Herminia’s Kitchen

Shrimp Rice

The Portuguese eat more rice than anyone in Europe, by an order of magnitude. The cultivation of rice in Portugal dates back to the 18th century, although it was introduced earlier by the Moors. This, my mom Herminia’s recipe, is another form of comfort food.

Minutes

Servings

Easy

Difficulty

Ingredients

2onions, thinly sliced
.25 cupbutter
1 cupchopped celery
1 cupthinly sliced mushrooms
2 clovesgarlic, sliced
2 tablespoonsall-purpose flour
1 teaspoonsalt
.25 teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
.5 teaspoonpaprika
.5 teaspoonchili powder
1 can chopped tomatoes
3 dropshot sauce, like Tabasco
1 poundshrimp, shelled and deveined
1green bell pepper, finely chopped
.5 cupwhite rice
.5 cupvegetable or chicken broth, or water

A note

This recipe is quite forgiving. You should keep an eye on the liquid when the rice is cooking. The dish is often a little soupy, which is fine.

Instructions

01
In a medium sized pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the sliced onions and sauté until translucent and soft.
02
Add the celery and garlic and stir a couple minutes.
03
Increase the heat and add the mushrooms. They will eventually release a lot of water. Keep stirring until their liquid has mostly evaporated.
04
Add the flour, salt, black pepper, paprika, chili powder and hot sauce. Stir for about a minute. Add the tomatoes, including the liquid.
05
Lower the heat to low. Add the rice and broth, and stir. Cook for about 10 minutes with the lid on.
06
Stir in the green bell pepper and the shrimp. Return the lid and cook for another five to 10 minutes.