Classic shrimp jambalaya with long grain rice, chicken broth, onions, peppers, celery, garlic, tomatoes, Creole spices and fresh shrimp.
My friend Becca’s favorite meal for a date is her shrimp and sausage jambalaya. Becca grew up in Biloxi, Mississippi, where if you come here, you’ll learn how to make jambalaya!
A few notes on this wonderful recipe. It makes a lot! This batch easily makes 12.
Becca uses Tony Cachere’s spice in her jambalaya, which is a standard spice in this part of the country. You can buy it online or search for a recipe online to find the herbs and spices it contains.
Becca’s Jambalaya
Ingredients are listed in amounts appropriate for a jambalaya batch, to serve 12 people. You can easily double or triple the recipe.
ingredients
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Andouille and smoked sausage, sliced into 1/4 inch thick – 2 cups
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Tony Chachere’s Creole Jambalaya Dinner Mix – An 8 ounce box
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Water – 2 1/4 cups
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Uncle Ben’s Converted Original Long Grain Rice – 1 cup
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Chicken broth (homemade is best) 2 1/4 cups
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Onion – a mixture of yellow, red, and green onions (tops included), all chopped – 2 cups total
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Bell peppers – a mixture of yellow, red, and green, all chopped – 2 cups total
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Celery, chopped – 1 cup
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Bay Leaves – 2 (Make sure they are fresh and strong, if not add more)
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Garlic, chopped – 1 heaping tablespoon
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Whole Cooked Tomatoes – 1/3 of a 32-ounce can, shred the tomatoes with your fingers as they go in, reserving the tomato juice to add if needed
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Diced Tomatoes – 1/3 of a 14-ounce can
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Tomato Sauce – 1/3 of an 8 oz can
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Dried Thyme – 1 teaspoon
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Tabasco Sauce – several squirts
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Oregano – 1 teaspoon
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Cayenne Pepper – 1/2 teaspoon
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Sugar – 1 pinch
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Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning – to taste
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Fresh shrimp, in shell but sliced for easy removal from shell – 1 1/2 to 2 pounds (Remove shells and store shrimp in ice water while shelling.)
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Lemon Juice – Juice of half a lemon for every pound of shrimp
method
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Prepare the vegetables and shrimp:
It pays to do as much prep work as possible upfront, especially if you’re making a large batch. Note that Becca gets her shrimp fresh, not frozen, in shell and butterfly cut for easy peeling.
After you’ve shredded all the veggies, it will take some time to peel the shrimp as you want to make sure all the pieces of shell come out. While you are skinning the shrimp, place the shrimp in a bowl of cold water.
When you’re done shelling, filter the water from the shrimp and place the shrimp in the refrigerator to keep them cold. You will only add the shrimp to the jambalaya in the last 2 minutes of preparing this dish.
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Fry the sausage slices:
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sear the sausage slices in batches, until cooked through, about 15 minutes per batch.
As you finish each batch, pour the sausage and released fat into a large stockpot.
The size of the soup pot depends on how much jambalaya you are making. I would use an 8 qt stock pot for this batch.
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Add Tony Chachere’s, water, rice, chicken broth, onions, peppers, celery:
Add Tony Chachere’s Creole Jambalaya Dinner Mix and 2 1/4 cups water for each 8 ounce box used.
Add Uncle Ben’s long grain rice and 2 1/4 cups chicken broth for each cup of rice used.
Add onions, peppers and celery. Bring the mixture to a slow simmer, over MEDIUM heat. This is slow cooking.
You want it on medium to prevent the jambalaya from burning. While the jambalaya is cooking, stir it occasionally to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom.
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Add the bay leaves, garlic, whole tomatoes (reserve the juice), diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Add thyme, tabasco, oregano, cayenne pepper, sugar:
Cook slowly over medium-high heat, adding tomato juice and broth as needed as the rice absorbs the liquid in the saucepan. It should neither dry out nor be too runny.
Stir frequently so that nothing sticks to the bottom. Let the temperature be just one notch below a simmer. When it starts to boil, reduce the heat or add water. Cook slowly for an hour while the rice absorbs the liquid.
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Customize Spices:
As the jambalaya cooks, taste and adjust the seasonings frequently. Becca likes her jambalaya pretty hot; She says, “If you’re not sweating, it’s not hot enough!” She adds Tony Chachere’s Creole spice to turn up the heat. Add to taste.
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When the rice has absorbed as much moisture as possible, slowly fold in the shrimp:
Add lemon juice (1/2 lemon for every pound of shrimp). Cover and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from the stove and you’re done.
A big thank you to Becca for being patient with all my questions and for letting me play sous chef. Thank you Beca! (nearest stop Gumbo…)
