Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya
Back at the beginning of January I shared some of my food goals that I had for myself this year. One of those goals is to be more adventurous when it comes to trying different regional cuisines that I’m not familiar with; whether that be international cuisine or regional American cuisine and whether out to eat or cooking at home. Well, a week before Fat Tuesday, cue the jambalaya!
Cajun and Creole cuisines are one of the regional American varieties that I am admittedly very, very unfamiliar with. I’ve never visited the region and I can’t say that I’ve really tried any classic dishes in restaurants either. With Mardi Gras in full swing this weekend, I thought it was a great excuse to whip up a traditional Creole recipe – jambalaya.
Save This Recipe
Enter your email address, and we'll send it straight to your inbox!
I was watching one of my DVR’ed Barefoot Contessa episodes when I saw her make this dish. While I had never tasted jambalaya before, I thought her version looked and sounded fabulous! I have seen variations with both sausage and chicken or just chicken and shrimp, but I liked the combo of sausage and shrimp in this one. And with all of the other fresh vegetables, herbs and spices that get melded and simmered together, I couldn’t resist whipping up a big pot. And I totally fell in love! All of the flavors were superb and it has a great kick to it (which you can adjust based on your preferences).
Important Note: The dish really isn’t as brothy as it looks in the photos. There was some extra liquid towards the bottom of the pot that I fished out because, well, I’m Italian and I like soaking up sauce with bread. I can’t help it. Scooped out normally, it’s lots of rice, sausage, shrimp and veggies with just a bit of liquid.
One year ago: Rich Coffeecake with Sweet Cheese Filling
Two years ago: Bananas Foster Bread Pudding
Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound (453.59 g) sausage, kielbasa or andouille, sliced
- 1 pound (453.59 g) smoked ham, cubed
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 cup (101 g) diced celery
- 1 green bell pepper, cored and diced
- 1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
- 1 cup (149 g) seeded and diced tomato
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced OR ½ teaspoon cayenne
- 2 teaspoons diced fresh oregano
- 1 teaspoon diced fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 6 cups (1440 ml) chicken stock
- 3 cups (555 g) long-grain rice, rinsed
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 to 8 dashes hot sauce, optional
- ½ cup (50 g) chopped scallions, divided
- ¾ cup (45 g) chopped fresh parsley, divided
- ¼ cup (61 g) freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 pound (453.59 g) medium shrimp, deveined (20 to 24 count)
Instructions
- 1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add the kielbasa and saute for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned. Remove the kielbasa to a bowl, and set aside.
- 2. Add the ham to the same pot and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove to the bowl with the kielbasa, and set aside.
- 3. Add the butter, onion, celery and peppers to the same pot and saute for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
- 4. Add the tomato, garlic, jalapeno or cayenne, oregano, thyme, and tomato paste and cook until all the vegetables and herbs are blended well.
- 5. Add the stock and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in the rice, and add the sausage, ham, bay leaves, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Return to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
- 6. Add ¼ cup of the scallions, ¼ cup of the parsley, the lemon juice and the shrimp, and stir well. Cover the pot, remove it from the heat and allow the jambalaya steam, for 15 minutes, before serving.
- 7. Garnish with the remaining ¼ cup scallions and ½ cup parsley, and a dash of hot sauce, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
I really found your recipe helpful and well detailed.
Kudos for the writeup
Oh, you really need to visit New Orleans! Nothing better than a morning beignet with chickory coffee, powdered sugar drifting onto your lap, listening to a trumpeter outside the patio playing Amazing Grace.
I made this for our Mardi Gras themed BBQ and everyone LOVED it! Mine looked different from the picture, though. The rice absorbed all the liquid and was very sticky. People loved it, but I wonder if it would have been better with a little more liquid and the rice separated. Do you think that I didn’t rinse the rice for long enough to get rid of the starch?
Made this recipe last night, and it turned out really good! :) Thanks for sharing :D
Cati
we made this yesterday. we must have done something wrong. no gravy :( and enough to serve, i don’t know, 20 people. we added chicken, and much more shrimp. it was like cajun paella but not made in the round pot. it was fabulous. thanks.
Jambalaya is a rice dish, the picture with this thread is very misleading. There shouldn’t actually be any broth left. You could try gumbo next time, pretty much the same type of ingredients, but more like a soup served over rice.
This dish is way too soupy to be jambalaya. It looks more like a gumbo. Jambalaya is a much simpler dish. I would check out some recipes from authentic Cajun/Creole cooks. I mean, I love the Barefoot Contessa, but she IS from the Northeast! As a native Louisiana gal, I am happy to share my recipe that I have made for years for my family:
Louisiana Jambalaya
1 pkg. smoked sausage, sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 cups rice
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. Cajun seasoning (such as Tony’s)
In large pot, sauté sausage, onion, bell pepper, and celery until vegetables are soft. Add 3 cups water, salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Stir in rice and bring to a boil. Cover pot, reduce heat to low and cook for about 25 minutes, until rice is done.
Can substitute or add chicken, ham or shrimp for sausage.
Congrats on being featured today on FB – your jambalaya looks fantastic! I’m making mine today since tomorrow is Fat Tuesday. Have a great week!
This looks absolutely fabulous! I’m sure it tastes even better than it looks