Not long after the Pilgrims arrived in the New World in 1620, profligate English lawyer Thomas Morton settled to the north of the Plymouth Colony in a place he called "Merry-mount." Morton and the Pilgrims didn't see eye to eye. Morton viewed the Separatists as a lot of religious fundamentalists. The Pilgrims dubbed the fun-loving Morton the "Lord of Misrule" and attempted to eject him from their New English Canaan, eventually succeeding. Morton referred to Capt. Myles Standish as "Capt. Shrimp" because of his small stature and red hair.
While this dish incorporates shrimp as its main ingredient, it has little to do with New England cooking. Before returning to my home state of Massachusetts nearly 15 years ago, I lived for four years in the Florida Panhandle, where shrimp and oysters are plentiful. On my way home from work, I would frequently stop at the fish market to buy a pound of freshly caught shrimp for $5.99. And so this pilgrim added a number of shrimp recipes to her file. This is one of my own invention. It’s a relatively quick and easy recipe, especially if you buy the shrimp already cleaned.
Bayou shrimp and rice
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
½ cup uncooked white rice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
½ teaspoon paprika
cayenne pepper or hot sauce, to taste
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 cup water or shrimp broth*
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup frozen peas (optional)
In a large skillet with a lid, melt the butter and olive oil. Add onion and sauté until softened. Add the rice and cook, stirring often, until the mixture is lightly browned. Add garlic and sauté for a minute. Add bay leaf, paprika and cayenne pepper and cook for a minute. Then add tomatoes, water or broth and salt. Bring to a simmer and then add shrimp and frozen peas. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Serves four.
*If not in a hurry, I’ll make shrimp broth to use in this dish. It adds more depth of flavor. When cleaning the shrimp, I reserve the shells for the broth. This recipe makes about four cups, so you’ll have some to freeze.
Shrimp broth
shrimp shells
one small whole onion
one garlic clove, lightly crushed
a sprig or two of parsley
Place all ingredients in a stock pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil; then lower the heat and simmer, lid tilted, for about 30 minutes. Strain.
