Quick and Easy Shrimp Creole
BellaFina™ peppers may be used to create a wide variety of recipes, from appetizers to main dishes. BellaFina peppers are often used in salads, vegetables trays with or without dip, cooked in stews and sauces and stuffed with meat, cheese and grains.
Grown on the vine in the field, BellaFina peppers are a great source of vitamins and nutrients. They are low calorie, fat free, sodium free and high in Vitamin C.
Ingredients
1 cup uncooked white rice (see Notes)
2 medium onions (about 1½ cups, diced)
3 Bellafina peppers (use roughly half as much bell pepper as onion)
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
salt to taste (about ½ teaspoon kosher salt for us; see Notes)
2 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon dried thyme (or to taste; we prefer a bit more)
~1 tablespoon Hungarian sweet paprika (to taste)
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
¾ cup dry white wine (may substitute dry vermouth, or you could use shrimp or chicken stock)
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 to 1½ pounds frozen shrimp (deveined and shelled), thawed or not (to taste)
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped green scallion rounds for garnish (optional)
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley for garnish (optional)
Procedure
The rice generally takes the longer to cook than any other part of this dish. So start it first (prepare according to package directions). If the rice finishes before the shrimp is done cooking, just let it rest for a few minutes – it’ll be fine.
Peel the onion and cut it into dice of about ½ inch. Wash the bell pepper, dry it, then core it. Cut it into dice of about ½ inch.
Heat a large frying pan on medium stovetop heat. When hot, add the oil or butter. When heated (it’ll shimmer), add the chopped onion and Bellafina pepper. Add salt to taste. Sauté for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel the garlic and mince it or cut it into thin slices.
Add the chopped garlic to the onion after it’s cooked for 5 minutes. Sauté for 1 additional minute.
Add the spices (thyme, paprika, black pepper, and cayenne pepper) to the onion and garlic mixture, then stir to combine. Cook for 1 additional minute.
Add the wine and cook until it has reduced by about half (5 minutes or so).
Add the canned tomatoes and mix in. Reduce the heat to a simmer, then cook the sauce for 10 to 15 minutes – until most of the liquid has evaporated.
Add the shrimp to the tomato sauce and cover the frying pan. Cook until done (how long this takes will depend on the size of the shrimp). Shrimp is done when it’s nicely pink and firm to the touch. Cooking usually takes about 2 to 3 minutes for thawed shrimp, but sometimes twice that long for frozen shrimp.
Serve the Shrimp Creole: Spoon rice onto each plate, then ladle shrimp and sauce over it. Garnish with a sprinkle of chopped green scallions and/or Italian parsley.
Slightly adapted from kitchenriffs.com