I’m coming in hot today with a new Creole Shrimp Mofongo recipe. This spicy, flavorful Louisiana-style shrimp stew is paired with mashed plantains aka mofongo. It’s a mash up of different cultures and a perfect winter dinner idea. See all those puns? I’ve got jokes!! 😀
The recipe…
We are traveling all over the map with today’s Shrimp Mofongo recipe. First, we are headed to the bayou for a creole inspired shrimp stew. The base of this stew is a “roux” which is just a fancy term for a sauce that is formed when you whisk together flour and a type of fat (normally oil or butter) for a looooong time. I a horrible at making traditional roux! I can’t tell you how many times my flour mixture became too clumpy or overcooked.
But then I discovered a mini hack, which is simply using some water in addition to the flour and fat. This helps the mixture be less temperamental and easier to salvage. Without adding water, if you stop stirring the roux for 5 seconds, it might be beyond repair. With water, you might get another 5 second buffer. It may not sound like a lot, but trust me it is. Once your roux starts to burn, it’s beyond saving!
In addition to the roux, another important component of this shrimp stew is the “holy trinity” of creole and cajun cooking: onions, bell peppers, and celery. It is really important not to chop the ingredients too finely, you want them large enough so that you can get a good bite in every spoonful. And because I love spice, I also chopped up some jalapenos and added them to the stew. Even though we’ll be adding hot sauce as well, I love a spicy stew and had to find a way to add more heat. If spicy is not your thing, just skip the jalapenos.
After cooking down the holy trinity into the roux, add seafood stock and our homemade creole mix, which is equal parts chili powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, dried thyme, and dried basil. Let those ingredients come to a boil and then simmer before adding the shrimp. Once all the ingredients get some quality time together, the sauce will start to thicken into stewy perfection!
To finish things off, we travel over to the Caribbean for a mofongo recipe. Mofongo is fried chunks of plantain that have been mashed up with some oil in a mortar and pestle. Traditionally, mofongo also includes pork but I opted out of that and created a vegetarian mofongo.
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Creole Shimp Mofongo
Ingredients
Creole Shrimp
- 1 lb extra large shrimp
- creole seasoning* see below
- 1/2 cup white onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
- 1/4 cup celery stems, chopped
- 2 jalapenos, chopped seeds removed
- 1.5 cups seafood stock
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1-2 tbsp hot sauce
Mofongo
- 1 green plantain, cut into 4-5 cubes
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
Instructions
Creole Shrimp
- Make the creole seasoning by combining 1 tbsp each of chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, dried thyme, and dried basil. Set aside.
- In a dutch oven or cast iron bottomed heavy pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, whisk in 1 tbsp of flour and immediately add 1 tbsp of water. (Note: be very careful as the water may cause the oil to pop). Whisk until the mixture is completely smooth. Switch to wooden spoon and stir constantly for about 10 minutes, until the roux darkens to a light brown color.
- Add the "holy trinity" of onions, bell peppers, and celery, along with the chopped jalapenos and cook for another 5 minutes, until the vegetables soften. The mixture will begin to thicken.
- Pour in seafood stock, creole seasoning, and hot sauce. Bring pot to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let stew simmer for 10 minutes, then add shrimp. Add the shrimp earlier if you are using cooked shrimp. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
Mofongo
- Peel plantain and cut into 4 large cubes. Soak plantain in salted water for 15 minutes, remove and dry with a paper towel.
- In a large frying pan, heat canola oil or other high heat oil over medium heat. Fry plantains until lightly browned, about 5 minutes on each side. Do not over-fry or the plantain will get tough. Remove plantains from heat and place on plate lined with towel to drain off excess oil.
- Mash plantains, minced garlic, and olive oil in a mortar and pestle to desired consistently. Add pork rinds for extra flavor if desired. Scoop mixture into a measuring cup to shape. Serve along with shimp and enjoy!
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2 Comments
Delicious! Although I cheated cause did not have fresh celery, used dehydrated kind. Cheated also on the plantains since I could not find fresh green I used the frozen “tostones” in my country they are know as “patacones” and just heated them up and them mashed like the recipe says. Also did not put the jalapeno on cause did not want it too spicy. I loved it though and going to make again. I’ll try to get the fresh plantains hopefully next time.
Hi Viviana,
So excited you enjoyed the recipe <3!