
Note: Since Mardi Gras 2012 is next Tuesday, February 21st I thought I would bring this recipe to the front for easy reference since so many of you enjoyed this lightened Creole dish. Enjoy!
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.


















This looks wonderful! Is definitely going on my list to make for next week!
ReplyDeleteSounds great and so much healthier than my traditional version!
ReplyDeleteIt is almost Mardi Gras, now isn't it? How crazy. Time is flying! Great flavor in this sauce.
ReplyDeleteHoly yum. Gina, you're help keeping my weight in check since I eat out so often for my blog. Thanks for keeping it lighter, healthier, but still delicious!
ReplyDeleteYay! I LOVE cajun dishes and I'm excited to see one here! :)
ReplyDeleteLooks delish, I'm making this next week! Thanks for making such great recipes!!
ReplyDeleteThis looks great! I am always looking for new meatless dishes, I will be trying this next Friday for lent!
ReplyDeleteGonna try this with chicken instead of shrimp for dinner tonight!
ReplyDeleteU have NO idea how much I'm loving u right now! Creole n Cajun cuisine are two of the gifts America could have given me. I'm so glad I moved to the years from India a few yrs back and got exposed to some of the finest cuisines of the world and now thanks to you I can try it in my kitchen and also not feel very guilty abt it!
ReplyDeleteThis is going on my list to try!!! Can't wait!
ReplyDeleteI think I'll throw some okra in it too..
ReplyDeleteCan you believe Mardi Gras is next week!
ReplyDeleteIndiansimmer- It really is wonderful, this dish didn't need too much work to lighten up either and I always have shrimp in my freezer so it's something I can make anytime.
Yum! I've had Mardi Gras on my mind for the last few days and this is just perfect to make on Tuesday. Btw, I've been following your blog for a little while now, and it's been such a huge help as I'm trying to cook healthy and tasty dishes more. So thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteYUMMMM :)))))
ReplyDeleteSo fun you went on college tours with your daughter recently! And even more fun they were in biochem departments ;) Tell her to check out Northeastern...wink wink
Shrimp Creole is one of my husband's favorite dishes! Can't wait to try your version.
ReplyDeleteI have some shrimp that needs to get used up, this looks right up my alley!!
ReplyDeleteWe had king cake at work the other day and it made me realize how close Mardi Gras was. This looks simply delicious.
ReplyDeleteyour recipes are always so delicious. I love how you incorporate foods and recipes for different styles of cooking. Now all I'm waiting for is a skinny tamale recipe! Yum!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome for the inspiration! I try to please all palates even if that means it's not something I would ordinarily eat.
ReplyDeleteLauren, she's actually going for biology, somehow they showed us the biochem lab. Way over my head! :)
Gina I'm so excited to try this?!?! Anyway you might be brave enough to tackle slimming down King Cake? It's so hard to avoid it this time of year, a healthier version might be the trick when everyone else is bringing the full fat version!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe this dish isn't fattening and loaded with calories. I am so making thing tonight as shrimp being one of my favorite things to eat.
ReplyDeleteWould okra be an ok addition to this dish? I've never cooked okra myself before but it popped into my head when I saw this!!
ReplyDeleteDelicious looking! I love shrimp and it is such a great calorie bargain.
ReplyDeleteVery Yummy! We made it tonight, and my husband and I agreed that it can go in my favorites collection. I did cut back on both the cayenne and hot sauce by half. It was just right for wimpy me this way. Unfortunately my one-year-old did not agree; it was a little too much spice for his sensitive little mouth. I should have known. He's better now, and there's more for me tomorrow :)
ReplyDeletedid u drain the diced tomatoes or add the juice with it?
ReplyDeleteTricia, yes I wouldn't give this to my little one.
ReplyDeleteCarolyn, I added the juice.
Hi Gina, WOW...this looks amazing. I have some shrimp in the freezer so have bookmarked it and will give it a go. Thanks as always for your STELLAR recipes!! (your site is a favorite of most of the folks in my weight watchers group!)
ReplyDeleteI made this tonight! So delish! Yummy! Thanks
ReplyDeleteThanks Roz!
ReplyDeleteAbout the okra, I don't have to much experience cooking it, but I don't see why not!!
