Simple Red Rice And Shrimp Recipe

No body does red rice and shrimp quite like in Cajun country, case in point.

Ingredients

• 5 slices of bacon, chopped
  
• 1/2 cup of chopped onion
• 1/2 cup of chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup of chopped celery
• 1 teaspoon of chopped garlic
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans of diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (10 ounce) can of diced tomatoes with chilies (like Rotel), undrained
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 2 cups of uncooked long grain white rice
• 2-1/2 cups of chicken broth
• 1/2 tablespoon of Zatarain's Big & Zesty (big flake) Original Creole seasoning, or your favorite Cajun/Creole seasoning, or to taste
• Couple dashes of hot pepper sauce
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon of canola or vegetable oil
• Old Bay seasoning
• 2 pounds of small, raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 tablespoon of butter

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Use kitchen shears to cut bacon directly into a large Dutch oven and cook over medium high heat until slightly crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain. To the rendered fat, add the onion, bell pepper and celery. Cook over medium heat until tender; add the garlic and cook another minute.

Stir in the tomatoes, with their liquid, and the sugar; bring to a boil. Add the rice and the chicken broth, return to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the Creole seasoning, hot sauce, cooked bacon; stir. Taste the broth and add salt and pepper to taste. Stir, cover and transfer to the preheated oven. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Can also finish on the stovetop if preferred.

Remove from oven and let stand covered. Heat canola in a skillet over high heat. Sprinkle the shrimp with Old Bay, add to the hot oil and stir fry quickly, stirring constantly, just until shrimp turn pink and are no longer translucent. Add butter and toss. Spoon red rice onto the plate and top each serving with a serving of shrimp, including some of the pan juices from the shrimp.

~Cook's Notes~

Can also use a 3.5 quart baking dish for baking. Spray with non-stick spray, prepare ingredients in a skillet, cover tightly with several and transfer to bake.

For a Southwestern Flair: Add 1 teaspoon of cumin and 1/2 tablespoon of chili powder to your red rice and shrimp feast.