This is the best version I have found
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 lbs medium-size shrimp
- 2 1/2 cups seafood stock
- 1/4 cup chicken fat or oil
- 2 1/2 cups onions chopped
- 1 3/4 cups chopped celery
- 1 3/4 cups chopped green bell peppers
- 4 tbs unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons tabasco sauce
- 1 tbs thyme dried
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sweet basil dried
- 3 cups tomatoes chopped, (fresh or canned)
- 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
- Carbohydrate 25.7842931308145 g
- Cholesterol 155.04211 mg
- Fat 12.5273679419762 g
- Fiber 6.3332773349402 g
- Protein 24.6158558188069 g
- Saturated Fat 5.0019308364739 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (554g)
- Sodium 1597.08862092689 mg
- Sugar 19.4510157958743 g
- Trans Fat 1.32436511367801 g
- Calories 302 calories
Step-by-step
- Rinse and peel shrimp; refrigerate until needed. Use shells for shrimp stock if making fresh.
- Heat the chicken fat or oil over high heat in a 4 quart saucepan. Add 1 cup of onions and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Lower heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring frequently until onions are a rich brown color but not burned, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups onions, the celery, bell peppers and butter. Cook over high heat until the bell peppers start to get tender, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic, bay leaf, salt and peppers; stir well. Then add the Tabasco, thyme, basil and 1/2 cup of the stock. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes to allow the seasons to marry and vegetables to brown further, stirring occasionally and scraping pan bottom well.
- Add the tomatoes; turn heat to low and simmer 5 minutes stirring bottom of pan and scrapping occasionally.
- Stir in the tomato sauce and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the remaining 2 cups of stock and the sugar. Continue simmering for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Cool and refrigerate if made the day before. Or if serving immediately, turn heat off and add the shrimp; cover the pot and let sit just until shrimp are plump and pink about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Serve immediately. To serve mound 1/2 cup rice on each heated serving plate; spoon 1 cup shrimp Creole around the ring and arrange 8 or 9 shrimp on the sauce.
Most cooks ruin seafood stews by boiling the protein directly in the hot liquid until it turns tough and rubbery. Protecting the delicate texture requires a careful balance of heat application and timing. Raw shrimp should only touch off-heat residual warmth, resting covered for five to ten minutes until plump and pink.
Building the Foundation
The thick consistency relies entirely on browning aromatics correctly. Caramelizing the initial batch of onions over medium-low heat for up to five minutes creates deep fond on the bottom of the four-quart saucepan. Scraping this browned residue into the simmering tomatoes builds natural thickness without needing flour or cornstarch.Controlling Moisture and Heat
Simmering the vegetable base for fifteen minutes reduces excess liquid from the fresh tomatoes and stock. Chicken fat adds superior mouthfeel compared to neutral oils, though rendered duck fat serves as an identical one-to-one substitute if needed.Make-Ahead Management
Preparing the base a day in advance actually improves the depth of flavor as the spices meld. Cool the completed sauce rapidly before refrigerating, then reheat gently on the stove before dropping in the fresh seafood.
