Get your fork ready to enjoy this Arroz con camarones y longaniza, a Dominican and Caribbean-inspired yellow rice with shrimp and pork sausage. Spectacularly colorful and flavorsome, this Dominican "paella" is the perfect weekend dish to surprise family or guests.
By - Last reviewed . Published Apr 7, 2014
Why we ❤️ it
If you're a fan of Locrio de camarones and Locrio de longaniza – rice with shrimp and rice with pork sausage – then you'll be a fan of a dish that combines both. One of what I call my "modern criollo" dishes it is absolutely Dominican in ingredients and execution, but created to take my favorite Locrios to the next level.
This marriage of the flavor of House of Longaniza with House of Shrimp is the most perfect union since Salami con tostones.
Dominican paella?
I'll have to forgive you if at first glance, you thought it was paella. It isn't, but it was inspired by it. 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 not saffron but bija, an ancient seed used in the Caribbean since pre-Columbian times. Bija was our grandmother's secret ingredient to brightly colored dishes. A bit of auyama adds extra color and creaminess.
Bija, and surf and turf rice.
Serving suggestions
Frankly, you need to add nothing to this dish, except perhaps a fría on the side. But if you wish to have something else, I'd go with Tostones (fried plantains).
Top tips
- If you don't have longaniza, you can make a homemade longaniza with our recipe. Or you can use another pork sausage.
- You can find bija by the English name annatto, or in Latino markets also by achiote or anato.
- If you can't find bija, you can use three tablespoons of tomato paste dissolved in the boiling liquid before adding the rice.
- If you have capers, add a couple of tablespoons. Capers – known as alcaparras or alcaparritas in our country – is a common ingredient in locrios.
- If you have Aceite de achiote (bija) already made, you can skip to browning the longaniza.
- If you can only find powdered bija, do not fry it in oil as we instruct with whole bija, instead add it when you're sauteing the vegetables to prevent it from burning.
About this recipe
I used camarones de Sánchez, large shrimp from a Northeastern town famous for great quality 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 come by).
Video
Recipe
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Arroz con Camarones y Longaniza [Recipe + Video] Yellow Rice with Shrimp
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. Check serving suggestions above the recipe.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
More rice recipes
Oh boy, do we ever have rice recipes, after all, rice is a staple of Dominican cuisine, and serve nearly every day in our country. We have rice-based main dishes, side dishes, desserts and even drinks! Don't miss our Moro rice recipes, Locrio recipes, Asopao recipes, and many more.
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