Haitian Creole Shrimp, a delicious recipe
Creole Shrimp is easy and quick, perfect for a weeknight dinner or a weekend gathering. This recipe is flavorful and perfect with white rice!
You hear the words Creole Shrimp all over the Internet, and you think it is a complicated dish to prepare. No, no, no! I sometimes wonder if the word Creole is mentioned only to intimidate and not differentiate how the dish is made. Many dishes are defined as Creole because of their preparation, as mentioned earlier, and their origin.
A Creole dish in Haiti means a tomato-based sauce with spices, herbs, and sometimes hot pepper. In general, Creole-style food is a meal with influences from West African, Spanish, French, and Amerindian.
The ingredients you need for the Creole Shrimp recipe:
- Large shrimps cleaned and deveined
- Olive oil
- Garlic cloves chopped
- Tomato paste (organic preferably)
- Shallots, red or white onions chopped or julienned or sliced
- Parsley chopped finely
- Hot pepper thinly sliced and no seeds (scotch bonnet or habanero pepper preferred) or Hot Sauce, or Crushed Red Pepper
- Water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Few drops of lemon or lime juice
How to make Creole Shrimp
All Creole foods do not necessarily need to be hot and spicy. With the right amount and spices, anyone can enjoy it, whether you are a newbie at tasting spicy foods or not. The use of pepper in many Creole dishes is a traditional preparation way. If the pepper’s membrane and seeds are removed, you are left with a delightful mild peppery taste.
However, a pepper such as the scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, common in Caribbean and Creole cuisine, must be used with precaution. The scotch bonnet and habanero give dishes a pleasant hot peppery taste when used in moderation.
For the Creole Shrimp, the hot pepper is optional. You can also substitute white or red onions for shallots. As far as tomato paste, I like using organic tomato paste because of its color and taste. It is just my personal preference. I also use fresh crushed tomatoes in the sauce. The taste is fresher and more delicious.
Tips and Notes
- Use Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, or Noubess Hot and Spicy Sauces.
- Buy shrimp that are already deveined to save on time.
- Use red onion, white onion, or shallots.
- If you want to use fresh tomatoes, use about 2 – 3 tomatoes, cut into small cubes and cook on medium heat until the pieces have turned into a sauce.
Creole Shrimp can be served with rice or boiled or fried root vegetables.
Enjoy!
Creole Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 lb large shrimps cleaned and deveined
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 – 5 garlic cloves chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp tomato paste (organic preferably)
- 1 cup shallots, red or white onions chopped or julienned or sliced
- 1 tbsp parsley chopped finely
- 1/8 tsp hot pepper thinly sliced and no seeds (scotch bonnet or habanero pepper preferred)
- 1/2 cup water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Few drops of lemon or lime juice
- Noubess Hot Sauce optional
Instructions
- Deveine shrimps and clean with lemon or lime quickly. Rinse with cold water, pat dry and set aside.
- In a large skillet deep enough to hold shrimps, heat oil, add garlic and shrimps. Let cook while stirring for about 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and let cook for 1 additional minute. Remove shrimps from heat and set aside. In same skillet, add tomato paste and stir to mix with remaining oil and garlic left in pan. Add shallots or onions, parsley, hot pepper and stir to incorporate. Add water, salt and pepper to taste and let simmer until the sauce thickens. Return shrimps to skillet, add a few drops of lemon or lime juice, stir and let cook thoroughly about 2 – 3 minutes. Remove from heat and serve immediately with rice or boil/fried root vegetables
Notes
- Use Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, or Noubess Hot and Spicy Sauces.
- Buy shrimp that are already deveined to save on time.
- Use red onion, white onion, or shallots.
- If you want to use fresh tomatoes, use about 2 – 3 tomatoes, cut into small cubes and cook on medium heat until the pieces have turned into a sauce.
Nutrition
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
Nutrition info is automatically generated and provided as a courtesy and as an estimate only.
Originally published June 19, 2014. Updated with additional content and images.
