Sunday is my day of cooking. Usually head to the farmers’ market first thing in the morning and see what inspires me. It’s that perfect time of year to find lots of goodies at the market.
Spring is in full bloom — peas and asparagus, squash blossoms, fresh fava beans, and strawberries galore, oh my; and summer produce is just beginning to make its appearance, perhaps some first of the season zucchini and summer squash or local cherries, depending on where you live.
I took full advantage of today’s splendid finds in the form of this light and spring-y shrimp and rice stew. It’s a recipe of Andrea Ruesing’s Cooking in the Moment that I tweaked based on what I had gathered at the market. I complemented the peas with asparagus, an assortment of herbs (Thai basil, cilantro, chives and some chive blossoms), and baby Swiss chard, the latter in place of spinach (pea tendrils would be a nice addition as well).
The shrimp are marinated in fish sauce, shallot and a hint of sugar. I considered quickly sautéeing the shrimp shells in the hot oil to enhance the shrimp essence and adding the shrimp at the end of cooking so they are just cooked through. I might try this next go around. Nonetheless, this spring-centric dish is definitely a keeper and one that I will make again.
It’s a simple yet satisfying stew, easily adaptable to your taste.
I love herbs…Thai basil, cilantro, scallions, chives and chive blossoms…
Bought 2 pints of fresh snap/shelling peas, which equated to about 1 cup of shelled peas. I used frozen for the other half. Either or both work just fine.
Spring in a bowl…
Shrimp, Asparagus, Pea and Rice Stew
1/2 pound large, wild shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup minced shallot
1/4 cup fish sauce such as this
1 teaspoon sugar, used coconut sugar
Several grinds of black pepper
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons long-grain rice, such as Jasmine rice
8 cups water
2 cups shelled peas, fresh and/or frozen
1 cup asparagus, chopped into approximately 1-inch pieces
2 handfuls baby spinach or chard
4 scallions, thinly sliced
Assortment of fresh chopped herbs; used approximately 1/4 cup each cilantro, Thai basil, and chives
Slice the shrimp into thirds. Place the shrimp, shallot, fish sauce and sugar in a bowl. Stir to combine. Let shrimp marinate for 1 hour at room temperature.
Place the rice in a spice grinder and pulse a few times until coarsely cracked.
Heat the oil in a soup pot. When hot, add the shrimp and sauté a few minutes until they turn pink. Add the rice and slowly add 8 cups of water, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and cook, stirring often until the rice is tender and the soup thickens, about 30 minutes.
Add the asparagus and shelled peas. Cook a minute or two until tender. Add the baby greens, scallions and herbs. Stir to combine. Take off the heat. Taste, adding more fish sauce if desired. Serve immediately.
