My favorite Shrimp Creole recipe is delicious and so easy to make that you’ll be sitting down to eat in about 30 minutes. A classic dish of Louisiana Creole origin where buttery shrimp are tossed in a zesty sauce of tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, celery, garlic and spices, all served over hot cooked rice.
It took several tries to come up with a recipe for Shrimp Creole that I felt was worthy to share with you. Some were too salty or too bland, others had so much sauce that you couldn’t taste the shrimp. This version thickens naturally (no cornstarch required) and is easy to modify to suit your taste.
How is shrimp creole different from gumbo, jambalaya and Étouffée?
Though you’ll find many of the same flavors and ingredients in shrimp creole (like the ‘holy trinity‘ of onion, bell peppers and celery) that you do in gumbo and jambalaya, creole dishes are typically thicker, spicier and served on top of hot rice rather than having the rice cooked and or stirred in to the dish. Shrimp Étouffée is another similar dish, but made with a roux (flour and fat cooked together to use as a thickener) base instead of a tomato base.
More of my favorite classic southern recipes
- Slow Cooker Jambalaya
- Skillet Cornbread
- Cornbread Pudding
- Fried Green Tomatoes
- Remoulade Sauce
- Shrimp Remoulade
- Crab Cakes
How to Make Shrimp Creole
Step 1: In a large skillet, soften onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic in melted butter.
Step 2: When vegetables are soft, add tomatoes, Creole seasoning, bay leaf and Worcestershire sauce. Stir and simmer 5 minutes.
Step 3: Add raw shrimp to tomato mixture; cook and stir until pink and cooked through.
Step 4: Serve Shrimp Creole over hot, cooked white rice.
Shrimp Creole Recipe video
Shrimp Creole
Ingredients
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion diced small
- 2 ribs celery diced small
- 1 medium green bell pepper diced small
- 3 large garlic cloves minced
- 14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
- 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning or more
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- Louisiana-style hot sauce such as Tabasco brand, to taste
- 1 pound medium shrimp peeled and deveined, tails removed
- chopped fresh parsley to taste
Instructions
- Cook rice according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, green bell pepper, celery and garlic; cook and stir for 7-10 minutes until tender.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and add tomatoes with juice, Creole seasoning, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaf; stir and simmer 5 minutes, allowing flavors to meld. If desired, add more Creole seasoning and hot sauce to taste.
- Increase heat to medium-high and add shrimp; cook and stir until shrimp is pink and cooked through. Serve over hot white rice, sprinkled with desired amount of chopped fresh parsley.
Katherine | Love In My Oven says
March 4, 2019 at 7:55 pmI’m still working on getting the boys to like shrimp, but hubby and I love it!! I know we’d be all over this dish, it would be gone in no time!
Marissa says
March 6, 2019 at 4:46 pmhaha, they’ll come around, Katherine! 😉 Thank you!
Johannah says
June 30, 2019 at 5:56 pmThis is excellent I doubled the recipe so I could share with family! This is definitely a keeper.
Marissa says
July 2, 2019 at 9:17 amThat’s wonderful, Johannah! Thank you for letting me know!
Ben|Havocinthekitchen says
March 4, 2019 at 5:07 pmI’m not quite familiar with the Louisiana cuisine (Except probably jambalaya). And while I’ve tried similar shrimp combinations, I have to try Shrimp Creole yet. This recipe sounds delightful!
Marissa says
March 6, 2019 at 4:46 pmThanks, Ben!
Leanne | Crumb Top Baking says
March 4, 2019 at 4:01 pmWhen it comes to seafood, shrimp is my favourite. So I can’t believe I have never tried shrimp creole! It looks so spicy and flavourful, and I bet it is so hearty and filling on top of that bed of rice!
Marissa says
March 4, 2019 at 4:15 pmShrimp really is SO good and versatile! I hope you give this a try, Leanne! 🙂
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary says
March 4, 2019 at 12:44 pmThis shrimp looks absolutely DEEEEELISH, Marissa!!!! I’m a huge fan of shrimp anything, and I’m loving the creole flavors here! Those shrimp look so buttery and succulent! Tossed in that zesty sauce with plenty of veggies?! YUM! I need this in my life! Pinned!
