Jambalaya

Jambalaya is the ultimate Louisiana comfort food. This rice dish combines spicy Andouille sausage, shrimp and creole spices in a large skillet and slow cooked over the stove. There are lots of variations of Jambalaya so it’s a fun dish to experiment with. A great trick to get some of that briny shrimp flavor into the rice is cooking the shells in the chicken stock, effectively making a super quick shrimp stock.  I went to the local butcher for the Andouille (which I would recommend for the boost in quality and flavor) but you can find it in most grocery stores as well. I pre-make my Creole seasoning which I keep in a marked jar in the spice cabinet. This recipe can easily be served as a main course but also works well as a side to many other Creole dishes. I garnished the dish with plenty of Louisiana-style hot sauce and chopped green onions.

Jambalaya
(Makes 4-6 servings)
Printable Version

Ingredients:

• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large green pepper, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 tbsp worcestershire
• 1 lb Andouille sausage, sliced
• 1 tbsp Creole seasoning, or more to taste (recipe below)
• 1 tsp dried sassafras (gumbo file powder)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp oregano
• 29 oz. diced tomatoes
• 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
• 2 cups rice
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 lb raw shrimp, shells removed and set aside
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• green onions, chopped for garnish
• Louisiana hot sauce

Directions:

1. In a sauce pot, boil the chicken stock and shells, cover and cook on lowest setting.
2. In a flat pan or skillet heat the olive oil and add the sliced andouille. Brown on all sides, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the onion, celery and green peppers, cover and cook until onions are translucent, about 8 minutes.
4. Add the garlic, oregano, sassafras and creole seasoning and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
5. Strain and discard the shells from the stock and add to the sausage and vegetable mixture.
6. Stir in the rice, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaves, and Worcestershire. Cover and bring to a boil.
7. Once a boil is reached, turn down the heat to low and let simmer about 30-40 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced and the rice is tender.
8. Add the shrimp and cook until no longer translucent about 3-5 minutes.
9. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste. Garnish with more hot sauce and green onions.

Creole Seasoning
(Makes about 2/3 cup)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 tbsp paprika
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Mix all together.