Creole Shrimp Jambalaya with Rooster and Sausage

With daring, zesty cajun flavors, this shrimp jambalaya is a basic for good motive! It’s the excellent heat, hearty one-pot meal to make for a crowd.

This shrimp jambalaya is a reader-favorite recipe from the Fed + Match e book! We’ve determined to re-publish it right here as a result of it’s excellent for the vacation season. This dish is just a bit bit spicy and crammed with a wide range of veggies and protein. It’s excellent for a chilly night time and will be served over white rice or cauliflower rice. Jambalaya originates from Louisiana, the place you’ll discover tons of variations on the dish. This model contains chorizo, shrimp, and hen for protein, celery, onion, bell pepper, and tomatoes for veggies, and a wide range of Cajun spices like cayenne and oregano for taste.

What’s the distinction between jambalaya and gumbo?

Gumbo is one other basic Cajun dish fashionable in Louisiana, and we even have a improbable hen and sausage gumbo recipe! Jambalaya and gumbo have many similarities. They each begin with the ‘Cajun holy trinity’ of onions, celery, and bell pepper, typically comprise a mix of seafood, hen, and sausage, and are seasoned with plentiful Cajun spices.

Not like jambalaya, nonetheless, gumbo begins with a roux, a mix of butter and flour, that’s cooked down till it’s browned. The roux offers the gumbo thickness and supplies a definite taste to the recipe. Jambalaya, then again, is extra brothy as a result of it doesn’t comprise a roux, and the Creole model of gumbo is tomato-based, whereas gumbo doesn’t comprise tomatoes.

Creole vs. Cajun Jambalaya

When creating this recipe, I used to be stunned to study that the Jambalaya I’d grown up consuming was truly Creole, not Cajun. What’s the distinction? Merely defined, Cajun meals is described as “nation meals” whereas Creole meals is described as “metropolis meals.” Creole meals typically comes from New Orleans and has a mix of cultural influences together with Italian, Spanish, African, and Caribbean meals (for a extra in-depth rationalization, see this article). The largest distinction between the 2 cuisines, nonetheless, is that Cajun meals doesn’t comprise tomatoes.

So, the most important distinction between creole and cajun jambalaya is that the cajun jambalaya doesn’t comprise tomatoes. The opposite distinction is that in Cajun jambalaya, proteins are seared earlier than cooking. On this recipe, we’ve chosen to sear the proteins so as to add taste, so it’s a little bit of a mixture between each Creole and Cajun!

Shrimp Jambalaya Components

Now that we’ve talked just a little bit concerning the historical past of shrimp jambalaya, let’s speak about what you’ll must make a pot of this unimaginable stuff!

• Onions, Celery, and Bell Pepper – Often known as the “Cajun Holy Trinity” this can be a cajun twist on basic French mirepoix (which makes use of carrots as a substitute of bell pepper) and supplies an unimaginable base of taste to the dish. You should utilize both inexperienced or crimson bell pepper right here!
• Chorizo – being from Texas, we LOVE a very good chorizo and thought it might add a pleasant, spicy twist right here. If chorizo isn’t your factor although, andouille sausage is one other nice selection!
• Rooster – our subsequent protein of selection was hen. You should utilize both hen breast or thighs right here relying on desire.
• Shrimp – it after all wouldn’t be shrimp jambalaya with out the shrimp!
• Canned Diced Tomatoes – we used plain canned diced tomatoes on this recipe to get that brothy, tomato taste.
• Coconut Aminos – although it isn’t a standard ingredient in jambalaya, we love the flavour of coconut aminos right here so as to add only a little bit of salty umami.
• Cayenne Pepper Sauce – we personally love Frank’s RedHot for this jambalaya, although you should utilize any kind of sizzling pepper sauce you take pleasure in! In case you want much less spicy meals or have kiddos to feed, begin with just some tablespoons and work your method as much as your required spice degree.

Methods to Make Shrimp Jambalaya

Now that you just’ve received your elements, it’s time to get cooking!

1. Prepare dinner the chorizo, shrimp, and hen. To start out, you’ll cook dinner the chorizo till crisp, then cook dinner the sausage, and the hen till browned and totally cooked by. As soon as that’s finished, take away the proteins from the pot and put aside.
2. Saute the celery, onion, and bell pepper. Subsequent, you’ll add the celery, onion, and bell pepper to the pot and saute for about 10 minutes, till the onion is browned and the bell peppers have softened.
3. Add within the broth, tomatoes, and seasonings. As soon as the onion and celery have cooked, you’ll stir within the broth, tomatoes, coconut aminos, sizzling pepper sauce, and seasonings.
4. Add the proteins again to the pot. Lastly, you’ll add the chorizo, hen, and shrimp again to the pot and cook dinner till simmering, then you definitely’re able to serve over rice or cauliflower rice.

Are you able to freeze jambalaya?

YES! Jambalaya freezes superbly. This recipe makes a BIG pot of jambalaya (about 10-12 servings) so we positively advocate freezing any leftovers. To freeze, merely let it cool, then portion into Ziplock baggage or glass storage containers, label it, then freeze for as much as 3 months.  To reheat, you’ll be able to both microwave it for 4-5 minutes from frozen or add it to a pot over medium warmth on the range and cook dinner for about quarter-hour, till totally heated by.

We hope you’re keen on this shrimp jambalaya recipe!