Introduction
This creole stew is made with sausage, potatoes and corn on the cob. It’s wonderfully hearty and spicy, but can easily be made with a more mild spice level in mind.
The cooking liquid flavors the food, and becomes a sauce thanks to the potatoes and a bit of flour. Best of all, everything is made in one pot, making cleanup a breeze.
Sausage Selection: What to Use
Since the star of this dish is really the sauce, you don’t need anything with huge flavor. I recommend something mild, and a cheaper brand would be fine to use.
You can also use shrimp instead of sausage. However, the recipe only has steps for the sausage, so you’d have to figure out the shrimp cookery yourself.
After browning
Choosing the Right Hot Sauce
You’ll want to use a hot sauce with a decent amount of vinegar flavor. Depending on how spicy you want this to be, you can choose an appropriately spicy hot sauce. You can also adjust the amount of hot sauce used for more or less heat.
I used 2 Tbsps of a fairly spicy sauce, and it was a bit too much spice for me. Since I quite enjoy spicy food, I don’t recommend using more than that unless you really want spicy.
Before simmering
Salt Levels and Seasonings
Depending on how salty your seasoning mix is, you may need to use more or less salt. I used a fairly common creole seasoning with 340mg of sodium per 1/4 tsp, and everything but the corn was a bit too salty.
If you’re worried about oversalting, you can use half as much salt as stated in the recipe.
After simmering
Tips For Making the Best Creole Stew
While it’s not necessary, you can brown the sausage in the pan upfront for additional flavor.
If you’re using fresh corn on the husk, be sure all the silk has been removed. Having corn silk floating in your stew would unfortunate, at best.
For best results, I recommend serving this after letting it sit in the fridge. Not only will things soak up more flavor, but the sauce will thicken considerably.
Despite the pictures showing everything being cooked together, I recommend not doing that. I thought the flavor added from simmering in the sauce would make up for any overcooking. Unfortunately, it really didn’t. Instead of doing the same, I recommend following the recipe instructions, which have been updated to correct this.
A bowl of everything (the sauce is underneath)
Conclusion and Recipe
Below I’ve listed the ingredients, ingredient amounts, and steps for making this creole stew. If you like this recipe, consider following me on WordPress or Pinterest.
For another great stew recipe, check out my spicy chicken stew.
Ingredients
1 lb russet potatoes, 454 grams, cut into chunks
1 lb corn cobs*, 1-2 whole cobs, 454 grams
1 lb smoked sausage, 454 grams, cut into large chunks
3 Tbsps unsalted butter, 42 grams
2 Tbsps flour, 21 grams
2 Tbsps creole seasoning, 29 grams
2 Tbsps hot sauce**, 30 grams
1 Tbsp sugar, 12 grams
2 tsps kosher salt***, 12 grams
4 cups broth or stock, 960 grams
Preparation
Preheat a large pot with a lid over medium-high heat. Brown your sausage for 1-2 minutes per side, then remove.
Melt the butter, then add the flour. Cook until the roux is a pale brown, about 2-4 minutes, stirring constantly.
Add the potatoes, salt, sugar, hot sauce, creole seasoning and broth, stir and bring to a simmer. Cook for ~10 minutes, then add the corn and cook for ~10 more minutes. Once the potatoes are almost done, add the sausage.
Continue cooking until the potatoes are tender, 20-30 minutes in total. You’re ready to serve, but for best results, serve the next day.
Notes
* If you’re using whole ears of corn, be sure to cut them into halves or thirds.
** Depending on how hot your hot sauce is, you may need more or less. If your sauce is especially spicy or you don’t want super spicy food, I’d use 1 Tbsp instead.
*** This amount of salt, in addition to the creole seasoning, makes for a lot of sodium. Since this makes a lot of sauce, you need a lot of salt to make it properly salted.
However, this may be too salty depending on the seasoning and salt you’re using. My choice of seasoning and salt made this dish a bit too salty for me.
If you’re worried about oversalting, you can use less salt than stated in the recipe. For more info about salting and which salt I use, you can read this article.
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