Easy Shrimp Creole

Easy shrimp creole has rich, deep flavor yet comes together in just 25 minutes! Serve over steamed rice for a delicious and quick shrimp dinner.

 

One of my favorite go-to shrimp recipes is this honey garlic shrimp. Just 5 ingredients and 10 minutes to make, and that sauce is so scrumptious.

And this garlic butter shrimp is just 15 minutes and delicious served over pasta to soak up that yummy sauce.

And for an appetizer, these spicy roasted shrimp are perfect - and so easy!

But you guys might know that we also adore some Cajun flavors in my house.

Cajun chicken pasta is creamy and flavorful and made all in one pot, while this Cajun sausage skillet is my favorite thing to make with smoked sausage.

This classic chicken and sausage gumbo will give you a taste of New Orleans with its authentic flavor. It’s an involved meal, but it’s so worth it for a special occasion.

Today though, we’re keeping it easy, as I tend to do.

This easy shrimp creole has deep, rich flavor and yet comes together in just 25 minutes! 

Using stewed tomatoes in this dish helps us have that slow cooked flavor in a fraction of the time, since that hard work was done before we open the can.

This dish also features the “trinity” of onion, green pepper and celery, plus Marsala wine and a bit of Cajun seasoning to tie everything together.

It’s seriously scrumptious.

So let’s get cooking.

(You can also check out my Google web story for this quick shrimp creole recipe.)

Now, I’ve got some notes and tips coming up below on how to make shrimp creole. Just tryin’ to be helpful.

If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.

Notes on making easy shrimp creole:

• Shrimp size: I used a pound of extra large shrimp, which come 26-30 a pound. You can substitute another size shrimp, but you’ll need to adjust your cooking time.
• Frozen shrimp: The shrimp need to be completely thawed (more on that in a minute) as well as peeled and deveined for this recipe. Please plan accordingly. (You can ask your seafood counter to prep these for you if needed. Or buy the deveined easy-peel frozen shrimp that are almost ready to go for you.)
• Shrimp tails: You can leave the tails on the shrimp if you prefer. It adds some extra flavor while cooking, but can be a bit more fussy for eating. Up to you.
• Marsala wine: This is a fortified Italian wine that’s sold in most grocery stores. It keeps well in the pantry and adds big flavor to dishes.
• Cajun seasoning: I use a homemade Cajun seasoning blend (it’s from one of Emeril Lagasse’s cookbooks), but a store-bought kind is fine, too. It just might be a little more salty.

Are your shrimp frozen? No worries. Mine are too most of the time.

Fun fact: Buying frozen seafood is often the best way to get it super fresh if you don’t live right by the coast. That’s because the seafood is flash frozen right after it’s off the boat, preserving it at peak freshness.

And in some places, the “fresh” seafood in the grocery store counter was actually previously frozen and has already been thawed, so its shelf life is ticking down.

Here’s what to do if you’re using frozen shrimp.

How to thaw shrimp (2 ways):

– You can place frozen shrimp in the refrigerator (in a well sealed container) overnight to thaw.

– You can thaw frozen shrimp quickly by placing them, frozen, in a colander and rinsing them in the sink with cold water for 2-3 minutes, until they are completely defrosted.

Since the first option takes a little more planning and foresight, I’m often in camp option number two. And it works great every time.

OK, let’s get ready to eat.

We enjoy shrimp creole over some steamed brown rice - white would work too of course - and it makes a pretty fantastic meal.

You could also use cauliflower rice to keep it lower in carbs if desired.

You can also add some sliced green onions or chopped fresh parsley for a pop of freshness if you’d like.

And I set out some hot sauce on the table to go with this as well.

Last thing, what to do with leftovers. 

Leftover seafood doesn’t keep or reheat that great, so this is really best served as soon as it’s made.

That said, you can store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days and reheat over medium low heat on the stove until warmed through. Just be careful not to overcook the shrimp when reheating or they’ll get rubbery.

I hope you give this shrimp creole a try for an easy shrimp dinner with big flavor!

Enjoy!

XO,

Kathryn