The beauty in cooking your own food is you can adjust the spices to your taste so I would taste as I go to make sure it works for your palate.
Enjoy your Fat Tuesday!!
I know you put in the serving size as 1/4th of the recipe... so would that make it 1 c.? 2 c.?? Don't want to overestimate my portion, as I'm often tempted to do :)
ReplyDeleteWhat an AWESOME recipe and very easy. Having had no experience with Creole foods I was excited to try this. I made this recipe last night and it was VERY good!! Only things I did different is I added the entire can of sauce I had (14 oz. instead of the 8 oz.)as I hate wasting or saving those amounts I don't use...ha! I also made it without the flour slurry as it seemed to be thick enough after simmering for 30 min. Otherwise the seasoning I kept the same. My 12 yr-old thought it had a bit of heat to it but not bad enough he wouldn't eat it. I didn't think it had enough so added more Frank's to mine as I was eating it as I LOVE spice!
ReplyDeleteI've decided that Gina's webside/recipes are going to be my "Julia Child's" experience like in the movie "Julie & Julia"...ha! I'm going to cook my way through Gina's recipes.
Thanks again Gina for another awesome recipe....haven't found one yet, that I don't like. :)
Very excited to try this!
ReplyDeleteGoing to serve it over spaghetti squash, hope it's good!
This is so yummy to the bite. Can't wait to try it here home.
ReplyDeletedoes the 5 points include the rice? I can't see how shrimp and veggies with a bit of flour rakes up 5 big points all on its own. I counted rice and shrimp separate when I made this on Friday, regardless of point value, Gina this is delish! And the a new fav of the Mexican hubby, Gracias!
ReplyDeleteDelish! Perfect for Mardi Gras!
ReplyDeleteSounds great Gina! I just made a Jambalaya with Shrimp and Andouille sausage (inclusive of rice) for 11 pts tonight! It was delicious and had so much flavor! It will be my Fat Tuesday post on my blog! I'd like to try the shrimp creole....my grandmother always made it growing up...so maybe I'll love this too!
ReplyDeletemade this for dinner tonight and it was delish! thank you for the recipe and happy ft tuesday
ReplyDeleteMade this for dinner tonight. AMAZING! And so easy and healthy. I left out the hot sauce but it was still pretty spicy for us wimps. I guess my Cajun seasoning is pretty hot.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I love you, Gina!
I made this for dinner tonight as well. I agree that it is so super amazing. I can't wait for the leftovers for lunch tomorrow! I only cut down on the hot sauce to 1/2 tsp. I don't like much spicy stuff, but this was just right. Added 1/2 prepared Minute brown rice for a 9 PP dinner. Thanks again, Gina!
ReplyDeleteAllison - I measured my completed recipe out before serving and got about 4.5 cups. So I'd say the serving size is 1 - 1 & 1/8th cups (1 cup and 2 Tbsp). I measured out 1 cup for my portion and it was the perfect amount to feel satisfied.
Alison, easy way to divide it is to weigh the whole thing, then divide the weight by 4.
ReplyDeleteLynne, love that :) Lynne & Gina!
Jessica- no the rice would be extra.
Amy/Jule- Happy Tuesday!!
Kristan, I think we were typing at the same time, thank you for listing the serving size.
ReplyDeleteI made this for Fat Tuesday and it was a real hit!! We skipped a grain since we were having dessert but the recipe is so saucy - and you don't want to miss out on the sauce! - that it really should be served with something to sop it up.
ReplyDeleteActually, it was so delish, I had to share it on my blog too!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.gooddayasheville.com/2011/3/9/shrimp-creole-healthy-and-delish-from-gina
OMG! This was FANTASTIC! Just heated on 50% power in the mic as to not toughen the shrimp, and I am in lunch heaven! Awesome recipe, and easy to make. :)
ReplyDeleteMade this tonight and it was wonderful! My husband doesn't like peppers and onions so after the sauce was cooked i blended everything in the food processer and then put it back in the pan - he had no idea and cleaned his plate. Thanks, I love your site and can't wait to try more recipes. I put the leftovers into freezer bags so i can have them next week for lunch.
ReplyDeleteSmart idea!!
ReplyDeleteI made this for dinner tonight. Oh my it smells soooo good and I cant wait to taste it. I added brown rice so I look forward to a filling experience.
