This is just a bad picture of a very good GBOF (giant bowl of food.) John is an expert shrimp cooker and I am an excellent vegetable chopper-upper. What you end up with is a complex bowl of smoked paprika, hot and mild chili peppers, tomato, celery and shrimp. The zucchini is really just a filler so that you feel like you can eat a giant bowl of food. Really, isn’t that what it is all about, finding ways to make people feel like they have eaten a satisfying dinner without overdoing the calories and fat? If there are 30 calories of fat in this I’d be surprised. This is served with brown rice cooked ala America’s Test Kitchen’s baked brown rice. The rice is perfect every time but refuses to pose for a flattering picture. The next time we make shrimp creole I’ll try for a more complimentary picture. We probably prepare this once a week.

John’s recipe for shrimp creole

1 lb. shrimp, peeled, de-veined, tails removed, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup shrimp stock (made from shells and tails) or water if no stock
1 large onion, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 pasilla pepper, seeded and chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
3-4 zucchini, sliced into half-round disks
2 15-oz. cans of diced tomatoes in juice
1 cup V8 juice
2 Tbs tomato paste
2 bay leaves
2 dried chili pepper pods
6 Tbs smoked paprika
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 green onions, chopped

In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil.
Add onions. Season and sweat for a couple of minutes.
Add celery, peppers and garlic. Season and sweat for a few more minutes.
Add tomato paste to the bottom of the pot and cook it for a couple of minutes.
Add seasonings into the mixture and let them cook for a few minutes.
Add tomatoes with their liquid.
Add zucchini.
Add bay leaves and chili pods.
Add V8 and shrimp stock (should barely cover the mixture).
Stir to combine. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes.

Note: no shrimp in the pot yet! Have them at room temp ready to go seasoned with salt and pepper.
After the 20 minutes of simmering, turn off heat, remove bay leaves and chili pods.
Let the mixture cool to 180 degrees F (probe thermometer works great).
Add shrimp, stir gently, re-cover, and let steep 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, correct for seasoning and serve over brown rice. Sprinkle chopped parsley and green onions over top.

Here’s a link to the brown rice recipe. I omit the oil but do spray the dish with olive oil spray so the rice won’t stick.