Shrimp Creole @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: I used to make shrimp creole often, especially for dinner guests, but for some reason it fell off my rotation. Then I spotted this recipe and thought I’d like to try again, especially since Key West is famous for pink shrimp. I tried it a second time using frozen gulf shrimp, which turned out fine. I also increased the celery and adjusted some of the spices to our liking. (Half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper makes the dish pretty hot!)

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons butter or olive oil

1 large onion, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

1 green or red bell pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon black or white pepper

1/4 to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 Tablespoon flour

1/3 cup dry white or red wine 

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes 

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

2 bay leaves

Hot pepper sauce, to taste

1.5 lb large uncooked shrimp , (about 32)

4 cups hot cooked rice, for serving

Saute the celery, pepper, and onions in the butter or oil until soft. Add the garlic and sauté another minute or so. Mix together the flour and spices and add this to the pan to cook for several minutes. Stir in the wine, tomatoes, bay leaves, and stock, and simmer until well-combined and slightly thick. 

At this point you can refrigerate the sauce to use the next day. Or add the shrimp and simmer until they turn pink. Serve this over rice, with a green vegetable such as peas on the side.

Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mysteries. A DISH TO DIE FOR has been awarded the Florida Book Awards bronze medal for popular fiction! A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS (#13 in the series) is now available for pre-order...