Jazz up your weekly meal rotation with a little New Orleans heat. Creole cuisine is deeply rooted in Louisiana’s culinary tradition, which is influenced by a melting pot of cuisines that include French, Spanish, African, Caribbean and Native American flavors.

Typical Louisiana Creole cuisine is known for fresh seafood, rice and spice. The holy trinity of onions, peppers and celery is the fundamental base for many of its dishes, which also include tomatoes, garlic and Mediterranean herbs such as oregano and thyme.

The sauce in this shrimp stew is tomato-rich and relatively thin, unlike thicker stews or etouffee, which are thickened with a roux (a combination of butter and flour), yielding a darker, gravy-like consistency.

This recipe is light and bright, with a depth of flavor that belies its ease of preparation, which is achieved in 30 minutes. That makes it a perfect addition to your weekly dinner rotation.

Lynda Balslev is an award-winning writer, cookbook author, and recipe developer based in Marin. Visit TasteFood at TasteFoodblog.com.