Mom’s Shrimp (or Vegetarian) Creole

Also known in Cajun Country as Shrimp Sauce Piquante. This is copied from a recipe card in Mom’s handwriting.

Ingredients (serves 10): 

3 lbs shrimp tails (or 5 lbs whole shrimp)

2 cups chopped celery

2 cups chopped onions

1/4 cup chopped bell pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup cooking oil

1 quart boiling water

1 can tomato paste (small)

1 can tomato sauce

2 cans whole tomato (16 oz size)

1/2 cup tomato catsup

Chopped green onions to taste

Salt, black pepper, red pepper

Preparation:

Peel raw shrimp, season with salt and pepper and set aside

Mix oil in heavy pot with vegetables (except green onions) and all tomatoes.

Cook over medium heat in an uncovered pot for 40 minutes.

Add 1 quart boiling water and season with salt and peppers.

Cook an additional 20 minutes.

Drop shrimp into mixture and allow to come back to a boil. Lower fire and let simmer for 10 minutes, adding green onions for the last 5 minutes.

Serve over rice – serves 10

Can be thickened with corn starch.

Variations:

Mom always made vegetable creole, too, by substituting mushrooms for shrimp in this recipe.

Dad showed us how to heighten the shrimp flavor by boiling the shells in water for a few minutes, then straining out the shells and using the broth as part of the water in the recipe.