Creole Seafood Seasoning

In 2018, Food & Wine named this recipe one of our 40 best: This creole seafood seasoning is in integral part of Emeril Lagasse’s classic Shrimp Creole recipe, but feel free to try it on any seafood you like. Punches of spice from paprika and cayenne are balanced with thyme and oregano for a delicious Creole flavor.

Shrimp Creole
Before he was a television food mega-star, Emeril Lagasse made a name for himself as the chef at the legendary Commander’s Palace in New Orleans, arguably the city’s best restaurant at the time. Lagasse was a master of “haute Creole” cooking, a complex blend of Creole and Cajun with signature dishes such as baked redfish en papillote and bread pudding soufflé. (The soufflé is still on the Commander’s Palace menu today.) On a visit to New York City in 1984, Lagasse visited the F&W test kitchen and shared several recipes, including his shrimp Creole, a dish that stands proudly on its own when served over steamed rice, but which Lagasse used as an accompaniment to chicken-and-shrimp jambalaya. The spicy Creole sauce has layers of flavor built on a foundation of the Cajun flavor trinity— onion, celery, and green bell pepper—mixed with garlic and sautéed in butter until tender. The Creole sauce can be made through step 4 and chilled for up to 4 days, or can be frozen for up to a month. Photo: Greg DuPree
Total Time:
10 mins
Yield:
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup kosher salt

  • 1/3 cup paprika, preferably hot

  • 1/4 cup freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/4 cup garlic powder 

  • 3 tablespoons onion powder or dried minced onion

  • 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper

  • 2 tablespoons dried thyme

  • 2 tablespoons dried oregano

Directions

  1. Pulse ingredients in a food processor until well combined, about 1 minute.

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