Equipment
Ingredients
The Holy Trinity & Aromatics
- 30 ml olive oil, room temperature
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 2 celery, diced
- 3 garlic, minced
Spices & Base
- 400 g crushed tomatoes, canned
- 250 ml vegetable stock
- 15 g tomato paste, concentrated
- 2 g dried thyme
- 2 g dried oregano
- 1 g cayenne pepper
- 2 g smoked paprika
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 ml worcestershire sauce
Seasoning
- 3 g salt
- 1 g black pepper, freshly ground
- hot sauce
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 87 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- 10 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 5 g
- Sodium
- 467 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Potassium
- 364 mg
- Calcium
- 44 mg
- Iron
- 1.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 19 mg
- Phosphorus
- 44 mg
- Zinc
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 62 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 37 mg
- Vitamin E
- 1.6 mg
- Vitamin K
- 24 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.2 mg
- Thiamin
- 0.07 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.06 mg
- Niacin
- 0.8 mg
- Folate
- 26 mcg
- Water
- 128 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Dice the onion, green bell pepper, and celery into uniform 0.5cm pieces. Mince the garlic.
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat (approx. 175°C/350°F). Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery.
Sauté the vegetables for 8-10 minutes until the onions are translucent and the peppers are soft. Do not brown them excessively.
Add the minced garlic, tomato paste, thyme, oregano, paprika, and cayenne. Cook for 1-2 minutes while stirring constantly until the spices are fragrant.
Pour in the crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock, Worcestershire sauce, and add the bay leaf. Stir well to combine.
Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce heat to low (approx. 90°C/195°F) to maintain a gentle simmer.
Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and the flavors have melded.
Remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, black pepper, and optional hot sauce. Serve immediately or cool for storage.
Chef's Notes
- The 'Holy Trinity' (onion, celery, green bell pepper) is the backbone of this sauce. For a rustic texture, chop them by hand rather than using a food processor, which can draw out too much water.
- If you want a smoother sauce, you can use an immersion blender after removing the bay leaf, but traditional Creole sauce is meant to be chunky.
- This sauce is incredibly versatile: pour it over grilled fish, simmer shrimp in it for 'Shrimp Creole', or mix with cooked rice for a quick jambalaya base.
- For strict Gluten-Free adherence, verify your Worcestershire sauce brand (e.g., Lea & Perrins in the US is GF, but some generic brands contain malt vinegar).
Storage
Refrigerator: 5 days — Store in an airtight container.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze in portions; thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Reheating: Simmer gently on the stove until heated through.
Troubleshooting
Sauce tastes metallic or too acidic
Cause: Acidity of the canned tomatoes
Fix: Stir in 2-4g of sugar or a pinch of baking soda to neutralize the acid
Prevention: Use high-quality San Marzano tomatoes
Garlic tastes bitter
Cause: Garlic was added too early or heat was too high
Fix: Cannot be fixed if burnt; must restart
Prevention: Add garlic only 1-2 minutes before adding liquids
Sauce is too watery
Cause: Not simmered long enough or too much stock used
Fix: Continue simmering uncovered for another 10-15 minutes
Prevention: Measure liquids carefully
Cultural Context
Creole cuisine, born in New Orleans, distinguishes itself from its rural Cajun cousin largely by the use of tomatoes. This sauce reflects the city's cosmopolitan history, blending French technique (the mirepoix adapted to the 'Holy Trinity'), Spanish influence (tomatoes and peppers), and African and Caribbean spices.
