Spicy Shrimp & Rice
This is a quick dinner you can make in less than 45 minutes from start to finish. It's not fancy, but it's good. It has a little kick but not much. There are a bunch of ingredients, but you probably have them in your fridge or freezer. Lastly, like many rice or pasta dishes, this makes great leftovers, so I've provided small and larger sized recipes. The smaller recipe feeds three hungry people and the larger one feeds six.
| Three Servings | Six Servings | |||
| 1 lb | medium shrimp, peeled and deveined | 2 lbs | medium shrimp, peeled and deveined | |
| 1½ tsp (total) | Creole seasoning, we like The Stuff | 1 tbl (total) | Creole seasoning, we like The Stuff | |
| 6 slices | bacon, cut into 1" pieces | 12 slices | bacon, cut into 1" pieces | |
| 1 | onion, diced | 2 | onions, diced | |
| ½ cup | celery, diced | 1 cup | celery, diced | |
| 2 cloves | garlic, minced | 4 cloves | garlic, minced | |
| 1 | bay leaf | 2 | bay leaf | |
| 1 tbl | brown sugar | 2 tbl | brown sugar | |
| 1½ tsp | apple cider vinegar | 1 tbl | apple cider vinegar | |
| 1 tsp | Tabasco | 2 tsp | Tabasco | |
| ½ tsp | thyme | 1 tsp | thyme | |
| ½ tsp | salt | 1 tsp | salt | |
| 1 cup | long grain or parboiled rice | 2 cups | long grain or parboiled rice | |
| 2 cups | chicken broth | 1 qt | chicken broth | |
| ¼ cup | white wine | ½ cup | white wine | |
| ¼ cup | chopped parsley or green onions (just green parts) | ½ cup | chopped parsley or green onions (just green parts) | |
Season the raw shrimp with 1 teaspoon of the Creole seasoning. Mix well then set them aside.
In a Dutch oven, sauté the bacon until it’s crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside on paper towel. Leave bacon fat in pan.
Add the onion and celery to the Dutch oven and sauté until the onions are translucent, stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic, bay leaf, brown sugar, vinegar, Tabasco®, remaining Creole seasoning, thyme, salt, rice, and chicken broth. Stir to combine and bring everything to a boil. Put the lid on the Dutch oven, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 22 minutes. If the rice hasn’t absorbed all the stock, continue cooking with the lid off until the stock is absorbed.
Add the shrimp and wine and stir to combine. Put the lid back on and cook for about 3 minutes to cook the shrimp. When the shrimp are done, add the bacon and stir well.
Serve in bowls with parsley or green onions sprinkled on top.