My Recipe Box - Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya

Photo taken in Mazatlan Mexico February 2013

Makes 4 Portions of Sausage and Shrimp Jambalaya

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 8 oz Andouille sausage, or Kielbasa, sliced 1/4" thick, or any other smoky sausage
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup diced tomato, fresh or canned
• 1 large green bell pepper, diced
• 2 ribs celery, sliced 1/4" thick
• 4 green onions, sliced thin
• 1 cup brown rice or white rice but it will cook faster
• 3 cups chicken broth - I had homemade fish broth so I used it
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Preparation:

In a heavy bottomed pot with a lid, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sliced sausage and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the paprika, cumin, cayenne, black pepper, and salt. Saute the spices for 1 minute, and then add the tomatoes. Cook stirring for a few minutes to let some of the liquid from the tomatoes evaporate. Add the green bell pepper, celery, and most of the green onions (reserve some of the dark green slices of the onions to garnish the top); cook, stirring for 5 minutes.

Stir in the rice and mix well. Add the stock, turn the heat up to high, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook for 45 minutes. Remove the lid and check the rice. It should be just tender; if it is still too firm cook longer. When the rice is tender, add the shrimp, stir in, and cook covered for 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning, and adjust if needed. Serve the jambalaya in bowls with green onions sprinkled on top.

Note: if you decide to substitute white rice in this jambalaya recipe, you will need to check the recipe after 20 minutes, as it cooks much faster than brown rice.