Meatless Friday: Simple Shrimp Creole

Barb Szyszkiewicz shares a simple recipe for a Southern favorite dish that takes less than 30 minutes to make.

Shrimp Creole is a dish I avoided cooking for years because I thought it involved a lot of work and a long cook time. This recipe is very quick to make! Once you have all your ingredients gathered and the vegetables are chopped, start the rice so everything will be ready at the same time.

Simple Shrimp Creole

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp Creole seasoning (see below)
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 bay leaf
16 oz. tomato sauce
1 cup water (I use the water from rinsing the tomato sauce cans)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 lb. raw medium shrimp; peeled, tails removed
Tabasco sauce to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon slices for garnish

Directions

Heat a heavy skillet over medium meat. Add oil. When it begins to shimmer, add onion and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables begin to soften (about 10 minutes). Add garlic and other seasonings and cook 2 minutes more, stirring until well mixed. Add tomato sauce, water, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered 10 minutes or until sauce thickens. Stir in shrimp, cooking a minute or two until shrimp is firm. Season with Tabasco, salt, and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaf. Serve over hot cooked rice with lemon slices to garnish.

A simple recipe for a Southern favorite dish that cooks in less than 30 minutes. #catholicmom

It's easy to make your own Creole seasoning blend from ingredients you probably already have in the house! Save an empty spice bottle and mix this up in minutes. Catholic Mom writer Karen Ullo frequently shares this seasoning blend mix with her recipes.

Eileen’s Creole Seasoning:

2 tbs. salt
1 tbs. ground red pepper
1 tbs. chili powder
1 tbs. garlic powder
1 tsp. black pepper

Place all ingredients in an empty spice bottle and shake to combine.

Copyright 2021 Barb Szyszkiewicz
Image copyright 2021 Barb Szyszkiewicz. All rights reserved.