ReplyDeleteSO GOOD! Made this for dinner tonight. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI love your site!
ReplyDeleteThis dish was amazing! Loved it.
ReplyDeleteMaking this AGAIN tonight!! Yummy!
ReplyDeleteGreat recipe!!!! We really enjoyed this one!
ReplyDeleteLet me preface this by saying that my husband does NOT know how to cook. But last night I was sick so I printed out this recipe, took out everything he'd need, and said "Here. Cook this."
ReplyDeleteAside from shouting questions to me every two minutes, he did really well. And this recipe was INCREDIBLE. We made long grain brown rice with it and it was filling and insanely tasty. Another home run, Gina!
This might be the best thing i've ever tasted!
ReplyDeleteI'm o happy you all enjoyed this!!
ReplyDeleteBazookaBobcat - I think anyone can cook! Glad you liked it!
OMG! This was absolutely delicious! It's hard to believe it's low calorie and low fat. With recipes like this, I won't stay overweight for long, lol! Thanks, Gina!
ReplyDeleteI think this is my favorite recipe so far. My husband and I love spicy food, so we made this even hotter and it turned out wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI made this dish last night and it was delicious!!I love your website a lot of creative recipes!
ReplyDeleteWe have tried many recipes of yours and loved them ALL. However, this is, hands down, our favorite! The spice was just right and the flavor was just amazing! Thank you for making me look like an awesome cook!
ReplyDeleteGreat Sam! I am happy to help.
ReplyDeleteas usual....LOVE IT!! I LOVE YOUR RECIPES!!!! i kept all the spice and everything the same, except celery....it was the ONLY ingredient i didn't have already so i skipped it! quick, easy, and DELICIOUS! Seriously, you're making me actually enjoy cooking! Thanks again!! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderfully flavored dish!! Thanks Gina. My family had second helping including my 4 & 7 yr old!! Dawn
ReplyDeleteHi Gina- This was wonderful! I didn't add the hot sauce because I wanted to see how hot it was with just the cayenne and thought I could add it afterwards if I wanted to. I loved it wtihout- it was just spicy enough to make my nose sniffly! haha- Delish! :) Thank you! ~Amy
ReplyDeleteMade this tonight...Awesome! Was out of cayenne, so used some roasted red pepper flakes. We love spicy food, & the recipe is perfect. Also, we do low carb, so omitted the rice, but I could tell it would have been even better with!
ReplyDeleteAnother winner at our house, thanks Gina! Served with rice and some steamed cauliflower on the side. My husband repeatedly raved over the shrimp, and then topped his cauliflower with the sauce that was left in the pan. We'll definitely make this one again. (I also loved that I had all of the ingredients on hand.)
ReplyDeleteAnother great recipe! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteJust finished eating this for dinner. Absolutely fabulous! Thanks for another great dinnner!
ReplyDeleteDelicious! Just made this for dinner and my husband and I both loved it. A little spicy for my taste, but I'm kind of a wuss. My husband thought it was perfect and didn't even add salt, which he normally does when I cook something healthy. Thanks for a tasty, healthy option.
ReplyDeleteHi, Gina --
ReplyDeleteI'm in love with this recipe. Which is definitely saying something because I'm from New Orleans; we always think our food is perfect the way it is. But a lot of Cajun/Creole food is fattening, so I've had to shy away from it. I want to host a Mardi Gras party, though, so that my friends from the north can have a glimpse at my background. So I was hoping you could "skinnify" a couple of my favorites?
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/crawfish-etoufee-2/detail.aspx
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cajun-chicken-and-sausage-gumbo/detail.aspx
And the most important feature at any Mardi Gras bash: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mardi-gras-king-cake/
I'm sorry I didn't see this sooner! Probably won't get around to it this yer since it's only a few days away!
DeleteI use this Shrimp Creole recipe as the base for a chicken and sausage gumbo - I sub out one chicken breast and 7 oz. of turkey smoked sausage in place of the shrimp - it sounds almost exactly like the recipe you posted!
DeleteI second the king cake request!
Do you have a jambalaya recipe?
ReplyDeleteLove this recipe! Have made it several times- thanks for reminding me to make it for Mardi Gras- great idea!
ReplyDeleteI love that you save me from the "what's for dinner" job that I am so very bad at.
