Shrimp Creole

A Creole, unlike Etouffe which is Cajun, is made with tomatoes. This tomato-based sauce is cooked relatively quickly (unlike red gravy) so that the vegetables remain distinct and somewhat crisp. Creole sauce is Spanish in origin and was probably carried to Louisiana by the Los Isleños. The folks in New Orleans prefer the Creole Tomato for this dish as it has the richest tomato taste of any variety grown in the US (no lie!), but any tomato used for sauce will do.

1 pound peeled and cleaned large shrimp
1 chopped onion
1 chopped bell pepper
2 ribs chopped celery
2 minced cloves garlic
3 tablespoons butter
1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 tablespoon Creole Seasoning (more or less to taste)
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
cooked rice

Saute the onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic in the butter.

Drain the tomatoes and add them to the skillet (reserve the juices). In a 2-cup measuring cup add the juice from the tomatoes, the tomato sauce, Creole Seasoning and enough water to make 2 cups of liquid. Mix well. Add this mixture and the bay leaf to the skillet. Simmer uncovered until it thickens slightly and starts to take on the consistency of a sauce.

Taste for salt. Add the shrimp and parsley and cook until the shrimp are done, just a few minutes. To serve mound the rice in the center of a plate. Surround the rice with the Shrimp Creole.

Another way to serve this is to make Confetti Corn Bread–Crusted Shrimp Creole. Or, if you serve this with rice and have some creole leftover, bake the rest the next night in individual casserole dishes with the cornbread topping. Cut the topping recipe back to match the amount of the creole you have left.