The shrimp Creole was made by sautéeing raw prawns(I used Australian banana prawns for this) in butter, laying aside and making the Creole sauce: chopped onion, garlic, celery, capsicum(green), tomatoes, a bit of paprika, salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce, all simmered in butter and a little olive oil(my own addition), till thick, then add the prawns, heat through, and serve--I served with some gorgeous garden-fresh steamed spinach, to provide a nice colour contrast. I made the main dish on a base of prawn and fish stock(used the prawn shells and heads etc, plus the fish skins--bought salmon fillets with their skin on), and the addition of chopped parsley, capsicum, garlic, onions, tomatoes and mushrooms which had been previously sautéed in some butter. A bit of gumbo roux--flour and oil paste, stirred over a low flame till it got to a golden colour--was added to this to thicken it up Louisiana-style. The fish was poached in this court-bouillon for about 8 minutes, and the whole served with all the vegetables from the stock spooned over the fish. The stock can also be served separately if you wish. I served sautéed sweet potato with it( amazingly, the sweet potato also came from the garden--our first and only plant produced a single big fat root!)All very easy, and delicious. And totally rib-sticky, a great meal for winter.
