Smoky Shrimp And Fish Rice-Arroz Con Camarones Y Pescado Ahumado
November 6, 2012 1 Comment
This dish was something that I threw together at the last minute on a busy evening, when I wanted something tasty and different to eat from my usual Friday night meal. I decided to go meat free and chose fish,and wanted to make something other than fish stew and rice….So I decided that a one pot dish would do best for both time and washing up constraints!! Try this with crayfish instead of shrimp,if desired.
INGREDIENTS
50 grams of Dried Shrimp-Soaked twice in hot water to remove the salt. If preparing this from the night before,soak in cold water,changing it at least twice. 1 Dried Lime,left whole. 1 Fillet of Pollack,pulled into small strips 1 Packet of Smoked Mackeral Fillets,with skin removed and pulled into chunky strips. Use tweezers to remove any bones. 2 Teaspoons of Dried Oregano 1 Teaspoon of Coriander 1/2 Teaspoon of Chilli Salt and Black Pepper 2 Teaspoons of Achiote(Annatto)-These are little red seeds that are added to hot oil and turns it a deep yellow and gives off a nutty flavour. 1Onion and A Spring Onion 1 Clove of Garlic 2 Cups of Fish stock 1 Cup of Peas 1 1/2 Cups of Rice1 Pimento/Anaheim Pepper,chopped into medium sized pieces. METHOD
Firstly,heat some oil in a pan, and then add the achiote seeds,allowing the seeds to emit their colour and flavour. This should take 5 minutes or so, or wait until the seeds have turned black. Remove the seeds from the oil and add the two onions,and after 7 minutes add the seasonings, fish stock and dried lime. Simmer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile,pull the pollack and mackeral, removing as many bones with fingers or a pair of tweezers. Remove the skin also. For the shrimp,if you haven’t soaked this overnight,boil a kettle and pour this over the shrimps. Leave them in the hot water for 2 minutes, and then decant. Repeat the process again.
Add the shrimps and other fish to the pot. Add the peas also. Rinse the rice a few times to rid it of excess starch. Add this to the pot and gently stir,to evenly distribute the ingredients for a fair rice to seafood ratio. Add more water if need to cover the rice by about an inch over the contents. Rapid simmer until the liquid starts to evaporate,and then lower the heat,until the rice is tender and all the liquid has gone. Serve hot with fried plantain. Enjoy!!
About mariposaoro
After much reading of reviews and deep-thinking the chemistry of sugar, here’s my contribution. It worked perfectly and was very pleasing to both eye and palate. 1 cup sugar; 1/4 cup water; 1/4 cup light corn syrup; 3/4 tsp. fine sea salt, divided; 3/4 cup raw green (hulled) pumpkin seeds; 1/4 cup sesame seeds; cayenne, pasilla chile powder, cinnamon to taste. Toast the seeds in a heavy cast iron skillet with a very small amount of oil … maybe 1/2 a tablespoon. Season them with 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt plus remaining spices to taste. I found it took well over 1/2 teaspoon EACH cayenne and pasilla chile to get to medium warm in terms of spice profile, and somewhat less cinnamon to add a note of complexity.. Keep in mind you’re going to mix the whole business with hot caramel, so you need a bolder profile than you might otherwise go for. When pleasantly toasted (but not burnt) remove from hot pan to stop the cooking promptly. I put them on a flexible cutting mat because it’s easy to funnel the seeds into the caramel later. Mix the sugar, water, corn syrup and remaining 1/4 tsp. salt in a 2 quart heavy saucepan just until blended. Cook over moderate heat until it turns the shade of caramel you prefer. Stop before it gets too dark or it might taste burnt. Be patient. Don’t stir it, although you can swirl it in the pan occasionally if you need something to do. Watch it carefully as it darkens more quickly toward the end. When ready take the pot off the flame, and stir the seeds into the caramel quickly, as it will start to set very fast. Pour out onto a Silpat lined baking sheet and quickly spread with a high-heat silicone spatula so the mass achieves an even thickness. Allow to cool thoroughly, peel off the Silpat, and break between sheets of parchment by hitting it with your rolling pin or kitchen hammer. The recipe doubles well. Not brave enough to triple as the mass would be hard to control.