Photo by Michael Phillips
Jambalaya is a casserole with rice cooked into it. Chicken, sausage and shrimp are traditional versions, but it can be made with ham, beef, crab or game meats.
Serves 6–8
1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed
1–2 lobster tails chopped into bite-sized pieces (optional)
½ pound boneless chicken breast, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon Creole or Cajun seasoning
2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces andouille sausage, sliced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons paprika
½ teaspoon cayenne
1 cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
½ cup diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 cup rice, uncooked
3 cups chicken stock, unsalted
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Season the seafood and the chicken, in separate bowls, with Cajun or Creole seasoning, working it into the meat well. Set aside.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat butter. Add sausage, and cook until brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in cumin, paprika and cayenne, and cook 1 minute. Stir in onion, bell pepper and celery, and cook 3 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire and Tabasco.
Stir in rice, and slowly add stock. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until rice absorbs liquid and becomes tender, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes.
When rice is tender, add chicken, and cook until meat is done, about 15 minutes. Add seafood, replace lid, and cook 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper and Cajun or Creole seasoning.
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Recipe tip
Creole or Cajun?
It’s true that many of their ingredients are similar, but there are vast differences in these two cuisines. Creole cuisine is often described as more “urban” or “city” in nature, combining ingredients from many cultures, including Spanish, French, Italian, German and West African. Cajun cuisine is considered “country” food, with influences from the French and Native Americans.
The Cajuns, from French Canada, brought with them their French cooking techniques and black, cast-iron skillets, and incorporated game and seafood from the Louisiana bayous in their food. Creole cooks, drawing on more varied ingredients in their multicultural, urban locales, were more likely to use tomatoes in many of their dishes. You will seldom find tomatoes in Cajun recipes!