Shrimp and Rice

Shrimp and Rice. Perfectly cooked shrimp nestled in a bed of a tomato rice mixture topped with a smooth and creamy Greek yogurt. I still remember the pot she used to cook this dish in. When you saw that pot on the stove you knew what she was up to. Although we consider this a Greek dish, I’m not sure it is. But when it comes to a Greek woman, cooking in a kitchen…it’s Greek. Get me?

Let’s start this “Greek” Shrimp and Rice dish! Most of us, I believe, will have the majority of these ingredients in our pantries. Check it out.

List of Ingredients for Shrimp and Rice

• PRODUCE: Onion and parsley
• Shrimp
• Chicken broth
• Rice
• Can of tomato sauce
• Butter
• Salt and Pepper

Step One

Start by sautéing the chopped onions in some olive oil. The recipe calls for 1/3 cup of olive oil. Although that might seem like a lot its not and I promise you, there is no such thing as too much olive oil. Of course not in the Greek world anyway. Once you add your onions to the heated olive oil, season them with the salt, pepper and dill/parsley. Stir to combine. When the onions become translucent, pour the tomato sauce into the pot and then give it a good stir and let the mixture simmer for a couple of minutes.

Step Two

Next up add in the rice and chicken broth. Stirring to combine all ingredients. Ok, so here’s where I’m going to break a “rule”. Do you remember hearing, all the time, about checking in on your rice? If you took the lid off the pot you were pretty much brandished to hell. Right? It’s like you committed a crime! So, I’m going to let you in on a secret. You see, I know I’m going to hell so I check on my rice not once…but 2-3 times while it’s cooking. I am still alive, for now. Of course, if you are “one of those” who couldn’t even imagine doing this, it’s ok. I don’t think I’ll ever know, right?

Step Three

Time to bring this pot of deliciousness to a boil, stir and reduce it to a simmer. Put the lid on and stay close. Seriously, still to this day, I can burn this dish but not to the point where it’s not edible! That’s why I HAVE to peek, stir and repeat. I shake the pot to make sure that the rice on the bottom gets loosened and moved around a bit. Once things start to calm down in the pot and the liquid starts to get absorbed I break the “rule”…SHHHH.

Stir it about 10 minutes in and check to make sure that the heat isn’t too hot. If so, I adjust accordingly. The rice will take about 25 minutes to fully cook. After my first “offense”, I repeat it in about 5 minutes. At this point you will be able to see how much liquid is remaining. This is an important step because you will want just a small amount of liquid when you add the shrimp because otherwise the last couple of minutes while the shrimp are cooking the rice will start to burn. Trust me. Please.

Final step for Shrimp and Rice

Meanwhile, season the shrimp and add it to the rice mixture. Toss the shrimp around so they are fully coated. Make sure that your stove is at the absolute lowest setting. Add in the seasoned shrimp and put the lid back on for a minute. At this point you should see the shrimp starting to turn pink. The heat from the rice mixture will literally cook the shrimp to absolute perfection. Your shrimp will be done within 2-3 minutes. Finally add the butter and you are done! Just like that.

Look it how beautiful this dish is! We love to top ours with some Greek yogurt that adds a level of creaminess and lemon wedges to brighten it up. Absolutely delicious. Serve with a Ceasar salad. Hope this recipe finds its way into your home.~Christina

Shrimp and Rice

Recipe by Christina Scanlon

Course: DinnerCuisine: Greek, AmericanDifficulty: easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Perfectly cooked shrimp nestled in a bed of a tomato rice mixture topped with Greek yogurt.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Large shrimp *SEE NOTE

• 1/3 cup olive oil

• 2 medium onions, or 1 large diced

• 1 tsp dill

• 1 small can tomato sauce

• 1 cup white rice

• 2 cups chicken stock

• 2 Tblsp. butter

• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

• Heat olive oil of low to medium heat.
• Add your diced onions and dill. Season with salt and pepper.
• Sauté onions until they are soft and translucent. About 10 minutes.
• Add in your tomato sauce, stir and simmer for 3 minutes.
• Add rice and chicken broth. Stir until combined.
• Bring your rice mixture up to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. *SEE NOTE
• Meanwhile, season your shrimp with salt and pepper.
• Once your rice is almost cooked, 25 minutes or so, you should have just a small amount of liquid in the pot, go ahead and add your shrimp. Stir until everything is combined.
• Put the cover back on and let the shrimp cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir once, halfway through cooking, just to make sure all the shrimp are engulfed in the rice mixture and put the lid back on. Once the shrimp turn pink, the dish is done.
• Remove lid and add your 2 tablespoons of butter and mix.
• I serve with a heaping dollop of Greek yogurt, parsley and lemon wedges.

Notes

• I use frozen shrimp with tail on. I thaw it and remove the shell on the tail. If you are using fresh shrimp you should have about 40-45 shrimp in a pound.
• I ALWAYS check on my rice. While it’s simmering I shake the pan so the rice doesn’t stick. And I do take the lid off and stir it a couple of times while cooking.

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