variably spicy to your taste. serves 4 with rice or cauliflower rice. adapted from the NY Times’ Shrimp Creole.
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined - I like medium or large
1/2 stick unsalted butter (1/4 cup)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 yellow onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce, no salt added
1-2 tsp hot sauce (optional)
1 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp each: thyme, black pepper, cayenne pepper, chili powder
1 tsp each: paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, basil
2 bay leaves
sliced scallions for serving
in a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. add the flour and whisk constantly to form a smooth roux, about 5 minutes.
increase the heat to medium. add the onion, celery, and bell pepper and cook until softened, about another 5 minutes. add the garlic and cook for another minute.
add 1/3 cup water, tomato sauce, hot sauce if using, sugar, all spices, and bay leaves. cover and simmer for 10 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally and scrape the bottom of the pot. add the shrimp and simmer until opaque, about 5 minutes. take off the heat, cover, and leave standing for 5 minutes.
serve with scallions and rice. watch out for the bay leaves.