Ingredients
For the stock:
- 2 pounds very fresh, heads-on medium shrimp (see note below)
- 2 small carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme (or 1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 1 medium onion
- 3 quarts water
For the perloo:
- 4 thick slices of bacon
- 1 large onion chopped
- 4 red, ripe tomatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded and chopped, or four well-drained canned tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped, plus additional chopped parsley for garnish
- 2 cups long-grain rice
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 3 cups hot shrimp stock (see above)
- shrimp bodies from two pounds of heads-on shrimp (see above) or one and a half pounds of headless shrimp
- Nutritional Information
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
660 calories; 11 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 60 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 79 grams protein; 561 milligrams cholesterol; 1273 milligrams sodium
Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
Six servings
Preparation
For the stock:
- Peel the shrimp, breaking off the heads. Place heads and shells in an enamel or stainless steel stockpot. Place the bodies in a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Roughly chop the carrots and celery and add to shrimp shells. Add thyme. Peel and quarter the onion and add to stockpot. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook stock uncovered at a steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until vegetables are soft and stock has been reduced by about one-third. (The stockpot may be covered if the stock appears to be reducing too much.)
- Remove from heat and strain through cheesecloth or a fine-mesh sieve. Discard the solids. You will need three cups of shrimp stock for the perloo. Freeze the rest.
For the perloo:
- In a Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, saute the bacon over medium-low heat until crisp. Remove bacon, set aside to drain and pour off all but about three tablespoons of bacon grease – enough to cover the bottom of the pan.
- Add chopped onion to bacon grease and saute over medium-low heat 5 to 10 minutes, until onion is transparent. Add tomatoes, red pepper and parsley, stir to mix well and cook another five minutes.
- Add rice, salt and shrimp stock, raise heat slightly just to bring the stock to a simmer, then lower heat, cover pot and leave to simmer 20 minutes. Do not remove lid while cooking rice.
- After 20 minutes, lift the lid and fluff the rice with a big fork while tossing in the shrimp. Cover the pot again and turn off the heat. The perloo will be ready in 5 to 10 minutes and the shrimp will not overcook.
- Crumble reserved bacon and sprinkle over the top of the perloo with the additional chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
- If you can find only headless shrimp, make the stock with fish heads and trimmings (2 heads of scrod, cod or haddock) or use 1/2 pound of white-meat fish. Do add the shrimp shells to the stockpot.
2 hours 25 minutes
Dining and Cooking