Seafood Jambalaya

Last week I received a phone call from someone interested in hiring me to cook for a business dinner. He told me he’d taken a look at my website, that it seemed like seafood was my speciality, and that’s what he wanted to serve his guests. It was interesting to hear someone else’s perception of my “speciality.” I get asked, “What is your signature dish?” all the time. Gosh, I cook such an incredibly wide variety of food on a daily basis that it’s been hard for me to define myself as ONE dish. When someone asks me what I do, I want to say, “I cook. A LOT.”

This isn’t my signature dish, just in case you were led to believe that’s where this was going. It IS, however, tasty, on the healthier side of dinner ideas, and pretty darn easy.

Good + good for you + easy = BLOG post material.

Seafood Jambalaya

Cajun Seasoning Ingredients (combine in an airtight container. This will make more than you need for this recipe):

• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp ground red pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp black pepper

Jambalaya Ingredients:

• 1 lb white fish fillets (halibut, swordfish, tilapia, etc)
• 1 lb deveined and shelled shrimp
• 1 28-oz can chopped tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow, green and/or red bell pepers
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1-2 tsps Cajun Seasoning (recipe above)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 2/3 cup long grain rice
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. Rinse fish and shrimp. Pat dry with a paper towel. Set aside. (I ALWAYS rinse my seafood.)
2. In a large saucepan combine undrained tomatoes, bell peppers, chicken broth, onion, celery, Cajun seasoning (I use about 2 tsp seasoning), garlic, and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.
   

   Tomatoes, Bell peppers, Onion, Celery, Garlic, Chicken Broth, Cajun Seasoning

3. Add the rice. Return to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
4. Add the fish and shrimp. Cook, covered, for about 5 minutes, or until the shrimp turn opaque and the fish flakes easily. Remove the jambalaya from the heat. Stir. The fish will break apart. If you want smaller pieces of fish, break them apart gently with the spoon. Stir in the parsley and remove the bay leaf.
5. Ladle the mixture into bowls and serve.

Any meal that can be made in one pot makes me very happy. The combination of flavors in this simple seafood jambalaya make my tummy quite happy also.