Shrimp Creole
From Creole Gumbo and All That Jazz by Howard
Mitcham
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of flour
1 cup of finely chopped celery
1 large green pepper, stemmed seeded and finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic minced
6 green onions, finely chopped
2 medium onions, finely diced
3 large tomatoes, peeled and diced (or 1 16-oz can of
tomatoes, drained and chopped, with their juice)
3 tablespoons parsley chopped
1/2 teaspoon cayenne or Tabasco
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon mace
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 bay leaves
1 cup of red wine
2 cups of shrimp stock
salt and pepper
steamed rice
5 pounds (20 count) shrimp
Peel the shrimp and refrigerate the meat. Put their shells
in a pot with six cups of water, a stick of celery, one
half of an onion and four black peppercorns. Boil for one
half hour and set aside.
Melt the butter in a heavy pot; add the flour and cook,
stirring constantly with a wire whisk until you have a dark
brown roux. Add the celery, onions, green pepper, garlic
and green onions. Cook the mixture, stirring frequently
until vegetables are soft and transparent. Add the
tomatoes, the paste, parsley, cayenne, lemon juice, wine,
all of the herbs and spices and the bay leaves. Add two or
more cups of the strained shrimp stock. Season with salt
and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for
an hour or more. Be careful not to scorch the pan and thus
burn the sauce.
After the sauce is well cooked, add the peeled shrimp,
raise the heat and bring to a boil. Simmer for 3 to 5
minutes. Serve over steamed rice in a soup plate.
Often a dish like this is even better the second day as the
flavors mingle and combine.
Serves 8