Shrimp Creole Recipe (2024)

Shrimp Creole coming your way, my friends. I love this recipe. It's an easy shrimp recipe for one. Everyone needs those quick and easy recipe ideas for when you're just too busy to spend time in the kitchen.

Creole shrimp is one of those recipes you can have done and on the table in 30 minutes or so, maybe a little longer if you're a slow cook like me. The only real work is a bit of chopping and prepping. Then it's just simmering.

It's super satisfying, too, a perfect dish for the spicy food lover, loaded with big flavor. Shrimp Creole, my friends!

It's a recipe that's been around forever, and it's open to certain interpretations, so feel free to customize here and there to your personal tastes. I hope you enjoy it.

Let's talk about how to make shrimp creole, shall we?

Shrimp Creole Ingredients

• Olive Oil. For cooking.
• Cajun Holy Trinity. You'll need green bell pepper, or use jalapeno peppers for a spicier version, onion, celery, and garlic. Bell peppers are traditional.
• Tomatoes. Use both tomato paste and chopped tomatoes.
• Stock. Use shrimp stock for a more pronounced seafood flavor, or use chicken stock or chicken broth.
• Creole Seasonings. Try my homemade creole seasoning recipe, or use your favorite.
• Additional Flavors. Worcestershire sauce, Louisiana style hot sauce, bay leaves, salt and pepper.
• Shrimp. Peeled and deveined. Gulf shrimp are great, though any shrimp will work here.
• For Serving. Cooked white rice, chopped parsley or use green onions, sliced peppers, extra hot sauce, spicy red pepper flakes.

How to Make Classic Shrimp Creole - the Recipe Method

Peppers and Onions. Making Shrimp Creole is easy enough. Add the onions, peppers, celery and garlic to a pan over medium heat with some oil and cook until they soften up.

Tomato Paste. Next, stir in some tomato paste and cook it down about a minute.

Liquids and Seasonings. Then, add canned tomatoes, stock, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, Creole seasonings and bay leaves. Adjust for salt and pepper to your preferred levels.

Simmer the Creole Sauce. Stir it all together, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 20 minutes to thicken and let the flavors develop. You can simmer longer if you’d like.

Cook the Shrimp. Remove the bay leaves, then add the shrimp and tuck them under the sauce. Cook another couple minutes, or until the shrimp is nicely pink and cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serving the Shrimp Creole. Finally, serve it over rice, if desired, sprinkled with parsley, extra hot sauce and extra peppers! Or just eat it out of the pan. It's OK. Really.

I served mine over this new, awesome Cajun Cauliflower Rice Recipe. SO good. Works great as an appetizer, too.

Recipe Notes and Tips

• Heat Factor. I like to use the classic Cajun Holy Trinity to start - onion, pepper and celery - though I'll either substitute jalapeno peppers for the bell, or I'll toss a jalapeno into the mix, or sometimes something spicier, like a serrano pepper, or maybe a habanero pepper. Ghost pepper, anyone? Yeah, you can go REALLY spicy on this if you'd like.Just don't surprise your dinner guests, OK?
• Variations. The creole sauce is an excellent base for including other ingredients. Try it with different meats or seafood, like crawfish or white fish. It's also great with pasta noodles.

Cookbook Recommendation

If you enjoy Louisiana cooking, including Cajun and Creole cuisine, I have found this book very informative with lots of great recipes and techniques.

• Louisiana Real and Rustic, by Emeril Lagasse
• Check out my own cookbook for spicy cooking - "The Spicy Food Lovers' Cookbook"

Storage & Leftovers

Storing yourShrimp Creolein anairtight containerin the fridge may allow you to store the leftovers for up to 3-4 days. To maximize the storage life, make sure to refrigerate it promptly.

Check Out Some of Our Other Popular Cajun Dishes

• Cajun Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
• Cajun Pasta with Shrimp and Smoked Sausage
• Creole Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
• Mike's Spicy Gumbo
• Crawfish Etouffee
• Cajun Corn Maque Choux
• Seriously Awesome Jambalaya
• Crockpot Jambalaya
• Hoppin' John
• Cajun Red Beans and Rice
• Creole Chicken
• Chicken Fricassee
• Boudin Balls

Try Some of My Other Popular Shrimp Recipes

• Grilled Buffalo Shrimp
• Habanero-Honey Glazed Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
• 10 Minute Grilled Shrimp and Sausage Skewers
• Shrimp with Chipotle-Bourbon-Butter Sauce
• Shrimp in Fiery Chipotle-Tequila Sauce
• Bang Bang Shrimp
• Camarones a la Diabla (Diablo Shrimp)