tonia's shrimp creole

When we were at the beach back in April, Mike had a bowl of shrimp creole that he could not stop talking about. I decided to try fixing it at home and came across a few recipes, but none sounded just right to me. I ended up using a few recipes to create my own version. You guys, it's soooo good! We've had it several times over the past few months. We like ours pretty hot, so be careful with how much creole seasoning you use. It's fine to start with one tablespoon and add more. 

Besides being delicious, I love that this recipe fits right in with my new love of one-pot meals. 


Tonia's Shrimp Creole

2 lbs medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
2 lbs smoked sausage, sliced (I like Ekerich)
16 oz chicken broth
28 oz. crushed tomatoes
1 small tomato paste
1 bell pepper, diced
1 white onion, diced
1/2 bunch celery, diced
4 gloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup flour
2 Tbs creole seasoning + 1 tsp for dusting

In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil and butter together over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, green bell pepper and celery and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, saute 1 minute. Mix in flour and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in chicken broth, scraping bottom of pan. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper,  1 tablespoon creole seasoning, bay leaves & sausage. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover & simmer for about 30 minutes or until reduced and thickened. 

Now you're ready to add the shrimp. Right before adding, rinse the shrimp well and dust with about 1 tsp creole seasoning. Let sit for about 3-5 minutes (no more than 5 minutes or the salt in the seasoning will pull all the moisture from your shrimp). Add shrimp to pot and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes, or until shrimp is opaque and cooked through. Remove bay leaves. Serve over rice with hot crusty bread and a salad.