Thursday, October 9, 2008

Beer Braised Shrimp with Louisiana Salsa and Rice

Cook Time: 30 min
Level: Intermediate
Yield: 6 servings


Ingredients

* 4 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
* 6 to 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 jalapeno 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
* 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

Directions

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, saute 2 to 3 minutes, add rice and
toss around for 1 to 2 minutes more. Stir in the chicken stock and
cover pot, bring to a boil. Simmer rice 15 to 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 olive oil 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 to 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.

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