Cooking Crab Creole Shrimp

A staple of Louisiana cooking crab Creole shrimp is a delightful dinner and very easy to make.

Where does Creole come from

Creole cooking is a native Louisiana cuisine. It is a combination of several cooking styles that where brought to the Louisiana area from France, Spain, Africa and sometimes Italy. As you explore Creole cooking you will discover a wide variety of foods including seafood. Creole cooking also tends to be a bit spicy so when cooking crab Creole shrimp you will find that you need cayenne pepper. Another native food of the Louisiana area is Cajun cooking. They are similar in many aspects like the ingredients they use and the spiciness of the cuisines. But they differ in the fact that Cajun cooking is based on French provincial cooking while Creole cooking is based on classical style cooking. So with Creole you will find a lot of classical cooking methods used. For example many of the sauces used in Creole cooking are based on the sauces found in classic cooking. There are some differences between classical cooking and Creole cooking such as in classical cooking most sauces and soups will use a mirepoix of Onions, carrots and celery while with Creole cooking most of the sauces and soups will use a mirepoix of onions, celery and bell peppers.

Get Sauced

In the classic cooking world there are five mother sauces: Béchamel, Espagnole, Tomato, Hollandaise, and Veloute. These are sometimes called Leading sauces. From the mother sauces you can make most of the sauces you would need. Any sauce made from a mother sauce is called a small sauce.  

Creole sauce is a small sauce based off of the Tomato mother sauce. 

Once you have made your Tomato sauce you will need:

4 Ounces of onion diced small

4 Ounces sliced celery

2 ounces of green peppers small diced

1 Tablespoon of chopped garlic

1 Quart of tomato sauce

1 Bay leaf

A pinch of thyme

½ Teaspoon of grated lemon rind

Salt

Pepper

Cayenne pepper

In a 2-quart saucepan sauté the onion, garlic, celery and green pepper in olive oil.

Then add the tomato sauce.

Add the Bay leave and the thyme.

Let simmer for 15 minuets

Add salt, pepper and Cayenne pepper to taste.

This is a basic Creole sauce that you can use if you are cooking crab Creole shrimp or any other Creole style food.

Lets get Creole Cooking

The general recipe that I gave you above is good but if you want to be cooking crab Creole shrimp you will need:

1 Pound of shrimp peeled

1 Pound of cooked crabmeat

5 Ounces of butter

1 Cup of Green peppers small diced

1 Cup of onions small diced

1 ¾ Pounds of tomatoes diced

¼ Teaspoon of thyme

4 Cloves of garlic minced

2 Teaspoons of parsley

1 Teaspoon of paprika

1 Bay leaf

1 Tablespoon of cornstarch

Salt

Pepper

Cayenne pepper

In a two-quart pot sauté the peppers and onions in 2 ounces of butter

Add the bay leaf, tomatoes, thyme, garlic, parsley and paprika

Let this simmer for about an hour. If it doesn’t thicken to the right consistency add the cornstarch and whisk until it thickens

While the sauce is simmering sauté the shrimp in 3 ounces of butter with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper.

After the sauce has simmered for an hour add the shrimp and crab to the sauce

Remove the bay leaf.

Serve over white rice.

The best way to make white rice is to use a two to one water to rice ratio. Add a bit of salt to the water and bring the water to a boil. Add the rice and bring to a boil again. Then reduce the heat so the water is now just a simmer. It should be done in about ten minuets.

  

Cooking Crab Creole Shrimp

Creole cooking has a rich history of flavorful dishes. From desserts like Creole Cream cheese to tasty sides like Creole Hush puppies. As you explore Creole cooking you will discover tasty variations of classic dishes.