When deep summer comes to the Gulf Coast South, dishes served cold become the most appealing thing on the menu. This brings me to shrimp remoulade, which seems to have been created exactly for this purpose.

A Brief History of Remoulade

Remoulade sauce originated in France in the 1600’s, and its name comes from a type of radish — ramolas. A French remoulade is mayonnaise-based, typically includes horse radish, and is white in color.

In 1918, Arnaud’s Restaurant opened in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Their Shrimp Arnaud featured cold boiled shrimp with an oil-based remoulade and the dish caught on like crazy.

From that point, remoulade became a staple in New Orleans restaurants and kitchens, and you will find both red remoulade and a variation on white remoulade (ends up pink in most cases) served all over the city. Both types of remoulade in New Orleans are spicier than their French ancestor.

Most cooks in the Crescent City have their own variations on the recipes, and two of my favorites follow. I like both, but have a tendency to prefer the mayo-based remoulade on things like crab cakes, while I typically make my shrimp remoulade with the red, oil-based version. It’s all a matter of personal preference! I have a friend in NOLA who always makes both and lets her guests choose their  favorite.

For both recipes, it’s important that the green onions and celery are minced. I always use my food processor to speed things along.

Red Creole Remoulade

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. ketchup
• 1 Tbsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. horseradish
• 2 Tbsp. creole mustard (*such as Zatarain’s)
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup green onions, minced
• 3/4 cup celery, minced

Yields a bit over 2 cups of dressing.

Prep: mince green onions, celery, and garlic.

Mix all ingredients together well. Allow to rest overnight before using, if at all possible. Otherwise, at least two hours in the fridge makes a big difference over just-prepared. Then you can either toss your cold boiled shrimp in the dressing and served over a bed of lettuce, or drizzle the dressing over the shrimp.

Creole Remoulade with a mayonnaise base

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. ketchup
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp. creole mustard
• 1 1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. Tabasco Sauce
• 3 tsp. paprika
• 2 Tbsp. celery, minced
• 1/2 cup green onions, minced
• 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Yields just under two cups of dressing.

Prep: mince green onions, celery, and garlic. Chop parsley.

Mix all ingredients together well. As with the other version, I think it tastes much better if you let it sit for a couple of hours before serving. I love this with crab cakes, and almost any kind of seafood.

When I serve it with cold boiled shrimp, I toss it, let it sit for at least an hour, and either serve on a bed of lettuce or mounded up on half of a ripe avocado.

** Note on creole mustard. Most New Orleanians have Zatarain’s Creole Mustard on hand all of the time. If you cannot get it, I’ve used Maille’s whole grain mustard — but note, it is ALL mustard grain. Mixed half and half with the standard Maille’s Dijon mustard, you’ll get something very close to creole mustard.

	Click for a printable version of the recipe.
	Click for a printable version of the recipe.

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