Self Care: Shrimp and Chorizo Rice Bowls

Today, when I made this delicious bowl for lunch, was cold and rainy.  We haven't had much winter weather here in Georgia, but it's been a gray winter and I know most of the country has been buried in snow.  This recipe is a bright taste of summer to help you get through the last dregs of a rough winter.  Shrimp is a special treat I cook every once in a while and that combined with these bright flavors are just the ticket to perk up a winter day.

You can use whatever size of peeled and deveined shrimp you can find, and frozen is just fine!  You can also peel and devein the shrimp yourself, but I usually take the timesaving shortcut.  Chorizo proved to be a challenging hunt in Athens.  I was looking for Spanish style chorizo, a small link of cured sausage, rather than the loose, uncured Mexican style chorizo.    I was surprised to find that neither were available at my usual stores and eventually found thinly sliced chorizo at Publix - made by the Italian brand Fiorucci.  It wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but it turned out to be a nice crispy addition to the dish.  If any Athenians know where I could find the links of cured chorizo please let me know!

Start by marinating the shrimp.  This is not the type of marinade that you want to do far in advance.  The lime juice will begin to cook the shrimp, and while that is great for making ceviche it's not what we're going for here.  Mix together two tablespoons of chopped cilantro with the juice of one lime, one tablespoon of honey, a clove of crushed garlic, chili powder, salt, and pepper.  Refrigerate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients, about 20 minutes.

While the shrimp marinates, prepare the rice.  Bring one cup of salted water to a boil with half a tablespoon of butter or oil.  When the water boils add half a cup of white rice, stir, and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 22 minutes.  Once the rice is simmering dice the chorizo - if it's hard to cut put it in the freezer for a few minutes.  Add the chorizo to a pan over medium heat with a scant drizzle of oil.  The chorizo has a lot of fat that will render out, so you don't need to add much oil.  While the chorizo crisps dice the red onion and jalapeño.  Remove the seeds and stems of the jalapeño to moderate the heat in the final dish.  When the chorizo is crisp remove to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.

While the onions and jalapeños soften in the same pan and oil from the chorizo dice the tomato and cube the avocado.  Season the tomato with a little salt and pepper on the cutting board.  When the onion mixture has softened add the shrimp without the extra marinade liquid.  The shrimp will cook quickly, about two minutes per side.

When the shrimp and rice are both done add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl with the juice of one lime and the remainder of the cilantro.  Serve immediately. 


Shrimp and Chorizo Rice Bowls

Ingredients

• 10 oz. peeled and deveined shrimp (large, extra large, or jumbo)
• 1/2 cup diced chorizo
• 1/2 cup uncooked white rice
• 1/2 large red onion
• 1 small jalapeño pepper
• 2 plum tomatoes
• 1 large avocado 
• 3/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 limes
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1/4 tsp. chilli powder

Instructions

1. Chop about 3/4 cup of cilantro and set aside in a bowl.
2. Marinade shrimp in the juice of one lime, olive oil, honey, crushed garlic, chili powder, salt, and pepper.  Place in the refrigerator while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.  Do not marinate for more than 20 or 30 minutes!
3. Bring 1 cup of salted water and 1 tbsp. butter or oil to a boil. Add 1/2 cup of white rice, reduce to a simmer, cover, and set timer for 22 minutes.
4. Dice chorizo and brown in a pan on medium heat with a scant drizzle of oil.  Allow the fat to render and the chorizo to crisp.
5. Remove chorizo from pan and drain on a paper towel.
6. Dice onion and jalapeño, removing the seeds and ribs.  Sauté in the same pan used for the chorizo and allow to soften.
7. Seed and dice the tomato and cube the avocado while the onions and jalapeño cook.  Season the tomatoes with some salt and pepper on the cutting board.
8. Add the shrimp to the pan (do not pour the remaining marinade in the pan) and cook about two minute son each side.
9. When the rice is done fluff with a fork and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
10. Add the shrimp and onion mixture, the tomatoes, avocado, juice of one lime, and the remaining cilantro to the bowl and stir to combine.