I use 2 teaspoons but you can add just one and still get a bit of creole’s Cajun flavor.
What to Serve With Shrimp Creole
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New Orleans-Style Shrimp Creole Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 green bell pepper , diced
- 1 yellow onion , diced
- 2 ribs celery , diced
- 3 garlic cloves , pressed or minced
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 15 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth (or water or shrimp stock)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 2-3 shakes of hot sauce
- 1 pound uncooked medium-size shrimp , (shelled and deveined)
- ¼ cup chopped green onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- Cooked white rice or brown rice
Instructions
- Sauté the aromatics. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the green bell pepper, onion, celery, and garlic and cook until the vegetables become tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
- Bloom the spices and cook the flour. Stir in the Cajun seasoning and cook for 1 minute for the spices to bloom and become fragrant. Sprinkle with the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes so the flour loses its raw flavor.
- Simmer to thicken. Stir in the chicken broth (or water or shrimp stock), then the diced tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf, kosher salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and hot sauce. Bring to a simmer then reduce to low and cook for 20-25 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Add more broth or water as needed.
- Cook the shrimp. Add the shrimp and cook just until opaque and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add more broth or water if the broth is too thick.
- Garnish and serve. Taste for seasoning then sprinkle with green onion and chopped parsley, and serve over white or brown rice.
Notes
Nutrition
More Easy Meals with Shrimp
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Sad Cajun
No roux ? It cannot be Creole. Oof.
Lynn Bordelon
Perfect recipe, great for a winter evening! Makes me think of home!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Lynn!