Shrimp Sauce Piquant
Submitted by bev34
A fiery Cajun shrimp sauce piquant loaded with three types of pepper, jalapenos, the holy trinity, and tomatoes simmered in seafood stock. Spooned over rice, this Louisiana classic brings serious heat and soul.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
45 minREADY
60 minLaissez les bon temps rouler, y’all. This is Louisiana cooking with the heat turned all the way up.
Sauce piquant is one of those bayou classics that every Cajun cook has their own version of, and they’ll all argue theirs is the best. This one brings the thunder with cayenne, white pepper, black pepper, AND fresh jalapenos all working together in a rich tomato-based sauce.
The holy trinity of onions, bell peppers, and celery builds the base, while seafood stock and a touch of brown sugar add depth and balance. Two pounds of shrimp get stirred into the simmering sauce right at the end, then the whole pot rests covered so the shrimp steam to plump tenderness.
Serve it over mounded rice on warm plates, just like they do in the bayou parishes.
Kitchen Tips
- Use fresh jalapenos if you can find them. Pickled ones bring too much vinegar flavor. If you must use pickled, rinse them thoroughly first.
- The sauce will try to stick to the bottom of the pot. Keep scraping as you stir, and if it scorches, don’t stir. Just pour the sauce into a clean pot and leave the burned bits behind.
- Let the pot sit covered for a full 10 minutes after adding the shrimp. That carryover heat cooks them gently and keeps them tender.
- Warm your serving plates in the oven. Hot sauce on a cold plate cools down too fast.
Ingredients
Directions
NOTE: Fresh jalapenos are preferred; if you have to use pickled ones, rinse as much vinegar from them as possible.
Melt the butter in a 4-quart saucepan over high heat.
Add the onions, bell peppers and celery; sauté about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, jalapenos, bay leaves, ground peppers and garlic; stir well.
Continue cooking about 3 minutes, stirring often and scraping the pan bottom well.
Stir in the stock, sugar and salt and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer until flavors are married, about 20 minutes, stirring often and scraping pan bottom as needed.
(If mixture scorches, quit stirring and pour mixture into a clean pot, leaving the scorched ingredients in the first pan.)
Add the shrimp to the hot (or reheated) sauce and stir.
Turn heat up to high, cover pan, and bring mixture to a boil.
Remove from heat. Let sit covered for 10 minutes.
(Meanwhile, heat the serving plates in a 250F oven.)
Stir, remove bay leaves, and serve immediately.
To serve, mound ½ cup rice in the center of each heated serving plate; then pour about ½ cup sauce around the rice and arrange about 8 shrimp on top of the sauce.
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