8 BEST Side Dishes for Shrimp Creole: Enhance Your Meal

Shrimp Creole is a dish consisting of shrimp, tomatoes, and spices.

The delicious taste comes from the combination of ingredients and the flavorful sauce of the dish.

Shrimp Creole is a dish that can be eaten on its own or with rice, potatoes, or vegetables.

The most traditional way to cook Shrimp Creole is with fresh okra.

This adds a delicious vegetable element that goes well with the dish’s main shrimp, tomatoes, and spices.

When making Shrimp Creole, it is also important to use high-quality ingredients.

These include extra virgin olive oil, crushed garlic cloves, crushed red chili flakes, crushed black pepper, salt, and fresh-squeezed lemon juice.

The sauce is the most important part of Shrimp Creole because it brings all the ingredients together to make delicious food.

Serving Shrimp Creole with white rice is the perfect way to enjoy this meal.

Many different side dishes pair nicely with Shrimp Creole.

In this article, we will list what to serve with Shrimp Creole.

We will also give reviews on some of the best side dishes for this meal.

Why Consider Serving Side Dishes for Shrimp Creole?

Shrimp Creole is very rich in flavor from the mix of vegetables and spices used.

This combination results in a recipe that combines a tangy sweetness generally found in Creole food.

Since Shrimp Creole is such a hearty main dish, you don’t need to serve much more than this with it.

However, serving a side dish is important if you want something to cut the flavor and make your taste buds scream and dance.

Another reason to consider serving a side dish with Shrimp Creole is if you’re trying to serve more than just one meal to your family.

Just like most main dishes, Shrimp Creole is very filling and can be difficult to serve more than once (unless you’re okay with leftovers) to your family.

If you want to serve something else with Shrimp Creole, I will touch on a few side dishes that compliment the flavors in the dish below.

These are just suggestions and by no means should be taken as “musts” when serving Shrimp Creole.

What to Serve with Shrimp Creole? 8 BEST Side Dishes

We made a list of the best side dish recipes that taste great with Shrimp Creole to make things easy.

1 – Steamed Green Beans

Green beans are an excellent side dish to serve with Shrimp Creole since most of the flavors used in the Shrimp Creole recipe are known for their sweet taste; green beans are a good counterbalance because they’re tangy.

The one thing you want to keep in mind is that green beans tend to be soggy if you add them to Shrimp Creole after cooking it.

Therefore, we recommend steaming the green beans in a separate pot and then transferring them over when it’s time to serve.

Also, be careful not to overcook your green beans if you decide to steam them.

Green beans go from tender and great tasting to tough and bland tasting very quickly.

You need to make sure that they are cooked but still have a slight crunchiness to them.

2 – Roasted Baby Carrots

This is a great side dish that you can serve with Shrimp Creole because it will add an extra dimension of flavor to the meal.

Roasting carrots is very easy and doesn’t take much time (compared to steaming).

The one thing we recommend when prepping your baby carrots for roasting is cutting them into similar-sized pieces.

This will ensure that they cook at a consistent rate.

It’s also important to cut off the smaller branch-like parts as these can burn quickly and cause your carrots to taste bitter.

The last thing you want to do is ruin a side dish by burning it.

3 – Green Salad

A green salad is always a good choice.

Depending on how you’ve cooked this main dish, you can serve it on the side or on top of your Shrimp Creole.

Although there are more popular salads you can serve with Shrimp Creole (e.g., pasta salads), we think that green salad is best due to its refreshing taste.

Green salads tend to be lighter and healthier than most other types of salads – therefore, they’re perfect for serving with Shrimp Creole due to the rich, heavy flavors from the main dish.

Green salads are also very low in sodium, which is good since you don’t want your side dish to make things too salty.

4 – Crusty French Bread

Crusty French bread is a great side dish with Shrimp Creole that compliments the rich, spicy flavors.

Similar to why we recommend green salads for serving with this main dish, pairing French bread with shrimp creole is recommended because it’s refreshing.

Some people will choose to dip their French bread into their Shrimp Creole – This is totally up to you.

If you plan on dipping your French bread in Shrimp Creole, we recommend toasting it a bit beforehand so that the inside of your bread doesn’t get soggy from absorbing Shrimp Creole.

Another popular method for serving French bread with Shrimp Creole is making shrimp creole croutons.

5 – Parmesan Tilapia

This is a simple side dish that can be prepared in five minutes or less.

Okay, so maybe Parmesan tilapia isn’t the most authentic side dish on this list, but it pairs well with Shrimp Creole.

Throwing Parmesan tilapia into the oven while your Shrimp Creole is simmering will ensure that you don’t overcook it.

Parmesan tilapia is very mild and delicious – we recommend using garlic and herb Parmesan cheese rather than the typical pepper or other grainy cheeses.

By pairing this side dish with Shrimp Creole, those who aren’t as familiar with seafood may choose to substitute their shrimp creole with Parmesan tilapia – this way, everyone can enjoy Shrimp Creole and still eat seafood.

6 – Risotto

We know that risotto isn’t considered a side dish (or it shouldn’t be), but we couldn’t help but include this on the list.

Risotto is very rich and creamy and can be used to substitute mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta.

Risotto isn’t very difficult to make (add broth to rice while stirring) and will go well with shrimp creole since both dishes are full of bold flavors.

This dish is best served hot, but you can eat it at room temperature if you prefer cool food.

You can also try paella as an alternative to risotto, which pairs well with shrimp creole due to its rich flavors.

7 – Couscous and Other Grains

Couscous and other grains are a great side dish choice for those who want something lighter than rice or pasta.

For those who have trouble choosing between couscous and rice, we suggest couscous as Shrimp Creole is already spicy, and you don’t want to overwhelm yourself with too many spices.

Couscous is very versatile and goes well with just about anything.

It’s similar to rice in that it can be served as a side dish or as a main dish (depending on how you serve it).

Couscous also contains many nutrients and is high in selenium – and antioxidant that’s great for the human body.

8 – Rice Pilaf

Rice pilaf is delicious and can be served just like rice.

Pairing this side dish with Shrimp Creole will give you a more flavorful and aromatic meal.

Rice pilaf is also a common side dish choice and can be found at many restaurants that serve Shrimp Creole.

Rice pilaf usually includes fragrant spices such as parsley, dill, and cumin seeds – all of which complement shrimp creole very well.

Rice pilaf also contains lots of nutrients and is great for your heart.

Conclusion

Shrimp Creole is an amazing dish that’s great for the whole family to enjoy.

Since it contains many bold flavors, we recommend pairing it with light side dishes that won’t be too overwhelming.

French bread, Parmesan tilapia, risotto, couscous, and rice pilaf are our recommendations for serving Shrimp Creole to your friends or family.

These side dishes are delicious in their own right and have proven to pair well with shrimp creole.

Each dish offers a unique twist on Shrimp Creole, so you can be sure to throw something special onto your dinner table.

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