Marissa says
March 4, 2019 at 4:15 pmaww…thanks so much, Cheyanne!
Lynn says
April 10, 2019 at 5:37 pmMade this according to the recipe but added 8 oz. can of spicy tomato sauce. So good! Normally make a roux for Shrimp creole but this was really good for a week night dinner. Thanks.
Marissa says
April 10, 2019 at 7:22 pmThat’s so great to hear, Lynn. I’m glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for coming back to let me know.
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
March 4, 2019 at 8:57 amWe LOVE Creole dishes Marissa! So much flavor! And shrimp is always on our menu. Can’t wait to try this.
Marissa says
March 4, 2019 at 4:16 pmFantastic! Thanks, Mary Ann!
Valentina says
March 4, 2019 at 8:40 amThis is such a fantastic, healthy, packed-with-flavor meal. After all that testing to perfection, I’m sure it’s amazing. So much flavor in so little time! It’s also so vibrant and pretty — makes me want to dive right in.
Marissa says
March 4, 2019 at 4:16 pmThank you, Valentina! I love how you put that: “So much flavor in so little time!”
annie@ciaochowbambina says
March 4, 2019 at 8:05 amSuch a fun dish! My mouth is watering just thinking about those zesty flavors!! Yum!
Marissa says
March 4, 2019 at 4:17 pmThank you, Annie!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
March 4, 2019 at 5:11 amI’ve never had shrimp creole before, but would certainly love to try! Love how rich the sauce is! And you really can’t beat meals that come together in 30 minutes that look this good 🙂 Happy Monday to ya!
Marissa says
March 4, 2019 at 4:17 pmThank you! I think you’d love it, Dawn!! Have a great week!
David @ Spiced says
March 4, 2019 at 4:57 amYou had me at Shrimp Creole! I love Cajun and Creole food, and I’m always looking for fun ideas to make around Mardi Gras time. I haven’t made Shrimp Creole in years, and I totally need to fix that problem. This version sounds (and looks) fantastic!
Marissa says
March 4, 2019 at 4:18 pmLove to hear that, David! Thank you!
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says
March 3, 2019 at 4:34 pmLove how easy this is! And how full of flavor! Have a great week, Marissa!
Marissa says
March 4, 2019 at 4:18 pmThanks so much, Kelsie! You too!
Liz says
March 3, 2019 at 3:41 pmOh, how delicious! Perfect for Fat Tuesday and leftovers work well for Ash Wednesday!!! Love the Creole flavors.
Marissa says
March 4, 2019 at 4:19 pmThanks, Liz! Creole flavors are addictive!
Dorothy Dunton says
March 3, 2019 at 12:01 pmHi Marissa! This will be on my plate very soon! I always have all these ingredients on hand which makes it an easy last minute dinner! My favorite hot sauce is Tabasco. I also like Frank’s Red Hot but I usually use that on chicken or nachos. Unlike some dishes that are holiday specific, Cajun and Creole are on constant rotation here!.
Marissa says
March 4, 2019 at 4:20 pmHi Dorothy! I bet you make some fabulous Cajun and Creole dishes!! Thanks so much, my friend!
angiesrecipes says
March 3, 2019 at 1:11 amThe shrimp look so succulent and delicious. I always love tomato based sauce, so this is definitely a must try.
Marissa says
March 4, 2019 at 4:21 pmYay! Thanks so much!
Kevin says
March 2, 2019 at 7:23 pmAdd this to the menu for Mardi Gras! What a fabulous looking dish!
Marissa says
March 4, 2019 at 4:21 pmAbsolutely! Thanks, Kevin!
Kelly | Foodtasia says
March 2, 2019 at 9:15 amMarissa, the flavors in this are so delicious! My family would love it! Thanks for your explanation of the difference between creole, gumbo, jambalaya and Étouffée. I recognized that they are very similar but wasn’t sure about the differences.
Marissa says
March 4, 2019 at 4:21 pmMy pleasure! Thanks so much, Kelly!
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
March 2, 2019 at 6:27 amThis would make a nice dinner for a Mardi Gras party.
Marissa says
March 4, 2019 at 4:21 pmIt really would! I love how you think, Karen!