Hot Rock Shrimp Dip

Rock shrimp looked fresh at the seafood shop, so I adapted a recipe originally written for crawfish. It was a Cajun recipe, and so it called for chopped bell pepper which I rarely use, but it is essential for this Cajun flavoring. This recipe is fantastic and a real crowd pleaser, so here’s how it goes:

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup diced white or yellow onion
  • 1 cup diced celery (leaves and stalks)
  • 1 bunch green onions, sliced (about 1 cup)
  • 1 small green bell pepper, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 (4-oz.) jar diced pimiento, drained
  • 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning (or more, to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning (or more, to taste)
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 pound of rock shrimp, crawfish tails or diced shrimp (uncooked)
  • 1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
  • French bread baguette slices or scoop chips
  • Garnishes: sliced green onion, chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add onion, celery, green onions and bell pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes or until bell pepper is tender, adding garlic in the last 2 minutes of cooking. Add pimento and seasonings, stirring to warm through. Add flour and stir well to incorporate, 

Stir in crawfish and raise the heat to medium-high; cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in cream cheese until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Garnish, and serve with toasted French bread slices or scoop shaped chips.

Chef’s Notes

Be careful with creole seasoning – it can be salty. Zataran’s is more red-pepper forward and not too salty, but with some other Cajun spice mixes, by the time you develop enough Creole flavor then it gets too salty.

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