Shrimp Creole

This recipe comes to us courtesy of Cathy LeBlanc of Catholic Mom in the Country.

My husband and I discovered this Shrimp Creole recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, “The Basics of Creole Cooking”, which is put out by Tony Chachere’s.  You can buy it on their website for around $3.00, and it is definitely worth the investment!  Awesome recipe!  I’ve added notes in parenthesis for the changes I’ve made to the original recipe, because, as a Cajun, I rarely follow recipes exactly as they are written =)  Although, I do follow this one unusually close.

1 onion, chopped

1/2 bell pepper, chopped (if it’s on the smaller side, I use a whole one)

2 cloves garlic, chopped (I use more like 5 or 6 cloves, because you can never have too much garlic!)

1 rib celery, chopped (I don’t usually put the celery)

4 Tbsp. margarine (I use real butter)

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

1 cup water (I usually just fill the empty tomato sauce can with water to make sure I get all the sauce out the can)

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. crushed bay leaf

1/2 tsp. basil

1 lb. peeled shrimp (seasoned liberally with Tony Chachere’s seasoning and a few shakes of the bottle of worcestershire sauce.  The recipe doesn’t call for the worcestershire sauce, but we like it that way.  I chop the shrimp into bite size pieces, so you get more shrimp per bite, and I season it and put it in the fridge to marinade while the sauce is cooking)

In a Dutch oven, saute vegetables in butter/margarine for 5 minutes, or until softened; add tomato sauce, water, thyme, bay leaf, and basil.  Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.  Add seasoned shrimp and simmer for 45 more minutes.  If sauce is too thick, add water (I never have to do this).  Serve over steamed rice.  SO GOOD!  I usually serve this with a homemade french bread (to help sop up the gravy – yummy!), and a green salad on the side.  This is really one of our all time favorite meals.  It comes out perfect every time.  Enjoy!  Bon appetit!

Image courtesy of NathanReed on Flickr.com.