All the flavors from my Caribbean paradise, this locrio de longaniza y camarones is so colorful, juicy, and flavorful you will be hooked.
Why we ❤️ it
Let's talk about this colorful, mouthwatering locrio de longaniza with camarones, because I swear I am not just repeating myself here.
Sure, there's already more than a dozen locrio recipes, including a locrio de camarones recipe, and a locrio de salami with instructions to adapt it to using longaniza, but this marriage of the House of Longaniza and the House of Shrimp is something else altogether.
My secret
I'll have to forgive you if at first glance you thought it was paella. It isn't, but it was inspired by one. It occurred to me that the Spanish forefather of the Dominican locrio could be adapted to typical Dominican ingredients with equally good results. It worked.
The way to get this brightly colored rice is bija, an ancient seed used in the Caribbean since pre-Columbian times. Bija was our grandmother's secret ingredient to brightly colored dishes too. A bit of auyama adds extra color and creaminess.
Bija, and surf and turf rice.
About this recipe
I used camarones de Sánchez, shrimp from a Northeastern town that is famous for its tasty shrimp (but use what you can find), and longaniza (spicy pork sausage) instead of Spanish chorizo. But the change I am happiest about was using bija in lieu of saffron.
In the end, I had a very juicy, flavorful, and colorful plate of "surf and turf" rice. The perfect dish to celebrate good news with (whenever they occur).
Video
Recipe
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[Recipe + Video] Locrio de Longaniza y Camarones ("Surf and Turf" Rice)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ tablespoon bija seeds (annatto, achiote)
- 1 pound longaniza, [0.25 kg] , cut into 1" [2.5 cm]-slices
- 2 red bell pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 cup diced auyama (kabocha squash), (or kabocha squash)
- ⅓ cup pitted green olives
- 2½ cup vegetable broth, salted to taste and boiling-hot
- 2 cups rice, (Carolina rice)
- 1 teaspoon salt, or more, to taste
- 1½ pound shrimp (large, uncooked and peeled), [0.7 kg] (see notes)
- ¼ cup sweet peas
Instructions
Coloring oil: Heat oil over very low heat in a large (3 quart [3 lt] thick-bottomed pot.Cook bija in the oil, stirring gently for a minute, or until the oil turns bright orange in color. Scoop out bija seeds leaving just the oil.- Browning sausage: Add the longaniza and increase heat to medium-low. Cook longaniza until it is light brown all over, stirring as necessary.
- Adding vegetables: Stir in peppers, garlic, bay leaves, auyama, and olives. Cook and stir for a minute.
- Cooking rice: Add rice and cook stirring until all the rice is coated in oil (about a minute).Pour in the broth, stir to mix all the ingredients.Simmer over medium-low heat until nearly all the liquid has evaporated. Mix in shrimp.
- Simmering: Cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer over very low heat for 10 minutes.Uncover and stir, moving the rice from the bottom to the top. Cover again, stir in peas and simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Serving: Remove from the stove, discard the bay leaves, and serve hot. You may go the extra mile and serve some tostones with it.
Tips and Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
Published Apr 7, 2014, revised
