Shrimp, Sausage, and Fish Jambalaya Recipe
Easy seafood jambalaya recipe
Jambalaya is a dish of Creole and Cajun origins first popularized at the crossroads of the French, Spanish, and African communities of New Orleans, Louisiana. Traditionally, jambalaya includes rice, vegetables, smoked sausage, and often shrimp from the Port of Orleans. Today, with the variety of seafood available, seafood jambalaya is taking off in popularity, and it just as easy to make as traditional jambalaya.
Some people prefer their jambalaya soupier with a bit more broth, while others prefer jambalaya to be a thicker rice dish. With a few simple tweaks, you can customize a delicious steamy batch of your jambalaya that meets all of your needs for a healthy and hearty meal.
What is Jambalaya?
Two types of jambalaya originated from the New Orleans area of Louisiana.
Cajun: Cajun-style jambalaya uses a culinary technique referred to as "dumping" where all of the ingredients are dumped into the pot, given a stir and then covered to let slowly simmer over low heat.
Creole: Creole-style jambalaya uses a layering technique. The ingredients are layered into the pot to allow the onions to cook down. Vegetables sweat for a few minutes before the tomatoes and rice are added at the very end before the pot is covered and allowed to steam. Creole jambalaya has a signature red-colored broth from the added tomatoes.
Variations of Jambalaya:
- Salmon Jambalaya
- Jambalaya Casserole
- Jambalaya with Shrimp
- Jambalaya with Sausage
- Poor man's jambalaya
- Fish Jambalaya
- Gluten-free Jambalaya Recipe
Health Benefits of Jambalaya:
Jambalaya is a hearty one-pot meal that is high in protein and filled with healthy vegetables and heart-healthy seafood. You can improve jambalaya nutrition with a few simple substitutions.
The calories in jambalaya will vary depending on the type of sausage and seafood used in your jambalaya. You can reduce jambalaya calories by substituting chicken sausage for beef or pork sausage and using leaner varieties of seafood and shellfish. You can even substitute cauliflower rice for the rice if you want to reduce the carbs in your jambalaya.
How to Make Seafood Jambalaya:
While not quite as simple as dumping all of the ingredients into a pot and letting it simmer for hours, this fish jambalaya recipe is easy to create and customizable to suit your taste buds.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup of butter
- 10 oz of andouille sausage. Halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch pieces.
- 1 large yellow onion, diced.
- 1 cup of diced celery
- 1 large green bell pepper, diced.
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced.
- 1- 6oz can of tomato paste.
- 1- 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes.
- 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce.
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of Cajun seasoning. Look for any Cajun spicy jambalaya mix.
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper.
- 4 cups of low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups of medium grain rice (uncooked)
- 3/4 of a pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined.
- 3/4 of a pound of Pacific Cod Fillets, cut into 1 1/2 cubes. (optional)
- Salt to taste
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped.
Directions:
- Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Traditionally, a well-seasoned cast-iron pot is used for jambalaya.
- Add your andouille sausage and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
- Remove the sausage from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate lined with paper towels.
- Add onion and allow the onions to cook down for 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the celery and green bell pepper and allow to cook and sweat until the onions are translucent, about 5-10 minutes total.
- Add minced garlic and stir, cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in tomato paste.
- Cook while continuously stirring for 3-5 minutes.
- Add in the sausage, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, Cajun seasoning, and black pepper. Stir to combine
- Pour in Chicken broth and bring to a boil.
- Stir in rice. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pot. Cook undisturbed for 25-30 minutes until the rice is cooked through.
- Add in shrimp and cod to the jambalaya. Increase heat to medium-high and bring the pot to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Season with salt and fold in your parsley.
- Serve immediately.
*The best way to reheat jambalaya is in the oven at 300 degrees Fahrenheit while covered with tinfoil. If you are in a hurry, you can reheat jambalaya in the microwave in 30-second intervals. Microwaving can cause the shrimp to become rubbery. *
Pairings-Sides-Substitutions:
There is no one best seafood jambalaya recipe. Shrimp jambalaya is excellent when you don't have any other available seafood. Add in muscles or other shellfish for a delicious variation.
Jambalaya Sides:
If you're wondering what to serve with jambalaya, the answer is nothing. Jambalaya is a full one-pot meal by itself. You don't need side dishes for jambalaya, but a crusty loaf of bread for dipping won't hurt. Let jambalaya mix up your weekly meal plans with hearty, healthy, and delicious leftovers for the week.
What wine goes with jambalaya?
A nice glass of bubbly Moscato goes perfectly with this spicy seafood and shrimp jambalaya. A sweet wine with jambalaya compliments the spiciness of the dish perfectly.
What seafood would you add to your jambalaya?
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