Rice with Shrimp and Vegetables: Step-by-Step Recipe with Photos

Name: Rice with Shrimp and Vegetables: Step-by-Step Recipe with Photos
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: Large shrimp 20-25; Rice 1 cup; Carrot 1; Celery root 50 g; Garlic 1 head; Bell pepper 1; Olive oil 50 ml; Canned corn 0.5 cup; Spices: black pepper, paprika, nutmeg, salt to taste

Today we decided to make rice for breakfast. Rice with shrimp, vegetables, olive oil and spices. Something in between all the well-known rice dishes. That is the beauty of home cooking: you can mix, match and improvise.

Ask anyone what “Mediterranean cuisine” means to them. The vast majority will say pizza, pasta, risotto, tiramisu, Parmesan and so on. Only a few will answer that Mediterranean cuisine is a collective name for the cuisines and culinary traditions of the countries around the Mediterranean Sea.

And the term covers not only Italian cooking, but also Spanish and French, the cuisines of the Adriatic countries, the Mediterranean islands, and even the Middle East and North Africa. Still, Mediterranean cuisine is defined more accurately not by dishes or regions, but by its produce and ingredients.

All over the world people cook very similar rice dishes, along the lines of the famous pilaf. Rice, local vegetables, meat or seafood, spices: nothing complicated. In technical terms the method is called cooking by absorption, where the rice takes up all the liquid. Pilaf, risotto, paella and the like are all made this way. Sometimes, especially without experience, it is hard to tell right away which dish exactly you are eating. Eastern pilaf, though, is easy enough to recognize.

Valencian paella, often simply called a Spanish dish, is the same rice and olive oil with plenty of seafood, sausage and vegetables. There are countless versions and variations. It is rare for a restaurant that presents itself as Spanish not to have paella on the menu.

That surprises me a little, because to my mind paella means fresh air, a big noisy crowd, a picnic, a huge pan and everyone cooking together a dish that gets eaten on the spot. Restaurant paella, cooked in advance and reheated, does not quite fit that picture. Oh well. I do not like reheated food at all.

Ingredients

2 servings

Large shrimp 20-25
Rice 1 cup
Carrot 1
Celery root 50 g
Garlic 1 head
Bell pepper 1
Olive oil 50 ml
Canned corn 0.5 cup
Spices: black pepper, paprika, nutmeg, salt to taste

Step-by-step recipe

For this dish it is best to use a rice that cooks up fluffy. Parboiled rice will do nicely, and it is the one most often sold in shops. It has a long, well-polished grain, and it is usually steam-treated as well. Indian basmati, a very fragrant rice, is also a good choice. You can even use slightly sticky varieties, such as Camolino. In any case, rinse the rice and cook it until done, taking care not to end up with porridge. Leave the rice in the pot it was cooked in so that it stays warm. Some of the moisture will also evaporate, which helps keep the grains separate.
Thaw the shrimp. Better still, just pour boiling water over them, and once they have thawed, remove the shells and heads.
Heat the olive oil in a deep saute pan.
Peel the celery root and the carrot and cut them into cubes. No need to chop finely; the cubes can be fairly large.
Separate the garlic into cloves without peeling them.
Seed the bell pepper and cut it the same way as the celery root and carrot.
Fry the carrot, celery root and garlic cloves in the olive oil. Keep frying until the carrot is soft.
Add the chopped pepper and fry, stirring, for 8-10 minutes.
Add the spices. I recommend seasoning with salt and pepper, then adding a pinch of ground nutmeg, as much as fits on the tip of a knife, and a coffee spoon of sweet red paprika. Fry the vegetables with the spices for a few minutes.
Add half a cup of canned corn, draining off the liquid first. Pour 3-4 tbsp of water into the pan. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, over low heat for 15 minutes.
Put the peeled shrimp into the pan, stir and simmer for another 3-4 minutes. No longer than that, because seafood turns rubbery when cooked for too long.
Add the cooked rice. Mix thoroughly. Leave the rice with shrimp, covered, over the lowest heat to steam for 10 minutes.
The rice with shrimp is ready.
Rice with shrimp makes a great breakfast, nourishing and tasty. You can garnish it with fresh herbs, or drizzle it with a little lemon juice if you like.