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Easy Shrimp Creole is a spicy, chunky tomato and green pepper mixture that coats tender shrimp to make a hearty family meal done right! Your family will be jazzing during dinner with this classic Southern meal!
Bring the taste of New Orleans into your home with this easy-to-make Shrimp Creole. The shrimp are simmered in a spicy tomato sauce, and the dish is served over rice. For more shrimp recipes try this Sticky Honey Garlic Butter Shrimp, this delicious Cajun Garlic Butter Shrimp, and this comforting Cajun Garlic Shrimp and Grits.
Easy Shrimp Creole
This easy shrimp creole is my new favorite shrimp dish! I grew up in the North, so these delicious and heartwarming Southern dishes are still new to me. As I’ve started branching out and trying new things, I’ve fallen in love with Southern cuisine! This recipe originated in Southern Louisiana, where Gulf shrimp are famous. I have enjoyed my time in Louisiana and have learned so much about their style of cooking.
Every time I travel I love to try the local foods. Traveling is where I have found some of my favorite recipes like my fish and chips recipe, Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, and the best fried chicken I’ve ever had. There is nothing like experiencing life through other people’s food!
Ingredients
There are so many ingredients you can include in this easy shrimp creole! This is a list of the most basic ingredients, but you could also add bay leaves, thyme, cayenne pepper, cajun seasoning, and the list goes on! However you fix it, you are going to love the blend of flavors in this dish. You can find measurements below in the recipe card.
- Olive Oil: I prefer olive oil for the flavor and it can handle a lot of heat. You can use your favorite oil, or whatever you are used to cooking with
- Green Bell Pepper: They are a little sweet, and add lots of flavor to this meal. They just get better over time!
- Onion: Add lots of flavor to the dish, and help make all of the other flavors in the dish shine.
- Celery Stalks: I like to cut off the tops and the white ends, and dice them into small pieces. You want them to cook quickly and be the perfect bite size.
- Garlic Cloves: Fresh garlic adds a sweet and savory flavor. It makes for a great sauce.
- Stewed Tomatoes: You can find stewed tomatoes in a can in the canned tomato section. Even though I don’t use a specific brand, you should be able to find them at your local grocery store.
- Tomato Sauce: I also buy this from a can.
- Chicken Broth: You could also use vegetable stock or shrimp stock.
- Chili Powder: Chili powder adds a little kick. If you prefer more spice, you can add more chili powder or hot sauce.
- Worcestershire Sauce: This sauce makes such an amazing base for any dish.
- Shrimp: This is the key ingredient!
- Cornstarch: This helps thicken up the sauce.
- Water: Helps to make more sauce.
Easy Shrimp Creole Recipe
I love this easy shrimp creole recipe because it’s a one-pot recipe that makes such a flavorful and delicious dinner. It’s tasty with cauliflower rice and garnished with fresh parsley. This is a hearty and filling meal that the whole family will love this creole cooking. The best part is that cleanup is a breeze, and the leftovers are incredible.
- Add Ingredients: Add olive oil to a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, onion, and celery and cook until tender. After cooking the pepper and onion until tender, add the garlic and saute for a minute.
- Cook: Add stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, chili powder, and Worcestershire sauce. Add shrimp, cover and let simmer for about 5-7 minutes until the shrimp are cooked.
- Thicken: Mix the cornstarch and water, stir into the sauce, and cook for 1-2 minutes to let the sauce thicken.
Tips for Making Shrimp Creole
I think you are going to love making this shrimp creole because it’s simple and delicious. Plus, you only need one pot or large skillet, making it a breeze to clean up. Additionally, it makes great leftovers, so you can enjoy it the next day. Furthermore, here are some tips for variations and ways to make it your own.
- What to Serve It With: We love to serve this shrimp creole with white rice. If you prefer something other than rice, you can enjoy it with mashed potatoes or pasta, such as angel hair. It is best garnished with parsley and/or green onions. Lemon juice adds great sweetness and flavor to the overall dish.
- Alternative Protein: If you are looking for other types of meat to serve with this, sausage or catfish are great substitutions. Catfish and shrimp also blend well with this meal.
- Using Different Stock: If you prefer a more fish-flavored stock, such as shrimp or seafood stock, you can replace the chicken broth with that added flavor.
- Garnish: Top with bright green parsley and salt to taste, to make your dish more beautiful and appetizing.
Storing Leftover
Easy shrimp creole makes such good leftovers! The flavors just get better with time. The only thing you have to watch out for is not overcooking the shrimp when you reheat it. I like to put it back on the stove and warm it really slowly, definitely not letting it get too hot.
- In the Refrigerator: You can keep your leftovers in an airtight container or the pot you cooked it in covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
More Shrimp Recipes to Try
After trying this shrimp creole, you are going to be in the mood for shrimp all the time! This dish is what made me fall in love with shrimp. I love all of these recipes, and I think you are going to love them too!
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Easy Shrimp Creole
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 14.5 ounce can stewed tomatoes
- 1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 pound large shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon water
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, onion, and celery and cook until tender. After cooking the pepper and onion until tender, add the garlic and saute for a minute.
- Add stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, chili powder, and Worcestershire sauce. Add shrimp, cover and let simmer for about 5-7 minutes until the shrimp are cooked.
- Mix the cornstarch and water, stir into the sauce, and cook for 1-2 minutes to let the sauce thicken.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
You did not say what to do or when to add the garlic to the shrimp creole does it go with the other vegetables or do you wait until they’re almost cooked before you put the garlic in
Hi Carol, I am sorry about that. Thanks for letting me know I missed that. The garlic should be added at the end of step 1, after cooking the pepper and onion until tender toss the garlic in and sauté for a minute before adding in the other stuff. I hope that helps!
Too much tomato flavor, the tomato sauce was really not needed. It wasn’t spicy enough so I added more.
There is no way the prep time can be 5 minutes, with having to dice the vegetables, and peel shrimp.
The recipe should be updated on where to add garlic.
At what step is the garlic added?
Step one with the onions, peppers, and celery!
Delicious will resapice to my friends and family
I didn’t see where to add Garlic so I added when I cooked veggies.
I made it tonight and it was very good. You don’t mention when to add the garlic so I winged it and added with the stewed tomatoes.
love it, thank you, great flavors, I always just make a scampi so this is a refeshing change
Can I use seafood broth instead of chicken?
I’ve never tried this before but it should work fine!
I like this recipe. For us it was 2 generous servings without a lot of calories. I did dice about 30 grams of andouille and added to the celery, onion, bell pepper. It has a little more tomato per quantity of shrimp than some recipes, but that’s fine. I like that it uses olive oil rather than butter. I even like that it doesn’t start with a roux. For a weeknight supper I think adding a tablespoon of cornstarch and water at the end is just simpler and quicker than a roux. I thought it was interesting that it called for chili powder. I added about 1/4 tsp. salt, some black pepper, about 1/4 tsp. thyme, and several shakes of hot sauce. If I had thought about it I would have added a squeeze or two of lemon.