At the Table

Cooking for Comfort

By: Erin Byers Murray

When Kayla Stewart’s mother cooked her version of shrimp Creole, it wasn’t by recipe but by memory. “There’s nothing written down; it’s all been oral,” Stewart says. The dish was part of her mother’s Louisiana heritage, Creole-focused repertoire, and a benchmark of pleasure for Stewart while she was growing up in Houston. When Stewart, now an editor at Eater, attended graduate school in New York, she came across a copy of Toni Tipton-Martin’s cookbook, Jubilee. “I was away from home, away from the South, and I was looking for comfort,” she says. She was taken aback by the beauty of the book, specifically the ways in which African Americans are incorporated in the photography and design. “Toni’s book, in addition to being pivotal in terms of my career, was also extremely helpful in me finding a connection to home.”

Kayla Stewart

The shrimp Creole recipe jumped out as a recall to her mom’s cooking. “It has the holy trinity, the Creole seasoning, the shrimp, all of these ingredients I am familiar with,” she says. “I was just getting into food and I was interested in new places. I would go to a spice shop, Kalustyan’s in New York, and even though you can find the spices for this recipe in a grocery store, I was very excited about getting to know these spices better, getting to know where the peppercorns were coming from.”

The dish delivered in more ways than one. “In her headnote, Toni writes about Lena Richard, who would be considered a Martha Stewart or Julia Child of her time—a Black woman who had a food television show in the first half of the 20th century,” Stewart notes. “For me, the dish was also a way to celebrate the Black women who have entered that space and been able to create their own lanes, even when they weren’t given the same appreciation or regards as others.”

Stewart, who now lives in New Orleans, continues making shrimp Creole when she needs a taste of home—and now, she has a connection to the cookbook author, too; Tipton-Martin has become a mentor. Stewart’s also continued making recipes from Jubilee over the years. But this is the one that always delivers, she says. “I’ve cooked it for celebrations. I’ve cooked it for grief. I’ve cooked it for healing. It makes me feel like I’m back home, sitting at my mom’s table, waiting, that aromatic smell coming out of a big pot of food. It’s a moment of peace, to be honest.”

Shrimp

Shrimp Creole heading-plus-icon

yields

Serves 4-5

    ingredients
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • 1 small onion, quartered, plus 1 1⁄2 cups chopped
  • 1 celery stalk with leaves, halved, plus 1⁄2 cup chopped
  • Stems from 2 sprigs fresh parsley plus 2 teaspoons minced parsley
  • 1 large and 1 small bay leaf
  • 1 1⁄2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 1⁄2 tablespoons plus 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
  • 10 whole black peppercorns
  • 5 whole cloves
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme, divided
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, divided
  • 1 pound shell-on shrimp
  • 2 tablespoons bacon drippings,
  • vegetable or olive oil, or melted butter
  • 1⁄2 cup chopped green bell pepper
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 cup chopped tomatoes
  • Freshly cooked rice
steps
  1. In a large dutch oven or saucepan, bring 1 quart of water to a boil. Add lemon halves, onion quarters, celery pieces, parsley stems, large bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, 1½ tablespoons salt, peppercorns, cloves, and ¼ teaspoon each of thyme and cayenne. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes to allow flavors to mingle.
  2. Add shrimp to the pot and return to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook until shrimp just turn pink, about 5 minutes. If necessary, remove faster-cooking shrimp from pan as they are done. Drain and reserve 1 cup of shrimp stock for the sauce. (Refrigerate or freeze remaining stock for later use.) Once cool enough to handle, peel and devein shrimp.
  3. In a large skillet, heat bacon fat over medium until sizzling. Add bell pepper, chopped celery, and chopped onion and sauté until they start to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, reserved shrimp stock, small bay leaf, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon each of thyme and cayenne. Cook until vegetables are tender and tomatoes are saucy, about 20 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf.
  4. Stir in shrimp and cook just a few minutes to heat through. Sprinkle with minced parsley and serve spooned over rice.

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Effie’s Shrimp Creole

Matthew Raiford’s shrimp creole is a traditional Geechee dish from mainland Georgia. This recipe has been handed down through his family.

Date Published: 08.20.25
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About The Author

Erin Byers Murray

Erin Byers Murray has been digging into stories about food and wine for more than twenty years. Based in Nashville, she is the editor-in-chief of The Local Palate and has authored or co-authored half a dozen books, including deep dives into oysters and grits, as well as several cookbooks. Her work has been published in multiple publications, including Food & Wine, Wine & Spirits, the Boston Globe, and three editions of Best Food Writing.

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