Shrimp Creole

Louisiana Creole food is a mixture of cooking from the people of various backgrounds who settled in Louisiana and who grew together to become an identity in their own right, with foods being part of that  combination of cultures. These people were of French, Spanish, African, American Indian (Native American), German and Anglo-American heritage. The history of Louisiana is rather complex, but generally, the 1500s saw the Spanish explore the territory, but it was in the 1680s that the territory was claimed for France and when it received the name "Louisiana" (French: 'La Louisiane') to honor King Louis XIV, the then king of France. The territory was not really the same as the modern state of Louisiana, but included areas well beyond that. French settlers came, and not long thereafter, German settlers came, but events of the European countries had an impact on the territory, as Spain gained control of part of the territory (including New Orleans) by agreement with France in the 1760s. Britain gained control of much of the French territory east of the Mississippi River as part of the settlement of the "Seven Years' War" in 1763, with the North American part of that war known as the "French and Indian War." The British expelled thousands of French settlers from eastern Canada, then known as "Acadia" (now basically 'Nova Scotia') following the war, and they often went to Louisiana, where they became known as "Cajuns" (a pronunciation of 'Acadians,' and some seem to have also spelled it 'Cajian/Cagian'), and Spanish settlers also came to the area. Slavery brought many Africans to Louisiana, as did immigration from the French part of Haiti. Napoleon made a swap of territories with Spain, bringing Louisiana back to French control in exchange for French controlled territories in Italy going to Spanish control. Napoleon intended to revitalize French colonial holdings in North America, but when that didn't materialize, he sold "the Louisiana territory" to the United States in 1803.

 

This dish is well known in Louisiana, especially in New Orleans. The list of ingredients is pretty long, but these are generally common ingredients, with nothing terribly hard to find, and the dish isn't at all complicated. This is my own version. Serve with rice and salad... NOTE: The dish is also made by some with crayfish (some say 'crawfish'), but they are not always easy to find elsewhere.

 

Ingredients (4 to 6 servings):

 

1 to 1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 bell pepper, stem removed, seeded and finely chopped

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

1 large stalk of celery, finely chopped (or 2 medium stalks)

1 jalapeño chili (about 2 1/2 to 3 inches), chopped

5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or minced

1 heaping teaspoon sweet paprika

1 heaping teaspoon smoked Spanish sweet paprika

1 tablespoon thyme

1 heaping teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 large bay leaf

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 can (14.5 to 15 ounce) tomato sauce

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 cup mild chicken broth

2 teaspoons lemon juice 

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)

2 tablespoons butter + 2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped parsley 

2 or 3 chopped green onions (scallions), including green, for garnish

lemon wedges for serving

 

In a 10 to 12 inch skillet, add the oil and the butter over medium heat, until the butter melts. Add the onion and saute for about a minute, then add the green pepper, celery and jalapeño; saute until softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and saute a further minute, stirring the whole time. Stir in the sweet paprika, Spanish smoked paprika, thyme, oregano, cayenne pepper, ground black pepper, chicken broth and bay leaf. Bring the broth to a boil for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce and let come to a simmer, adjusting the heat to maintain a steady gentle simmer until the sauce is reduced to a fairly thick consistency. Stir in the lemon juice and salt, then add the shrimp, and cook until they turn pink, turn off the heat and stir in the chopped parsley. Serve over a bed of rice for each serving and top with some chopped green onions/scallions (which I forgot to add for the photos below ... 30 lashes with a wet noodle!). Add a lemon wedge or two to each plate. 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Fertile-This word is distantly related to "bear," the verb meaning, "to carry, to carry or transport a burden;" thus also, "to be pregnant;" thus also, "to produce," and it is also distantly related to "burden," and these words are from the Germanic roots of English; it is more closely related to "infer," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English from Latin, and to "defer" and "differ," Latin-derived words borrowed from French, but with Latin reinforcement and influence, or perhaps the other way around.

"Fertile" goes back to Indo European "bher," with the notion, "to carry, to tote or bear a burden." The "bh" was rendered as "f" in Italic and it's Latin offspring, giving Latin "ferre," with the same basic meaning. This then produced the Latin adjective "fertilis," meaning, "produced in large quantity;" thus, "fruitful, productive." This passed to Latin-based Old French as "fertil/fertile," and English borrowed it in the middle of the 1400s, as both "fertil" and "fertile," with the latter winning out, although the apparent pronunciation of the other form is still used by some, but whether that is a remnant of the old form is doubtful.