Beer Braised Shrimp with Louisiana Salsa and Rice

Ingredients

  • • 4 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
  • • 6-8 small ribs celery from the heart, chopped
  • • 1 large or 2 medium green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
  • • 1 medium-large red onion, chopped
  • • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, finely chopped
  • • 4 tablespoons butter
  • • 1 1/2 cups enriched white rice
  • • 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
  • • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • • 2 red jalapeño chile peppers, very thinly sliced
  • • 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, heirloom multi colored, red or yellow, halved
  • • 2 limes
  • • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • • 2 pounds large shrimp, deveined, tail on
  • • 1 tablespoon seafood seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)
  • • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • • 1/4 cup hot sauce
  • • 1 bottle beer
  • • 3 tablespoons butter
  • • 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced on an angle

Preparation

Step 1

In a medium bowl combine the garlic, celery, peppers, onions and thyme.

Heat a medium pot with 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add about 1/3 of the vegetables to the pot, sauté 2-3 minutes, add rice and toss around for 1-2 minutes more. Stir in the chicken stock and cover pot, bring to a boil. Simmer rice 15-18 minutes until tender, fluff with fork and season with salt and pepper.

Combine remaining vegetables with red chile peppers and tomatoes and dress with the juice of 1 lime. Season with a little salt.

Heat 2 tablespoons EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high to high heat. Add shrimp and season with seafood seasoning, Worcestershire and hot sauce. Toss shrimp for about 2 minutes then add beer, reduce heat to simmer and braise 5-6 minutes. Cut butter into small bits and melt into sauce then add in scallions. Squeeze the juice of 1 lime over the pan.

Serve shrimp in shallow bowls, top with a generous scoop of rice and garnish with generous spoonfuls of salsa. If you prefer lots of rice to a little bit of seafood, reverse the order and fill bowl with rice, top with shrimp and salsa.