ReplyDeleteHoly Yum Yums! This dish looks amazing! I love cajun food! Going to make this soon!
ReplyDeleteYummY!! Gonna have to try this Gina! I <3 your site :-) Happy Fat Tuesday!!
ReplyDeleteTO THE OKRA QUESTIONS: I AM A NATIVE LOUISIANA GIRL AND YOU WOULD NOT PUT OKRA IN CREOLE OR AN ETOUFEE. OKRA CAN ADDED TO SOUPS LIKE GUMBO TO HELP THICKEN OR IT CAN BE ADDED TO PEAS (LIKE FIELD PEAS OR PURPLE HULL PEAS) WHICH HAVE A THIN JUICE. MANY DO NOT LIKE THE SLIME THAT OKRA RELEASES BUT THAT IS HOW IT THICKENS THE BROTH. I PERSONALLY PREFER NOT TO ADD IT TO GUMBO EVEN THOUGH IT TASTES FINE WITH IT. MY GUMBO JUST DOES NOT NEED IT! CREOLE AND ETOUFEE ALREADY HAVE A THICK BASE THEREFORE THERE IS NO NEED TO ADD IT! BESIDES, I DO NOT BELIEVE, IMHO, THAT IT COULD OR WOULD IMPROVE THE TASTE OF A CREOLE OR ETOUFEE. WITH ALL OF THIS BEING SAID, THE CHOICE "TO OKRA OR NOT TO OKRA" IS UP TO THE INDIVIDUAL.
ReplyDeleteSORRY!! Noticed that my cap lock was on! Was not YELLING at anyone!! LOL!!!
ReplyDeleteMy boyfriend loves loves loves cajun cooking - I'm gonna try this with scallops, because that is what I have on hand. I know they aren't native to the region, but they're so darn delicious! I'm also attempting my first king cake this year (not so skinny, but who doesn't love a good fatty baking challenge?). Thanks for another inventive recipe!
ReplyDeleteGina, this is fantastic- I made it for my pasta-loving boyfriend last night by serving it over whole wheat spaghetti. AMAZING flavour! We both loved it. :) Followed up the meal with your chocolate-covered strawberries. I have so appreciated your Valentine's ideas! :)
ReplyDeleteGina, I agree with everyone - this sounds delicious and I'll make it for Fat Tuesday. For everyone who is asking about King Cake, I just saw this recipe on the Weight Watchers site yesterday. Haven't tried it, but it cautions to make it the day you want to eat it so it doesn't dry out. http://www.weightwatchers.com/food/rcp/RecipePage.aspx?recipeid=90651
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the wonderful recipes, Gina.
I am making this next week. Thank you, Gina.
ReplyDeleteI made this last night for my grown kids, their friends, and my husband. What a hit! They all said it was great at the table. Later, though, several came searching for me to tell me again how much they enjoyed the meal. Now that last part almost never happens. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThis is perfect! I just happen to have all of these ingredients laying around. I'll definitely be making this for dinner tonight. Thanks for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteGina, I have everything for this dish...except the slap your mamma seasoning. How would this dish be if I leave it out?
ReplyDeleteAny Cajun seasoning would work.
DeleteMy husband and I made this last night and it was delicious. It had great flavor and all the New Orleans spice that we hoped for. Thanks again for sharing.
ReplyDeletequestion: what if you substituted chicken instead of shrimp? can you tell me how that would change the point value? thanks, candi
ReplyDeletewhat exactly do you mean by tomatoe sauce ? tomatoe paste ?
ReplyDeletevery excited to make this tomorrow !
thanks,
They sell small cans of tomato sauce which I often use in many recipes.
DeleteI made this tonight and it was SO good and SO filling!
ReplyDeleteThis dish was deeeelish!!! This will definitely become a staple in my recipe arsenal :)
ReplyDeleteI made this tonight for my family and it was absolutely delicious!
ReplyDeleteMade this tonight for our family. AMAZING! It will definately be a repeated dish, as so many of your's are!
ReplyDeleteI made this dish this weekend and it was great. I might have used a tad too much Slap your Mamma seasoning as it was almost too spicy. :) I would recommend to others to go easy with it and add more to the finished dish. I generously seasoned the shrimp!
ReplyDeleteI made this last night for dinner and it was delicious. I used a smooth marinara sauce instead of the plain tomato sauce and it still seemed to work great. My 2.5 year old even ate it!
