Shrimp Creole

This southern Louisiana shrimp dish is cooked with tomatoes, onions, peppers and celery. Adjust the spice to your preference, but don’t be scared of a little heat!

With Fat Tuesday right around the corner, I was craving some Creole food and I knew exactly who to go to, my friend Mary from Deep South Dish. Her blog features authentic coastal southern recipes. I adapted this to make it lighter and used ingredients I had on hand.

Turned out delicious and it was quick and easy to make. Serve this over white rice, brown rice or would even be great over quinoa.

Shrimp Creole
Adapted from Deep South Dish
Gina’s Skinny Recipes
Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1/4th • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 211.9 • Fat: 4.6 g • Carb: 17.6 g • Fiber: 4.2 g • Sugar: 7.8 g • Protein: 25.8 g

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
14-ounce can of diced tomatoes
8 oz tomato sauce
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp Cajun Seasoning such as Slap Your Mama (more or less to taste)
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp of all purpose flour (1 tsp corn starch for gluten-free)
2 tbsp water
1 lb of large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp hot sauce, to taste
1 medium scallion, sliced
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
salt to taste

Directions:

In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, green bell pepper, garlic and celery and saute until tender. Add tomatoes and tomato sauce, cayenne pepper, cajun spice, bay leaf and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer 20-30 minutes.

Make a slurry of the flour and water and stir into the tomato mixture. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Lightly season the shrimp with the Cajun seasoning and add immediately to the tomato mixture. Add Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce; stir together. Cook for another 5 to 6 minutes, or until shrimp is opaque and cooked through, adjust salt if needed.

Add chopped green onion and parsley and serve.

Shrimp, Peas and Rice

This dish brings back memories of my youth. I lightened my parent’s original recipe and the results were just as delicious. Serve this with a vegetable on the side like sauteed string beans. Whenever shrimp is on sale, buy a pound or two and ask them for the frozen shrimp since all shrimp sold has been previously and is thawed in the store, this way you can freeze it and use it only when you need it. Note, when weighing your shrimp, peel it first. The peel is almost 1/4lb so 1-1/4 lbs usually yields 1 pound.

Shrimp, Peas and Rice
Gina’s Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 4 • Size: 1/4th • Time: 30 minutes • Old Points: 7 pts • Points+: 8 pts
Calories: 322.8 • Fat: 7.9 g • Protein: 23.5 g • Carb: 36.1 g • Fiber: 2.8 g

Ingredients:

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined (weight after peeled)
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
2 cups fat free chicken broth
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 tablespoon light butter spread (I used Smart Balance light)
2 tsp plus 1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 tbsp chopped parsley
salt and fresh pepper

Directions:

In a medium size heavy pan melt butter spread. Add rice and saute about a minute. Add chicken broth and peas and bring to a boil. When all liquid is absorbed reduce heat to low and cover. Cook on low for about 15 minutes, until rice is cooked through.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tsp olive oil over medium heat. Season shrimp with salt and pepper and add to hot pan. Cook about 2-3 minutes, until shrimp is cooked through. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to the skillet and add rice. Add grated cheese, shrimp, and parsley and saute another minute, mixing well.