We’ve been trying to expand our repertoire of meals beyond the repetition of tacos, spaghetti, chili and in doing so have pulled some of our old favorites from the archives. Last year during one of our meal brainstorming sessions, Brett reminded me of something I used to make a lot in my teaching days. “What was that shrimp thing you used to make with the peppers?” Ah yes! Shrimp & Rice with Poblanos.
It had been years since I had made it, so I whipped it up again and the rest is history. Brett proclaims he could eat it every night. It’s since become the MVP meal of the pandemic and the answer to every “What should we make tonight?” question. With just a few ingredients, it’s easy and quick to make. We like ours pretty spicy, so if we want the kids to eat it, we put a little shrimp and rice aside before we add the spice and the “green stuff” that will ruin any chance of Dash and Nella going near it. I always have a bag of Trader Joe’s shrimp in my freezer for this meal because Brett asks for it at least once a week.
What you need:
Rice (we usually use white, but you could absolutely make this with brown rice). We follow the cooking instructions to yield 6 cups, but that has to be a lie because it looks more like 3-4 cups.
2 Poblano Peppers
2-3 limes
Cilantro
Cooked Shrimp (I always buy the bag of medium frozen shrimp from Trader Joe’s, but you could use fresh)
Cayenne Pepper (optional)
Cook the rice as instructed. While the rice cooks, boil your shrimp and take the tails off. Chop poblano peppers and sauté in frying pan with olive oil. When rice is cooked, add shrimp and cooked poblanos. Juice 2-3 limes (I like mine super limey) and add to rice. Chop cilantro (we use one whole bunch), mix into rice and add salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. It’s a 15 minute meal, and it’s amazing.
I was at the grocery store yesterday and called Brett to ask him what he wanted for dinner. He asked for shrimp and rice, and I told him I’m cutting him off. This is getting ridiculous.
how long do you boil the shrimp?
Most of the bagged frozen ones are already cooked, so you only need to boil them long enough to thaw them out and heat them up. If they’re uncooked, they still won’t take long—2-3 minutes (until they turn pink).
This has been on my list since you posted it. I really never thought of using cooked shrimp warmed-up for anything besides shrimp cocktail! I always though you had to buy un-cooked for a “hot” dish. That definitely makes it easier. Anyway, I bought all the ingredients for it this week! Yay! Thanks for the recipe!!