Last night I decided to make Shrimp Jambalaya. When I visited New Orleans in 2009, I was completely underwhelmed by the food there. It was either too salty, too bland or when it did taste good the portions were too small. Before I get comments, let me say that I’m sure there is good food in New Orleans. I just didn’t find it during my trip. Every home cooked Cajun meal I’ve made has exceeded the quality I had during my stay there.
I used the recipe posted by Seattle’s World Spice Merchants with a few changes.
Shrimp Jambalya Recipe
- I didn’t have their Cajun Black spice mix. I meant to buy it on Sunday, but I forgot. So I hacked my own version of paprika, thyme, salt and hot sauce.
- Their recipe calls for the shrimp to be cooked for 30 minutes. That is insanity. The shrimp would taste like rubber cooked that long. I cooked the main dish a little longer and then threw the shrimp in at the end for about 5-7 minutes.
- The recipe doesn’t specify the type of rice. Other recipes say to use a long grain rice. Not me. I love my sushi rice. It soaks up flavors extremely well.
Shrimp Jambalaya
Although I still plan to purchase their Cajun Black Spice Mix the next time I’m downtown, I was very pleased with the outcome. Better than any meal I had in New Orleans.
When you make another trip, we’ll take you to the proper food establishments, MAS. And if you want me to send you a package with some good seasonings from here, let me know. There’s way better food than you must have eaten – but sadly, not much better coffee. (Except at our house)
@Aviva – Too bad about the coffee. I’m glad you found some good eats down there. I’d love to take you up on your seasonings offer. I’ll email you my address. Thanks!!!