Description
Hearty southern-style shrimp perloo showcases coastal Carolina’s rich culinary heritage with succulent shrimp, smoky sausage, and long-grain rice. Generous portions promise comfort and deep southern flavors for hungry gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb (454 g) shrimp (deveined, tails off)
- 4 slices bacon
- 1 ½ cups (360 ml) chicken broth
- 1 ¼ cups (298 ml) minute rice
- 1 cup (240 ml) corn
- 1 cup (240 ml) salsa
- ½ cup (120 ml) bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup (120 ml) onion, diced
- ½ cup (120 ml) carrot, diced
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) celery, diced
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh chopped parsley
- 1 bay leaf
- sea or kosher salt
- black pepper
- smoked paprika or chili powder (for sprinkling)
Instructions
- Bacon Preparation: Crisp bacon in a skillet until golden, then transfer to a paper towel to drain excess fat, reserving the drippings.
- Vegetable Foundation: Heat olive oil in the same skillet, sauté bell pepper, onion, carrot, and celery with bay leaf, seasoning with salt and black pepper. Cook until vegetables soften and release aromatic flavors, approximately 8-10 minutes.
- Liquid Integration: Add sweet corn kernels, salsa, and chicken broth to the vegetable mixture. Season additionally, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook covered for 10 minutes.
- Rice Absorption: Fold in long-grain rice and fresh parsley, reduce heat, and simmer covered until rice becomes tender and liquid is absorbed, roughly 7-9 minutes.
- Shrimp Steaming: Arrange shrimp in a single layer over the rice, sprinkle with paprika or chili powder, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and steam until shrimp curl and turn opaque, about 6-8 minutes.
- Final Garnish: Remove bay leaf, crumble reserved bacon over the perloo, and serve piping hot.
Notes
- Bacon Technique: Render bacon slowly to achieve maximum crispiness and extract rich, flavorful drippings for cooking.
- Vegetable Prep: Dice vegetables uniformly for even cooking and consistent texture throughout the dish.
- Shrimp Timing: Watch shrimp closely during steaming; overcooking leads to tough, rubbery texture that ruins the delicate seafood.
- Seasoning Strategy: Layer flavors gradually by adding salt and pepper at different cooking stages to build depth and complexity in the perloo.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Boiling, Sautéing, Simmering
- Cuisine: Southern American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 9
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 120 mg