Another dish with as many variations as cooks, Shrimp (or chicken) Creole* simply invites experimentation. Once the basic elements of the trinity, tomatoes, peppers, herbs, stock, salt and sugar are dealt with, the preparation is only limited by the cook's own personal preferences.
Yes, the common elements of Creole, Cajun? The basic trinity: onion, celery** and bell peppers. The white trinity? There are various descriptions but the most elementary is onion, celery and parsnips. Tomatoes are vital even though they must be a fairly recent addition. Pepper is not native to the Western Hemisphere but adds a lot to the dish. Cayenne peppers are native and are absolutely vital in this dish. Herbs such as thyme and tarragon, perhaps with an addition of basil, give depth to the preparation. Butter? Yes. Citrus juice? Yes. Sugar, molasses or sorghum? Yes.
Shrimp Creole doesn't need a roux and this makes it an easy dish to prepare. It can simmer for hours and only develops more depth and flavor through that time. Put it in a slow-cooker, set on low and let it go for 8 hours or more? Heaven in the mouth.
Ok, fine... enough of the pontificating and on with the cooking.
Quick shrimp stock
- 2 pounds raw shrimp, shelled (don't toss those shells and keep the shrimp for your creole)
- 2 tablespoons butter
Melt the butter over low heat. Add the shrimp shells, stirring them around until they turn pink. Add a little more water than the amount needed for your recipe and simmer until the full aroma of shrimp has developed, 30 minutes or so. Remove from heat, cool and strain. Toss the shells and keep the stock in the fridge or freezer.
Now that the stock is ready to go, let's get on with the actual Creole....
- 1/2 cup oil
- 3 onions, chopped
- 2 large bell peppers, chopped
- 5 celery ribs, chopped finely
- 10 large tomatoes, peeled or equivalent canned
- cayenne pepper, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- white pepper, to taste
- 1 T thyme
- 1 T tarragon
- 1 T basil
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar
- bay leaves
- 6 green onions, white and green parts chopped
- 1 c parsley chopped fine
Put your dutch oven on the cooktop, add oil and bring up to heat. When oil is shimmering, add onions, celery and pepper, Reduce heat and soften, about 45 minutes, stirring ocassionally.
Add the tomatoes and other ingredients down to and including the bay leaves.
Keeping heat medium low, simmer this mixture for 2 hours or until it has reduced by about a quarter and thickened.
At this point the sauce can be put in the fridge for up to 2 days. Keeping it will only improve the final flavor, so go ahead!
When it's time to serve your creole, bring the sauce back to the cooktop and bring up almost to a boil very slowly. Stir in the shrimp. Cook until shrimp are pink but be careful not to overcook them as they will be extremely chewy if too done.
Stir in green onions and parsley. Remove from heat.
Serve with a scoop of rice.
That's all there is to it! Go ahead and try a creole, experiment with herbs and proportions. After all, cooking isn't a science, it's an art...
* What or who is Creole? There is no easy answer but this old article may shed some light on the question: First Creoles
** I am not clear on the celery availability some centuries ago. There may be native varieties, such as celeriac and, if so, please let me know.
