I must begin this post with an apology to all fellow foodies from the state of Louisiana and Mississippi who at first sight are likely to shudder at the sight of the words Shrimp creole & jiffy, in the same sentence. As many of you may know, Shrimp Creole is a staple from Louisiana, southern USA.
It's the land of crawfish etouffee, jambalaya, incredibly, sweet tea hot muggy weather and bayous. Anyone who knows anything about these parts knows two things, words like quick & jiffy do not figure in the vocabulary down here. Here, slow & easy rules.
If you know not of which I speak, 3 things are in order:
1) Read Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells or if you really are in a hurry (get the irony?)
2) Rent the movie Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood (though in my humble opinion it does not do justice to the book)
3) Or road trip?
The origins of this dish are steeped in Louisiana Creole influences which owes its roots to French & Spanish heritage.
The dish consists of cooked shrimp in a mixture of pureed, whole or diced tomatoes, onion, celery and bell pepper, spiced with hot pepper sauce, and served over steamed or boiled white rice.
Here's the kicker, traditional methods deem that we do not use roux (flour) in the thickening process like so freely done for jambalaya & gumbo. In fact, the sauce is to be slowly thickened to proper consistency.
In view of this being a weeknight dinner, I have thrown tradition to the wind and used the roux. Hence, refer para (1) of said apology. That said, here goes ~
I get the cooked shrimp directly from the fishmonger or if you have raw shrimp you can cook it by sauteing 1-2 tbs oil for a few minutes till it turns just pink.
Do not overcook, it will cook further in the gravy.
Prepare the ingredients -
Onions - Peel and chop. Enough to get 1-1/2 cups
Red bell pepper - Cut away top and halve. Remove membrane & seeds. Chop to get about 1/2 cup
Green bell pepper - Cut away top and halve. Remove membrane & seeds. Chop to get about 1/2 cup
Celery - Cut away leaves and bottom 2" of white stalk. Slice into 3 thinner stalks and chop 1-1/2 to 2 stalks to get 1 cup chopped celery.
Garlic - Peel, discard skin & & slice
Shrimp - Peel, discard tails and set aside.
In a heavy bottom pan, cast-iron pan (preferably) or dutch oven, heat olive oil. Add butter and allow it to melt.
Add the chopped vegetables and saute for 10 minutes on medium heat.
Once the vegetables are soft, add 2 tbs all-purpose flour. Saute for another minute or so.
Add 2 cans of tomato sauce or combination of sauce & diced tomatoes, clam juice, salt, sugar, hot sauce & cayenne pepper. Bring to simmer. The sauce being so thick will bubble & splatter.
Stir and fit the pan with a tight fitting lid. On low heat, simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Add the shelled cooked shrimp. Stir & cover the pan with a tight fitting lid. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
Serve immediately on cooked white rice.
This simple, perfect for busy weeknights or weekends is delicious and not at all spicy. The tomato base and vegetables work very well with the shrimp and is perfect served with rice.
A simple one-dish-meal that is a plate of comfort at its best!
Recipe for
In a Jiffy, Shrimp Creole
Preparation time - 10 minutes
Cooking time - 30 minutes
Serves 4
Shopping list
1 lb cooked large shrimp
1/2 red bell pepper (for 1/2 cup chopped)
1/2 green bell pepper (for 1/2 cup chopped)
1 large onion (for 1-1/2 cup chopped)
1 - 1/2 stalks celery (for 1 cup chopped)
2 garlic cloves
2 cans tomato sauce (8 oz each)
1 8oz bottle clam juice
2 tbs all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Louisiana hot sauce
1 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
Preparation
Onions - Peel and chop. Enough to get 1-1/2 cups
Red bell pepper - Cut away top and halve. Remove membrane & seeds. Chop to get about 1/2 cup
Green bell pepper - Cut away top and halve. Remove membrane & seeds. Chop to get about 1/2 cup
Celery - Cut away leaves and bottom 2" of white stalk. Slice into 3 thinner stalks and chop 1-1/2 to 2 stalks to get 1 cup chopped celery.
Garlic - Peel, discard skin & & slice
Shrimp - Peel, discard tails and set aside.
Cooking method -
In a heavy bottom pan, cast-iron pan (preferably) or dutch oven, heat olive oil. Add butter and allow it to melt.
Add the chopped vegetables and saute for 10 minutes on medium heat.
Once the vegetables are soft, add 2 tbs all-purpose flour. Saute for another minute or so.
Add 2 cans of tomato sauce or combination of sauce & diced tomatoes, clam juice, salt, sugar, hot sauce & cayenne pepper. Bring to simmer. The sauce being so thick will bubble & splatter.
Stir and fit the pan with a tight fitting lid. On low heat, simmer for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Add the shelled cooked shrimp. Stir & cover the pan with a tight fitting lid. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
Serve immediately on cooked white rice.
Enjoy!
