My Recipe Box - Shrimp Creole

We had many good meals with shrimp while we were travelling during the winter.

There were the shrimp ladies of Mazatlan, and the amazing shrimp broth we had at the Shrimp Bucket.  We had delicious shrimp at Torres Mazatlan.

Then we were in New Orleans and had shrimp.
I wanted to make shrimps loosely based on a shrimp Creole recipe in had. However, when I looked at this recipe it felt like it was too tomatoey for what I wanted.

so instead of using the can of stewed tomatoes as listed below I made my own shrimp broth using the shells from the shrimp we bought.

SHRIMP BROTH

I started with Emeril's recipe and then improvised based on what I had. I added Old Bay seasoning to the simmering stock.

Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds shrimp shells
2 1/2 quarts plus 1 cup cold water
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 cup mushroom trimmings
Sachet consisting of the following: 1 bay leaf, 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/4 teaspoon crushed black peppercorns and 4 parsley stems
Directions
Rinse the shrimp shells under cold running water and place them in a 1-gallon stockpot with the remaining ingredients. Bring the pot to a boil and then lower the temperature to a simmer. Skim the impurities that rise to the surface with a ladle, spoon or a skimmer. Simmer the stock for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

When the stock is completed, strain the stockpot and immediately cool the stock using an ice bath of water and ice. Use the amount of stock you need, and refrigerate or freeze the rest.


SHRIMP CREOLE
INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes I added the shrimp stock I made instead of the stewed tomatoes.
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce I used a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste instead 
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 dash hot pepper sauce
1 pound medium shrimp - peeled and
deveined

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a 2 quart saucepan, melt butter or margarine over medium heat. Add onion, green pepper, celery, and garlic; cook until tender.
2. Mix in cornstarch. Stir in stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, and red pepper sauce. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Stir in shrimp, and cook for 5 minutes.