Shrimp Creole
I
developed my version of this classic Creole/Cajun dish directly from Justin
Wilson's cookbook written in 1964. This is certainly
delicious. Using shrimp stock instead of water adds impeccable flavor to this dish.
Preparation Time: 2 Hours Serving Size: 6
- 1 pounds shrimp, shelled
and deveined, shells retained for stock
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
- 4 ribs celery, trimmed and chopped (1/2 cup)
- 1/2 of a large green pepper, trimmed and chopped (1/3 cup)
- 1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped
- 32 ounces canned whole tomatoes
- 2 cups shrimp stock from retained shells
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- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large or 2 small bay leaves
- 3 cups cooked rice
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Place shrimp shells in a small saucepan; add 2 1/2 cups
of water. Place lid on saucepan and simmer slowly without boiling for 20 minutes. Remove from heat to cool. Strain and set aside,
discarding shells. Add water, if necessary, to equal two
cups. Sauté onion, celery, and green pepper in large skillet over medium-low heat
until tender. Add parsley and stir. Crush tomatoes over the pan and stir. Add shrimp
stock, tomato sauce and garlic. Simmer slowly for 10 minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce and
cayenne pepper, salt and bay leaves. Simmer slowly 45 minutes to 1 hour,
stirring occasionally. Add shrimp and cook just until shrimp
turn pink. Serve over cooked white rice. Traditional Cajun and Creole cooking wisdom says
that the slower a dish is prepared, the better it will taste. Also, one should STIR in
every addition to the dish as it is added instead of lumping ingredients in at one time
and then stirring. |
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