WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS? This simple one-pot Mexican staple is made by cooking rice, vegetables, and shrimp in a flavorful stock. Although this simplicity is part of the dish’s appeal, we found that there was a fine line between simple and boring. To coax as much flavor as possible out of our shrimp, we marinated them briefly and also made a quick but rich-tasting shrimp stock by sautéing the shrimp shells with onion and guajillo chiles, then adding water, peppercorns, cilantro sprigs, and bay leaves for layers of herbal flavor. Toasting the rice in olive oil helped the grains stay firm and not turn mushy when cooked. Some garlic and oregano added with the rice gave it an extra flavor boost. To achieve perfectly tender shrimp, we nestled the shrimp into the rice during the last few minutes of cooking.
SERVES: 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS:
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1½ pounds extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined, shells reserved
- 2 onions, chopped
- 4 guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into ½-inch pieces (½ cup)
- Salt and pepper
- 4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 5 sprigs fresh cilantro plus 2 tablespoons minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
- 2 cups long-grain white rice
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or ¾ teaspoon dried
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- Lime wedges
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add shrimp shells, 1 cup onion, guajillos, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shells are spotty brown, about 10 minutes.
- Add water, peppercorns, cilantro sprigs, and bay leaves. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Strain the shrimp stock through a fine-mesh strainer into a large liquid measuring cup, resulting in approximately 3 cups of stock. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons oil, half of the garlic, cayenne, and ½ teaspoon pepper together. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the bell pepper, remaining onion, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Stir in the rice, remaining garlic, and oregano. Cook until fragrant and the rice is translucent, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes and their juice, along with 3 cups of the reserved shrimp stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.
- Nestle the marinated shrimp attractively into the rice, forming concentric circles with the tails sticking up out of the rice.
- Cover and cook until the shrimp are opaque, approximately 8 to 10 minutes.
- Remove the pot from heat and let it sit, covered, for about 5 minutes to allow the shrimp to finish cooking.
- Sprinkle with minced cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
TIP:
MAKING SHRIMP AND RICE
- Nestle shrimp into partially cooked rice in attractive concentric circles with tails sticking out of rice. Cover and cook until shrimp are opaque.
