8 to 10 servings
YouTube instructional video is at the bottom.
What you’ll need
4-pounds medium-sized Louisiana shrimp
3 six-ounce cans tomato paste
1 Large tomato
Salted or unsalted butter
Jasmine rice
Seasonings
Yellow onion
Celery
Green bell pepper
Garlic
Fresh or dried oregano
Fresh or dried basil
Fresh or dried thyme
Fresh or dried parsley
Bay leaves
Salt
Black pepper
Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning
Chef Paul’s seafood magic
Crushed red pepper flakes (Optional)
Cayenne pepper (Optional)
Preparation of ingredients
Seasonings and herbs
Step 1- Chop half of a yellow onion, 2 ribs celery and half of a green bell pepper. Press 3 cloves garlic with a garlic press. You can also chop the garlic with a knife if you don’t have a garlic press. Make sure you rinse off your celery and green bell pepper before you chop it.
Step 2- Rinse off your fresh Oregano, basil, thyme, and parsley. Remove the leaves off of the stems of the oregano. Chop oregano leaves until minced. Remove the leaves off of the stems of the basil. Chop the basil leaves until minced. Glide the leaves off the stems of the fresh thyme. Chop the thyme leaves until minced. Cut off the stems to the fresh parsley. Chop the parsley leaves until minced.
Tomato
Step 3- Rinse 1 large tomato off with cold water. Cut the tomato in half. Dig the insides of the tomato halves with a spoon and place the insides into a shallow bowl. You will only use the outer skin of the tomato. Cut the outer skin portion of each tomato half into diced tomatoes.
Tomato paste
Step 4- Add three 6-ounce cans tomato paste and 2 and 1/4 cups water into a large glass bowl. Stir all ingredients with a whisk until combined. Start off slow mixing the ingredients. As the ingredients combine, increase speed and go from there.
Shrimp
Step 5- Remove the shrimp heads and shells from each shrimp tail and add the shrimp heads and shells into one bowl and add the shrimp tails into a separate bowl.
Step 6- To devein the shrimp, Cut the top portion of each shrimp tail and remove the contents of the shrimp’s digestive tract which is located at the top of the shrimp tail. Rinse the shrimp tails off with cold water. Place the shrimp tails in the fridge until they are ready to be cooked.
Shrimp stock
Preheat fire to medium heat.
Step 7- Add 1- and 1/2-quarts water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon chef Paul’s seafood magic and shrimp heads and shells into a large pot. Stir all ingredients together. Cover the pot with a lid and leave the lid open just a little bit to allow some of the steam to escape. Let simmer for 40 minutes.
Step 8- Pour the shrimp heads and shells along with the shrimp stock into a mesh strainer with a medium-sized bowl underneath it. Remove and shake the mesh strainer with the shrimp heads and shells in it to allow some of the shrimp stock to drain into the bowl. From there discard the shrimp heads and shells. Once done you should have 4 cups shrimp stock left over.
Making the shrimp creole
Preheat fire to medium heat.
Step 9- Add 4 tablespoons salted or unsalted butter, 1 cup chopped yellow onion, 3/4 cup chopped celery and 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper into a large saucepan preheated on medium heat. Stir all ingredients together. Cover the saucepan with a lid. Let sauté for 8 to 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
Step 10- Add 3 cloves of pressed or chopped garlic and 1 and 1/4 cups diced tomatoes. Stir all ingredients together. Add prepared tomato sauce, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon chef Paul’s seafood magic, 1 tablespoon of freshly chopped oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon of freshly chopped basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 tablespoon of freshly chopped parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley, 4 bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (Optional) , 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (Optional), and 1 teaspoon sugar to cut the acid of the tomato. Stir all ingredients together. Add 1 and 1/2 cups shrimp stock and stir until combined. Cover the saucepan with a lid. Let simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
Step 11- Turn your fire down and wait 1 minute before lifting the lid off of your saucepan. After 1 minute lift your lid, off of your saucepan and stir all ingredients. Turn your fire back up again. Add shrimp tails and stir all ingredients together. Cover the saucepan with a lid. Let the mixture come to a simmer first, then let it simmer for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 4 minutes turn your fire off. Let mixture cool for 20 to 25 minutes before serving. For best results serve the next day so that the flavors can settle and increase overnight.
Cooking the rice
Preheat fire to medium heat.
Step 12- Add 1- and 1/2-quarts water and 1 and 1/2 cups Jasmine long grain rice into a medium-sized pot. Stir all ingredients together. Let simmer for 7 to 12 minutes.
Step 13- Add cooked rice into a mesh strainer with the sink drain underneath it. Be careful as this is hot. Rinse the rice off with cold water. Return the mesh strainer with the rice in it on top of your pot and place a lid on top of your mesh strainer. Let the rice set for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
YouTube instructional video
