Fisherman’s Rice

Cuisine: Southwest

Inspiration: In February I made this jambalaya, and I ended up thinking that it was one of the best recipes to cross my dinner plate in months. It’s not a particularly complicated, unique, or even authentic recipe, but there’s just something about the flavors of one-pot, rice-based recipes that I just adore. The jambalaya recipe has become one of my favorite meals, so I was very excited last week to find a similar recipe, but with a very different flavor spin, at We Heart Food. This is one of those recipes that has been stuck in the back of my head ever since I found it.

What we Loved: I knew that I’d love everything about this dish before I even made it, and I did. The rice has a great tangy bite from pureed tomatillos that are added at the end of cooking, and I loved all of the different flavors and textures. The great thing about a one-pot dish is that you taste so many different flavors in each bite. There’s a tang to the rice, a spiciness to the chorizo,  a cool, buttery taste to the avocado, and a fresh seafood taste to the shrimp. I could eat dishes like this every day and be a very happy girl.

Helpful Hints: If you’re not concerned about a particularly healthful meal, I don’t think that it would be a bad idea to up the chorizo to about 6-8 oz or so. I used 3 oz and restrained myself from adding more, since this was supposed to be a healthy weeknight meal and all, but both B and I particularly enjoyed the chorizo flavor in this dish.

Similar Recipes: sausage and shrimp jambalaya 

Fisherman’s Rice
Source: We Heart Food, originally from The Border Cookbook

I only made a few minor changes to the recipe. Here’s the recipe as I made it.

3 oz bulk chorizo
Extra virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup uncooked rice
2 cups chicken stock
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp white vinegar
1 bay leaf
8 oz shrimp, cooked as desired (I sauteed mine for about 2 minutes with olive oil, salt, and pepper)
1 Haas avocado, diced
2 medium tomatillos, husked and pureed
Cilantro, to garnish

1. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a saute pan, and saute the chorizo over medium heat. When it is just browned, add the onion, garlic, and rice, and saute briefly until the rice is translucent.

2. Pour in the stock, soy sauce, and vinegar. Add the bay leaf, and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, and cook for approximately 15 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed.

3. Stir in the cooked shrimp, avocado, and pureed tomatillos. Cook for a few more minutes, and serve garnished with cilantro.