Shrimp Creole Recipe

Name: Shrimp Creole
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: ½ cup butter ((1 stick)); 1 ½ cups onion (chopped); 1 ½ cups celery (chopped); 1 tablespoon garlic (finely chopped); ¼ cup tomato paste; 2 tablespoons paprika; 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning; 1 ½ cups chicken stock; 1 cup tomato juice; 1 cup diced tomatoes; 1½ teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce; pinch cayenne pepper; pinch white pepper; 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch (or arrowroot); 4 tablespoons water; 3 pounds raw shrimp; 4 cups cooked white rice; ¼ cup fresh parsley; Tabasco Sauce

Shrimp Creole is a tomato-based shrimp dish that is a taste of Southern Louisiana. It is the melting pot of classic Creole cooking and the wholesome Italian flavors found in New Orleans. Shrimp Creole is loaded with succulent shrimp, juicy tomatoes, and flavorful spices and herbs.

Shrimp Creole is a traditional dish from Louisiana that is another one of my husband’s favorite recipes. We love to serve it over fluffy white rice with a few slices of buttered french bread and a few dashes of Tabasco Sauce.

A lot of Creole cuisine in New Orleans is Italian-inspired, and the two cuisines are known for their use of tomatoes and lots of seasoning. This Easy Shrimp Creole recipe is no exception! This is one of our favorite shrimp recipes to make for a weeknight dinner, because it doesn’t take very long to prepare, but it tastes like it cooks for hours.

A red bowl of shrimp creole with rice and french bread.

Table of Contents

🥘 Ingredients Needed
🍽 Equipment Needed
🥣 How to Make It
🙋‍♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
🍳 How to Serve It
🥫 How to Store Leftovers
Looking for More Shrimp Recipes?
✏️ Helpful Tips
More Cajun & Creole Recipes
Shrimp Creole Recipe

🥘 Ingredients Needed

The ingredients in shrimp creole laid out and labeled.

Shrimp Creole recipes begin with what is called the “holy trinity” – onion, celery, and bell pepper. Sometimes, we just start with onion, celery, and garlic when that’s all we have. It’s delicious either way!

Butter – I always used salted butter because I love salt on all things all the time, but unsalted is just fine. Just adjust the salt later! (If you need to make it dairy free, you can use olive oil.)
Yellow Onion, chopped
Celery, chopped
Green Bell Pepper, diced
Garlic, finely chopped
Tomato Paste
Paprika
Italian Seasoning
Chicken Stock, Chicken Broth, or Shrimp Stock
Tomato Juice (See notes on tomatoes about how to adjust the amount of juice when using fresh vs. canned tomatoes)
Tomatoes – If you have fresh tomatoes from the garden, this is a great use of those. I love to use fresh Romas from my garden. If I don’t have any fresh tomatoes, I will use canned diced or whole peeled tomatoes and include their juices, and I will use less tomato juice from the previous step. Basically, if the tomatoes have a lot of juice, you probably don’t need to add as much extra juice.
Worcestershire Sauce
Cayenne Pepper
White Pepper
Cornstarch or Arrowroot – If you use arrowroot, you can make this recipe Paleo. If you use cauliflower rice, when you serve Shrimp Creole, you can also make this recipe a low-carb recipe (even Whole30 if you use ghee or olive oil instead of butter, but let’s not get too crazy!)
Water
Fresh Shrimp, that has been peeled and deveined – We like to use gulf shrimp that are sized 16-20 or 21-25. If you get a bag of shrimp from the grocery store or a seafood store, they have a number that tells you how many shrimp are in a pound if you buy that size. The smaller the number, the bigger the shrimp will be.
Optionally, you can add bay leaves if desired.

For Serving

Cooked White Rice – Use cauliflower rice to make this Paleo and Low Carb.
Fresh Parsley or Green Onions to Garnish
Hot Sauce – To Spice it Up. We like to use Tabasco Sauce.

🍽 Equipment Needed

A Medium-Sized Pot or Dutch Oven – You can also use a large skillet that has tall sides.
Measuring Cups and Spoons
A Sharp Knife and Cutting Board
A Rubber Spatula or Large Spoon

🥣 How to Make It

Peel and devein the raw shrimp, including the tails.

How to Peel and Devein Shrimp

To peel the shrimp, use your fingers to pull and twist to remove the heads. Then, from the underside of the shrimp, peel each side of the shell, starting from the front and going all the way back to the tail.

