New Orleans Shrimp Creole

⏱ 50 min · Serves 4

A soulful, tomato-rich Creole classic built on a golden roux and the holy trinity of onion, celery and pepper. Plump shrimp poach right in the sauce so they stay sweet and tender, and it all lands over a mound of fluffy rice. Weeknight-friendly, deeply comforting.

Per serving: 545 kcal · 40.0g protein · 68.0g carbs · 12.0g fat

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 2 celery sticks, finely diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 200ml tomato passata
• 250ml chicken or shrimp stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp hot sauce, plus more to serve
• 1 tsp sugar
• 650g raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 4 spring onions, sliced
• 3 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Salt and black pepper
• 300g long-grain rice, cooked, to serve
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Method

1. Melt the butter in a wide heavy pan over medium heat, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 4–5 minutes until it smells nutty and turns the colour of peanut butter.
2. Add the onion, celery and pepper with a good pinch of salt. Cook 8 minutes until softened, stirring often so the roux doesn't catch.
3. Stir in the garlic, smoked paprika, thyme and cayenne and cook 1 minute until fragrant.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes, passata, stock, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and sugar. Bring to a simmer.
5. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Taste and season well.
6. Pat the shrimp dry, season lightly, then stir into the sauce. Cook 3–4 minutes, just until pink and opaque — no longer.
7. Off the heat, fold through the spring onions and most of the parsley. Fish out the bay leaf.
8. Spoon over hot rice, scatter with the remaining parsley and serve with lemon wedges and extra hot sauce.