ReplyDeleteI made this last night and it was excellent. I pureed the sauce a little with an immersion blender (DH doesn't like chunky cooked tomatoes) before adding the shrimp. It was thick enough that it didn't needed the slurry to thicken. There was plenty of sauce...I could have added more shrimp for another serving. Definitely a repeater.
ReplyDeleteMade this for Fat Tuesday and it did not fall short of DELICIOUSNESS! My DH cannot do real spicy foods so I omitted the cayenne pepper & only used 1 tsp of hot sauce and it was absolutely PERFECT! Thanks to you Gina, I have been dubbed the 'fun cook' of the family =)
ReplyDeleteHad a great 'kick' to it. Served it over brown rice....YUMMY!
ReplyDeleteMade this tonight and it was yummy. Just the right amount of spices. Served over brown rice and paired it with a glass of sparkling wine.
ReplyDeleteThis was absolutely amazing!!! My whole family loved including my kids who don't mind the heat :) Thank you for this one, its gonna become a family favorite now!
ReplyDeleteGina, thanks so much for this recipe! I made it last night and had some leftovers for lunch today! I love how spicy it is! I am definitely going to make this one again! I love how you have lots of shrimp recipes! Trying the coconut, lime, tomato and cilantro recipe next and many more! I literally sit in front of the computer and do my online grocery order while finding great recipes on your web site! Slightly (I mean totally) obsessed with your site!!! I've neglected all my cookbooks for your site!
ReplyDeleteAs a born and bred Cajun I cannot wait to try this!! Love finding Cajun food lightened up to keep on track! Thanks and keep them coming!
ReplyDeleteHi Gina,
ReplyDeleteI have just discovered your site through pinterest. I just made this for my husband and I and we loved it! Thank you so much for your recipes. All of them look amazing and I can't wait to try more.
Hi, I just discovered this site and am a big fan so far. For this recipe, I was wondering if I could use already cooked shrimp (bought frozen and then thawed) and just reduce the cooking time of it so that they don't get tough? Or should I just bite the bullet and get raw shrimp? Thank you!! Molly
ReplyDeleteNo, I would use raw
DeleteOMG , this was amazing! I don't usually like seafood but couldn't get enough of this delicious dish. Served over low fat cheese grits. My sister, who paid 16.00 for this same dish at a Nashville restaurant this week, said this was 10 times better. Love your website and everything I've made from it so far.
ReplyDeleteThis was wonderful and very flavorful! I cut the cayenne and hot sauce in half but kept eyerything else the same, and it was the perfect amount of spiciness for me. I like spicy food but I think the recipe as written would have been too hot for me :)
ReplyDeleteWOW - this was SO delicious and a lot easier than I expected. Thank you for being such a great source for healthy, flavorful, and not-too-hard-to-make recipes! This recipe is one I will definitely make again.
ReplyDeleteThis was amazing & had just the right amount of spice. I give it an At (served mine with white rice :)
ReplyDeleteWe analyzed 14,000 recipes from over 2,000 websites and found this recipe to be in the top ten of most nutrient dense recipes! Not too surprising coming from SkinnyTaste, but impressive nonetheless. http://blog.yumprint.com/2012/10/the-ten-most-nutrient-dense-recipes-on.html
ReplyDeleteMy 17 year old daughter found this tonight & what a winner! We did not have green pepper so we added sliced fresh mushrooms with all the other amazing ingredients! Why have we not made this till tonight? Awesome, Gina!!! Another winner & we LOVE you!
ReplyDeleteFantastic! I sauteed some low-fat andouille sausage with the sauteed vegetables. I was able to skim the sausages off the top of the stew for my picky eaters before I added the shrimp. I put my shrimp in frozen. Finally, instead of purchasing creole seasoning I made Emeril's recipe from spices I already had in my pantry. Thanks Gina for the wonderful recipe. Is that cookbook coming?
ReplyDeleteYUM!!!
ReplyDeleteHave this cooking now. My sample was wonderful. I am really looking forward to supper in a few minutes .
ReplyDeleteThis is easily one of my all-time favorites thanks to you Gina! Thank you so much for your blog!
ReplyDeleteThis was amazing! I didn't have a couple of the ingredients but it still came out awesome. Kudos!
ReplyDelete