There’s nothing like a bowl of good, hot soup to take off the chill during these frigid January days, especially if you’re a bit under the weather from the flu or a cold. Creole dishes are good any time of year, but this Jambalaya Shrimp and Rice Soup is great during cold winter months. It can be served as spicy as you like, and heating up the leftovers for the next day seems to enhance the spicy flavors.
For this recipe, you can create your own Creole seasoning or use your favorite store brand. Also, this soup offers a good way to use leftover ham following the holidays.
If you want to make this soup ahead of the time, you’ll want to prepare and store the rice separately to prevent the soup from becoming a casserole, since rice tends to soak up all the liquid. So, after cooking the rice, store it separately until you’re ready to serve the soup and then mix the two together.
JAMBALAYA SHRIMP AND RICE SOUP
3/4 cups long-grain white rice (which makes 3 cups cooked rice)
5 1/2 cups chicken stock, divided
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 medium onion (about 1 cup), diced
1/2 small red bell pepper (about 1/2 cup), diced
1/2 small green bell pepper (about 1/2 cup), diced
2 celery stalks (about 1 cup), diced
4 ounces ham, diced
3-4 teaspoons Creole seasoning, to taste
2 cups diced tomato
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pound raw shrimp, any size, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, plus extra for garnish
2 thinly sliced scallions, plus extra for garnish
In a small pot, combine the rice and 1 1/2 cups stock. Cover and bring to a boil. Stir to keep rice from sticking. Turn heat down to low and cook covered, undisturbed for 15 minutes. Keep covered and turn off the heat to let rice steam for 10 minutes.
Then, in a large stockpot over medium heat, cook the oil and the flour, stirring often until the flour turns a peanut-butter color, but be careful it does not burn.
Add the onion, peppers, celery and ham and saute until the vegetables become soft. Add Creole seasoning to taste. Cook and stir for 1 minute to toast the spices. Add the tomato, the remaining 4 cups chicken stock and Worcestershire sauce to the vegetable and ham mixture. Bring to a boil and cover, lower the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Add the shrimp, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley and two sliced scallions. Simmer for 5 minutes. To serve, scoop 1/2 cup cooked rice into each bowl and ladle soup over it. Garnish with remaining chopped fresh parsley and scallions.
Note: To make your own Creole seasoning, combine 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon dried oregano and 1 teaspoon dried thyme. Mix in a small bowl and store extra in a sealed jar out of direct sunlight.
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