Asopao de camarones (shrimp and rice pottage) is a flavorful dish that's easy to make, very forgiving, and oftentimes served at informal get-togethers. This is a fail-proof recipe.
By - Reviewed: . Original: Jun 21, 2004
❝ This recipe took me back to my childhood... ❞
Why we ❤️ it
If you're familiar with asopao-and you know just how much we Dominicans love it-you won't be surprised that this shrimp asopao is so popular; it's one of those recipes people always come back for. It's pure luxury.
What's asopao?
Asopa'o is the shortened form of the word "asopado," which means "soup-like." In the Dominican Republic, it's used to describe a rice dish that's very popular in our country. Probably the most popular is our chicken asopao.
Asopao is "waterier" than Spanish creamy rice and Italian risotto, and is prepared with long-grain rice, combined with vegetables, herbs, spices, and some type of protein.
See all our asopao recipes.
Asopao de camarones (rice & shrimp pottage).
Serving suggestion
No asopao meal is complete without avocado, and if you have some Tostones, even better. On a couple of occasions, to my surprise, I've had it served with Casabe, but I thought it worked really well.
And on my table, there's always Agrio de naranja or hot sauce.
Top tips
- Consistency: The amount of liquid you add to the rice will depend on your preferred consistency. If you like your rice very soft but still firm, you'll need a little less; if you prefer it very soft, you'll need more.
- Add more seafood: If you like, add some of those seafood mixes you can find at the supermarket; they should be added at the same time you add the whole shrimp at the end.
- Adding shrimp: The reason I suggest adding the shrimp at the end is that, like all seafood, it doesn't hold up well to long cooking. The third of the shrimp added at the beginning is enough to give this dish plenty of flavor.
However, if you can buy unpeeled shrimp, do so, and use the heads and shells to add more flavor to the water you'll keep warm to add during cooking. - Making the base broth: If you buy unpeeled shrimp, add the heads and/or shells to the water to give it more flavor, but even if peeled shrimp is what you have on hand, the minced shrimp added at the beginning adds a lot of flavor, while you can control the cooking time of the whole shrimp added at the end.
About our recipe
This recipe works really well for a couple of reasons: First, the shrimp isn't overcooked. Overcooked seafood is one of those things that really bugs me, so this is important to me. Second, it has a stronger shrimp flavor.
But there's no right or wrong way to make asopao. The basics are rice, water, some kind of protein, tomato sauce or paste, and seasonings-cook the rice until it doubles in size, or breaks apart and becomes very soft (a matter of taste).
The consistency can vary; some prefer it soupier, others drier.
So everyone will make it however they like best, but asopao will always be recognizable.
And you, how do you prefer your shrimp asopao? Tell me in the comments!
Video
Recipe
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Asopao de Camarones [Video+Recipe] Shrimp and Rice Pottage
Ingredients
- 3 quart boiling water, [3 lt] (which you'll keep simmering over low heat, see notes)
- 2 lbs shrimp (jumbo, uncooked, peeled), [0.9 kg], raw and peeled (and extra shellfish of your preference, see notes)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large red onion, diced
- 1 cup bell pepper, diced
- 1 teaspoon mashed garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced parsley, (plus more for decoration if you wish)
- 2 cup tomato sauce, (or 5 tbsps of tomato paste)
- 2 limes, divided
- 1 ½ tablespoons salt, divided (you may not need it all)
- 2 ½ cup rice, long grain, or carolina
- ½ cup carrot, diced
- ½ cup sweet peas (petit pois), canned - optional)
- ½ teaspoon pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground), (or to taste)
- hot sauce, (or agrio de naranja), to taste
Instructions
Heating water
Pour the water into a pot and heat over medium-low heat until it reaches a low boil, lower heat to just enough to keep very hot.If you have heads and/or peels, add it now to add flavor to the water.⚠️ We'll use this liquid to add to the other pot later in the preparation.
2. Making the base
Mince ⅓ of the shrimps. Set the whole shrimp aside (refrigerated).In a separate stew pot heat the oil over low heat. Add the onion, peppers, garlic, and parsley. Cook and stir until the onion turns translucent.Add the minced shrimp, cook and stir for another minute. Add the tomato sauce, the juice of 1 lime, and mix well.Pour in ⅓of the water (from the other pot), and 1 tablespoon of salt, increase heat to medium, and bring to the boil.
3. Cooking the rice
Add the rice, carrot, and peas and stir. Stir the rice regularly, adding boiling-hot water from the other pot to keep the rice covered as the liquid evaporates and is absorbed by the rice.Once the rice is cooked through (grains are soft and have doubled their size), add the remaining shrimp you had set aside, and cook just until the shrimp becomes bright pink.Taste and season with pepper, salt, and hot sauce to taste.
4. Serving
Serve with lime wedges, see above the recipe for serving suggestions.
Cook's Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
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More asopao recipes
If you love shrimp as much as I do, then you're going to really love these shrimp recipes: Try Camarones guisados, these garlic shrimp, some delicious coconut shrimp, these spectacular Tostones rellenos with shrimp, and much more.
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