April 22, 2024

Shrimp Creole 4_2024

Shrimp elegance

Shrimp Creole is a richly seasoned tomato-based seafood dish that is simply elegant, delicious and quick to prepare. I have made it with a roux and without a roux; and both are delicious, but the roux creates a thicker sauce. I love the sauce that remains after all the shrimp are gone, which can be eaten with the rice or wiped up with a piece of French bread.

My recollection of shrimp has not always been elegant. Every shrimping season my mom would contact the “shrimp man” to buy some shrimp. He would come right off the boat and drop off about 75 pounds of fresh shrimp to our home. The ice chests would be ready with ice outside and the square plastic containers stacked in the kitchen. Newspapers would be laid on the table and an old metal pie pan would be placed in front of sister and me. Mom or Dad would scoop a large amount of shrimp from the ice chest, and we would begin to de-head the shrimp, all 75 pounds of them! They were cold and slippery, and the antennae was often longer than the shrimp itself. You had to be careful not to stick yourself with the rostrum on top of its head. We often found little crabs in the shrimp harvest.

Mom would take the batch we peeled and rinse them several times in both sides of the sink. Then a couple handfuls of shrimp and some water would be placed in each container and closed with its tight lid. There were also a few smaller containers for future dishes that needed some shrimp, such as stuffed peppers. This treasure from the Gulf of Mexico was then placed in stacks in the large upright (extra) freezer.

It was vital to have another freezer in the house to store the seafood so you can have shrimp available any time. The frozen shrimp was then defrosted, and the shrimp had to be peeled and de-veined. The reward for our work was a fried shrimp po-boy (sandwich) on crusty French bread.

Supplies

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
2 pounds Gulf Shrimp (peeled & de-veined) -medium size 41/50
2 cups seafood stock
Dash of Worcestershire Sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon thyme
Parsley
Salt and pepper
Creole Seasoning (Paul Prudhomme’s Shrimp Magic Seasoning®)

Preparation

Peel and de-vein shrimp, sprinkle Creole Seasoning and put in fridge.

In a heavy gauge pot create a roux by heating flour and oil and stirring constantly until it thickens and turns light brown. This will take several minutes. Add diced onions, celery and bell peppers and sauté about 5 minutes or until they are tender and a little brown. Stir the vegetables and roux constantly and scraping the pan bottom well.

Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes and stir well.

Then add creole seasoning, garlic, basil, thyme and parsley.

Continue to stir a little longer, then gradually add the seafood stock to reach the desired consistency and amount of sauce.

Simmer over low to medium heat for about 20 minutes. Add the peeled and de-veined shrimp. Cook until shrimp are pink. Add additional Creole Seasoning to taste.