Mardi Gras Shrimp Creole (Printable)
A spicy Louisiana dish featuring shrimp in a rich tomato sauce, paired with fluffy white rice.
# What You Need:
→ Seafood
01 - 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
→ Vegetables
02 - 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
03 - 1 green bell pepper, chopped
04 - 2 celery stalks, chopped
05 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
06 - 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
07 - 1/4 cup tomato paste
08 - 2 green onions, sliced, for garnish
09 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
→ Liquids
10 - 1 cup seafood or chicken broth
11 - 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
12 - 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
→ Spices & Seasonings
13 - 1 1/2 tsp Creole seasoning or Cajun seasoning
14 - 1/2 tsp paprika
15 - 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, optional
16 - 1 bay leaf
17 - 1/2 tsp dried thyme
18 - Salt and black pepper, to taste
→ Rice
19 - 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
20 - 3 cups water
21 - 1/2 tsp salt
→ Fats
22 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter
23 - 1 tbsp olive oil
# How To Cook:
01 - Bring 3 cups water and 1/2 tsp salt to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in rice, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 15–18 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
02 - Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery. Sauté for 6–7 minutes until vegetables are softened.
03 - Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Add tomato paste, diced tomatoes with juices, bay leaf, thyme, paprika, Creole seasoning, cayenne if using, Worcestershire sauce, and broth. Bring to a simmer.
05 - Reduce heat and let sauce simmer uncovered for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
06 - Add shrimp and lemon juice. Stir well, cover, and cook 3–4 minutes, just until shrimp turn pink and opaque. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Discard bay leaf.
07 - Serve shrimp Creole over hot rice. Garnish with green onions and parsley.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The sauce develops this deep, almost smoky sweetness that makes you want to lick the spoon in front of company.
- Shrimp cook so fast you can pull this together on a Tuesday when you swore you were ordering pizza.
02 -
- Shrimp cook from the outside in, so the moment they look done they are already overdone, pull them early.
- The sauce needs to be slightly too salty on its own because the rice will mute everything.
03 -
- Buy shrimp with heads on if you can find them, the shells make a quick broth that will change your life.
- The sauce tastes better the next day, so make extra and hide it from yourself.