Devein the shrimp by cutting a straight line along the outside, following the dark line down the middle. Use a sharp paring knife. Using the tip of the knife, scoop out the black vein or the “poop chute,” then rinse the shrimp and pat dry. Repeat for all shrimp. You can also do the same on the inside of the shrimp if desired.

Cook the Shrimp Creole

Melt the butter in a large pot or saucepan. Add the onion, celery, green pepper (if you’re using it), and garlic, and cook until tender, for about 5 – 8 minutes. (Pictures 1 – 4)

Add the tomato paste, paprika, and Italian Seasoning and cook for an additional 3 minutes. (Picture 5 – 6)

A collage of images showing how to make shrimp creole, steps 1 - 5.

Add chicken stock or broth, tomato juice, tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and white pepper, and stir. I like to mash up the tomatoes a little. (Pictures 7 – 8) (If you use whole, canned tomatoes, you might also need to blend the tomatoes up a little with an immersion blender.)

Bring this delicious creole tomato sauce to a boil, then simmer for 8 – 10 minutes, stirring frequently. (Pictures 9 – 10)

A collage of images showing how to make shrimp creole, steps 6 - 10.

While the mixture is simmering, combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl to make a slurry.

Gradually add the cornstarch mixture to the tomato sauce and let the sauce thicken, stirring constantly. (Pictures 11 – 12)

Now add the shrimp and fresh parsley. (Pictures 13 – 14) Cook for about 5 – 8 more minutes, just until the shrimp are no longer translucent. Do not overcook the shrimp. (Picture 15)

A collage of images showing how to make shrimp creole, steps 11 - 1 q5.

Serve with more fresh parsley and white rice. Add more salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste. (My husband also likes to add a little Tabasco Sauce.)

A blue bowl of shrimp creole with rice and french bread on the side.

🙋‍♀️ Frequently Asked Questions

What can you do with leftover Shrimp Creole sauce?

If you have any leftovers of your delicious sauce, you can freeze it for another use. The spicy Creole sauce is so delicious – it should never be wasted! Defrost the sauce, then bring it to a simmer and add a half-batch of shrimp to feed two people for a smaller dinner!

What makes this dish “Creole”?

Shrimp Creole is a Creole dish because the sauce is a tomato-based sauce. Tomatoes are a common addition to most Creole dishes (and many dishes from Southern Louisiana and New Orleans because of the Italian influence on those dishes.)

What kinds of tomatoes are used in Shrimp Creole?

This Shrimp Creole is a fun recipe because you can always use what you have and make adjustments. You can use fresh tomatoes in season, canned diced tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, whole peeled tomatoes, or crushed tomatoes – whatever you’ve got! If you use fresh tomatoes, you might need to add extra juice – with canned tomatoes, you might need less juice.

Is Emeril Lagasse’s Shrimp Creole recipe the best recipe?

I don’t know about Emeril’s recipe – I’ve never tried it. I’m pretty partial to our family recipe, but you can give it a try and let me know 😉

Can something be used in place of shrimp?

If you don’t like shrimp, you can use a different protein, but obviously, it won’t be shrimp creole anymore! You can try lobster, crab, clams, or fish. Chicken thighs would be really good if you don’t like seafood or if you have a shellfish allergy – it would be similar to chicken cacciatore.

Is Shrimp Creole normally served with grits?

It can be – we like to serve it with hot rice. I like grits with cheese in them, and I don’t really feel like cheese goes with this dish, so I think the rice goes perfectly. If you try it with grits, let me know!

🍳 How to Serve It

Serve shrimp creole with white rice, crunchy French bread, and a splash of Tabasco Sauce.

Button linking to the Pinterest page for Southern Bytes.

Two bowls of shrimp creole, one red and one blue, with french bread and rice with three spoons.

🥫 How to Store Leftovers

Shrimp Creole should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and reheated slowly over low heat. It will keep for a few days.

If you have leftover sauce, but you eat all the shrimp, you can save it for another time in the freezer. When you’re ready to use it, defrost the sauce, bring it to a simmer, and cook another batch of shrimp in it. Yum! It is a really easy and quick dinner. (And it is a delicious recipe!)

Looking for More Shrimp Recipes?

✏️ Helpful Tips

Do not overcook the shrimp – they can become tough and chewy. Shrimp will form a soft c and will no longer be translucent once fully cooked.
To reheat shrimp creole, reheat slowly over low heat.
If you have leftover red sauce but no shrimp, you can freeze the sauce and save it for another meal. It is really quick to defrost and make another batch with fresh shrimp – it’s a great easy shrimp recipe for a busy night!