Succulent shrimp and spicy Creole flavors come together in this delicious Shrimp Creole recipe. It’s a healthy meal that makes your tastebuds sing!
When you want an easy, healthy meal that’s packed with flavor, look no further than Shrimp Creole. So much goodness in this classic Louisiana dish! And with a few small tweaks, it becomes a healthy low carb dinner.
Just like my Keto Jambalaya, this recipe derives inspiration from all the fabulous seasonings and flavors of the original. It stays true to the spirit of the dish, while keeping the carbs in check. And you won’t notice the difference.
If you love dinners that set your tastebuds dancing, you’ve got to try it!
Why this dish is so delicious
Ever heard of Cajun holy trinity? It’s a similar idea to mirepoix in French cooking, where the base of many dishes start with a sauté of onions, carrots, and celery. Except in Cajun cooking, the carrots are replaced with bell peppers.
Which benefits those of us on a low carb diet, since peppers are far lower in carbs than carrots. And I would have used the classic green pepper, but my local grocery store was completely out. So I used a red pepper instead.
Then the stew is simmered with tomatoes, garlic, and bay leaves for more flavor. Shrimp tossed with Cajun seasoning and a little hot sauce gets added at the very end. The shrimp ends up succulent and tender, in a rich Creole sauce.
Oh boy, is it ever good served over a little cauliflower rice. And with only 6.2g net carbs per serving, you can dig in with gusto!
Ingredients you need
- Shrimp: Make sure your shrimp peeled and deveined first before cooking. I recommend removing the tails as well, as it makes eating the dish much easier.
- Extra virgin olive oil: You can also use avocado oil or butter.
- Celery: If you have celery leaves, dice them up and include them for additional flavor.
- Red pepper: You can also use green pepper.
- Onion: This recipe keeps the onions to a minimum because they contain quite a few carbs.
- Diced tomatoes: I used a 14.5 ounce can of tomatoes, but you can also dice your own. Remember to remove the seeds and extra liquids from the “pockets” of the tomatoes. You will need about 1 3/4 cups.
- Cajun seasoning: We love the Slap Ya Mama brand.
- Hot sauce: Tabasco is a good Louisiana hot sauce choice, but you can also use other brands. You can scale back on this if you don’t like a lot of heat.
- Pantry staples: Tomato paste, bay leaves, and garlic.
Step-by-step directions
1. Season the shrimp: Remove the tails from the shrimp, if desired. Place in a bowl and add the Cajun seasoning and hot sauce. Toss to combine and set aside.
2. Sauté the veggies: In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the celery, pepper, and onion. Sauté until tender, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute more.
3. Bring to a simmer: Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, water, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and cook about 20 minutes.
4. Stir in the shrimp: Add the shrimp to the pot and stir to combine. Cook another 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the shrimp are pink and cooked through.
5. Season to taste: Remove the bay leaves. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
Expert tips
Cajun seasoning typically has a lot of salt, so I’ve added no additional salt to this salt Creole Shrimp recipe. Once it has finished cooking, taste it and see what you think if it needs a bit more.
You can use frozen shrimp for this recipe but you want to make sure it’s fully thawed before adding it to the stew.
Don’t forget to take the bay leaves out of the Shrimp Creole at the end of cooking! They aren’t edible but they do add great flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Shrimp Creole is a flavor-packed tomato stew that’s packed with succulent shrimp. It has a spicy kick from Cajun seasoning and a dash of Louisiana hot sauce. But you can tailor the heat to your tastes!
This low carb shrimp creole recipe has 8g of carbs and 1.8g of fiber per serving. That comes to 6.2g net carbs per serving.
Store leftover shrimp creole in an air tight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. When you reheat the shrimp, use a low temperature in the microwave or stove to avoid the rubbery texture shrimp can get when overcooked.
Low Carb Shrimp Creole Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb (907.18 g) shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 tsp Cajun Seasoning
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 3 tbsp (42.61 g) olive oil
- 1 cup (101 g) chopped celery, (2 to 3 ribs)
- 1 medium red pepper, chopped
- 1/3 cup (53.33 g) chopped onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 14.5 ounce (411.07 g) diced tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2/3 cup (157.73 ml) water
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Remove the tails from the shrimp, if desired. Place in a bowl and add the Cajun seasoning and hot sauce. Toss to combine and set aside.
- In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the celery, pepper, and onion. Sauté until tender, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute more.
- Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, water, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and cook about 20 minutes.
- Add the shrimp to the pot and stir to combine. Cook another 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the shrimp are pink and cooked through.
- Remove the bay leaves. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
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Shrimp creole was a hit with my family. Directions are easy to follow, and I added Palmini as a side while the fam ate it either way Jasmine rice. Tasty!!!
OMG, OMG, OMG!!! Made this tonight and it was fabulous! It was so delicious it “Made my husband’s eyes roll to the back of his head”!! Thank You so much for sharing this easy to make recipe that tastes superb!!!!! 😊
So glad you enjoyed it!
SORRY! Want my friend to receive your info & great recipes on her e-mail. THANKS! ALLOWEE MONROE
Ah, I understand. She can just sign up for my newsletter. :). Thanks for sharing!
This was SO good. I made it just as directed except I used Tony’s Creole seasoning instead of Cajun (it’s just the version I had on hand). It was great on top of some cauliflower rice for me and some regular rice for my non-keto mother.
Please tell me how my friend can add your fabulous recipes to her site. thanks! Allowee Monroe
I am sorry, I don’t quite understand. No one is allowed to add my recipes to another site…
This recipe is a 5 star no doubt. My son made this for his GF and her son and all of them loved it totally. It was just the right level of heat. They had it with spanish rice and he said the flavors were a perfect marriage of perfection. This will go into the regular line up of meals in this house.
good job!
I just love getting all your recipes! they are so wholesome, and healthy. I love eating healhy and you make it so wonderfully easy.
I’ve been new to this way of eating and with fasting and exercising I’ve gotten down my weight, and feeling good about myself. keep doing what your doing, I love your channel. and eating.😆
please include total carbs not just net carbs
Total carbs are in the recipe card, as is ALL nutritional info. I just talk about net carbs in the write-up.