Shrimp Creole – A comforting plate of goodness with succulent shrimp simmered in a perfectly seasoned tomato sauce. Easy, tasty and comes together in 30 minutes.
If you like really flavorful and spicy but not overly hot food, you really should try this shrimp creole style. It’s not laden with butter and it’s on the table in 30 minutes. Perfect for this kind of weather.
Here is a great tasting shrimp creole stew that can be successfully made on a weekday with not much stirring involved. This stew is made without roux (a mixture of equal parts of oil and flour.) used as a thickener or to add flavor to stews. This stew is great with no flour; the tomatoes thicken the sauce – a great recipe for those that are on a gluten free diet.
Creole shrimp is a true Louisiana specialty starring shrimp and co-starring sausage in a mixture of diced tomatoes and, of course, flavored with the holy trinity of Southern cooking – onion, celery, bell pepper, and a kick from the hot sauce.
This is my take on this shrimp creole stew – a somewhat thick stew loaded with hearty pieces of smoked sausage and shrimp.
Can you make this stew without sausage? Yes, absolutely. Although, I like the addition of smoky sausage. It makes it oh-so-enticing!
Don’t forget to make this homemade Creole Seasoning and make this a pantry staple at home. This mighty seasoning adds depth and richness to any dish plus it’s quick to put together and can be easily customized to your personal preference.
Shrimp creole is most often paired with rice. So have some white rice to go with this, along with bread. Enjoy!
Tips and Notes:
- If you don’t have creole seasoning handy, you can always go simply with salt and pepper.
- You may replace the 8 oz. sausage with 1 pound shrimp if you don’t like any sausages in your stew.
Watch How to Make It
Recipe was first published on October 2014 and has been updated with tips, notes and video.
Shrimp Creole
Ingredients
- ½ pound large shrimp
- 1/4 cup olive or canola oil
- 8 oz smoked sausage , replace with shrimp
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1/4 cup celery , diced
- 1 small bell pepper , chopped
- 1-2 Teaspoons fresh thyme
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons creole seasoning or more
- 1/2 - 1 canned 14.oz stew tomatoes , replace with 2-3 tomatoes
- 2 cups or more broth/water
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon bouillon powder , optional
- 1-2 green onions , chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Lightly season the shrimp with creole spice. Heat about 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat in a heavy bottomed Dutch.
- Sauté shrimp for about 1- 2 minutes .
- Then add sausage sauté until browned on both sides and remove. Set aside
- Add remaining oil followed by onions, celery, green pepper, thyme and garlic. Stir for about a 2-3 minutes. Then add bay leaf creole spice, followed by tomatoes, chicken broth, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Bring to a boil , simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add bouillon as needed or omit completely.
- Toss in shrimp, sausage and green onions adjust for salt and thickness. Cook for about 2-3 more minutes. Garnish with parsley. Serve over white rice or fettuccine.
Nutrition Information:
Lightly season the shrimp with creole spice. Heat about 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat in a heavy bottomed Dutch. Sauté shrimp for about 1- 2 minutes. Then add sausage sauté until browned on both sides and remove. Set aside
Add remaining oil followed by onions, celery, green pepper, thyme and garlic. Stir for about a 2-3 minutes. Then add bay leaf.
Followed by creole spice, tomatoes, chicken broth, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil , simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add bouillon as need or omit completely.
Toss in shrimp , sausage and green onions adjust for salt and thickness- cook for about 2-3 more minutes . Garnish with parsley .Serve over white rice or fettuccine
Morgan says
I recently went to Cheesecake Factory and ordered their Shrimp and Andouille Sausage Creole. I thought I should make it at home, I came across this recipe and it looked wonderful. I made this tonight and not only did it taste exactly what I got at Cheesecake Factory but it was so easy to make. So yummy! Definitely must try!
imma africanbites says
Thank you! It’s such a delight that you like this recipe. Thanks for letting me know.
Morgan says
I recently went to The Cheesecake Factory, there I ordered Andouille & Shrimp Creole in tomato sauce. It was wonderful so I thought I should make this at home. I found this recipe and tried it tonight. It was amazing and tasted exactly like what I got at Cheesecake Factory! This will be a new fav for me, everyone please make, it is so yummy and easy and worth it!
Theresa says
This is such a good recipe!! Winner winner, another successful dinner! Thank you!! We did a small bit of grated smoked gouda which helped tone down the heat thank goodness; I was a little heavy handed with creaole seasonings and hot sauce. We will definitely make this again!
Kristy says
I made this using Slap ya mama creole seasoning and crawfish in addition to the shrimp and Applegate chicken apple sausage. I served it over rice cauliflower… Delish! 5stars!!!
I will definitely make this again
Beverly A Burton says
If I do not have stewed tomatoes what else can I use?
ImmaculateBites says
Diced tomatoes would work as well.
ali says
I am making this tomorrow. I live in New Orleans and this sounds like the best recipe yet. I don’t always follow recipes. I like to add my own spin, but I don’t think I need to do anything different.
Tasha says
Stew tomatoes or fresh tomatoes? I’m confused.
ImmaculateBites says
Stewed tomatoes.
Donna says
Love your recipes. I made this using your Creole Cajun Spice recipe and it was delish!!
I thickened it with a bit of glucomannan fiber. Perfect!!
Ann Cole says
I made this tonight and it was delicious. I’m still a little unclear about the total amount of shrimp if you’re not using sausage. Is it a total of 1 pound of shrimp or a total if 1-1/2 pounds of shrimp? Thanks.
ImmaculateBites says
Total of 1 1/2 pounds of shrimp.
Kathie says
Can leftovers be frozen?
ImmaculateBites says
They sure can.
Cynthia Ludwig says
When you say bouillon do you mean chicken or beef? Also I would like the recipe to be a little thicker. For those of you who have thicken the recipe, what did you use?
ImmaculateBites says
Chicken Bouillon. To thicken the recipe use cornstarch about 1/2 tablespoon.
Phyllis says
I start out with a roux to thicken
Lina says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I substituted the bell pepper for two whole habanero peppers. It came out delicious with a nice kick to it! This will definitely become a staple in the house. 🙂
I didn’t have bay leaf or worchestersire sauce on hand. Used water and a chicken bullion cube (along with creole seasoning). Next time I will try to use canned tomatoes to make the soup thicker. Fast, simple, and delicious.
Lilly says
I was a bit skeptical serving this dish to children. Understand, these children are quite PARTICULAR and don’t care for spice or kick of any kind.
Long story short this recipe was an absolute HIT with the entire family!
God bless you Imma!!
Rachael Elizabeth Smith says
Hi! I want to make sure I read the recipe correctly – is it calling for half of one can of stew tomatoes?
imma africanbites says
Hi, Rachel. It’s 1/2- 1 can of 14 oz canned stew tomatoes. It depends on your preferred consistency as tomatoes here are used as the thickening agent.
Carole Schuster says
This dish was absolutely delicious, spiced perfectly with lots of flavor. I used more shrimp and sausage than the recipe called for, and next time will use an extra can of tomatoes and more broth so I have more sauce for the leftovers. Will definitely make it again and try out some of African bites other recipes!
imma africanbites says
Glad you love it, Carole! And thanks for letting me know.
Samantha says
I made this for my boyfriend yesterday. He loved it!!!
imma africanbites says
Yaaay! Glad it turned out great for you, Samantha.