Low Sodium Shrimp Jambalaya
Jambalaya is a one-pot main dish from Louisiana. It can be made with varieties of meat — often chicken, sausage, and/or shrimp — and vegetables with rice and stock. The word “jambalaya” is thought to come from jambon, the French word for ham. Ham or sausage was one of the classic traditional ingredients, but obviously ham is high in sodium. So we are making a low sodium shrimp jambalaya.
What is Jambalaya?
One beautiful thing about food, is that it is one of the universal things that unites us all over the world. We need to eat. Every culture and cuisine has a basic one pot rice dish like jambalaya. You could say it is the universal comfort food. In Spain and Portugal it is called Paella, Asia has Fried Rice, Italians have Risottos and so on.
With rice as a base and stock as a base for the sauce, you can then build on those foundations with vegetables and spices. Then you can choose your protein, or skip them if you are looking for a vegetarian dish. I’m a meatatarian so I will be adding meat. We are just using shrimp in this recipe, but is you want to have sausage as well, I have a killer low sodium Chorizo that takes this dish to another level!
This simple shrimp and rice recipe is inspired by the original Cajun recipes, but it is healthier and lower in sodium due to the use of more nutrient and fiber rich vegetables and the omission of ham. This recipe is in my new low sodium cookbook. It calls for Creole or Cajun Spice, and I have a recipe to make your own salt free blend in the recipe below. If you want to find a great salt free store bought blend, the Dak’s Cajun Voodoo Spice blend is awesome in this recipe. Make sure you use the code: HACKING SALT for a 10% discount and free shipping.
The Recipe For Low Sodium Shrimp Jambalaya
Low Sodium Shrimp Jambalaya
Ingredients
For The Salt Free Cajun Seasoning
- 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/4 tsp Paprika
- 1/8 tsp Thyme
- 1/8 tsp Cumin
- 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper
For The Low Sodium Shrimp Jambalaya
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil extra virgin
- 1 cup Red Onion chopped
- 1/2 cup Celery chopped
- 3 cups Chicken Stock No Salt Added (Swanson's is lowest)
- 1 1/2 cups Long Grain Rice uncooked
- 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 2 tbsp Cajun Seasoning recipe above
- 1 pound Medium Shrimp peeled, deveined, & cooked
- 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes halved
- 1/2 cup Green Onion chopped
- 1 Red Bell Pepper cored, seeded, and chopped
Instructions
To Make The Salt Free Cajun Seasoning
- Add all of the spices to a small jar or seal-able container. place the lid on tightly and shake until blended. You can make larger batches and keep in a sealed container on your spice rack.
To Make The Low Sodium Shrimp Jambalaya
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat
- Add the red onion , celery. and bell pepper (known in the south as "the Trinity" or Mirepoix) and saute 3-5 minutes until they are tender.
- Add the stock, rice, Cajun seasoning, and cayenne pepper and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low. Cover the pan and cook until rice is tender (about 20 minutes, taste at the end to make sure).
- Now stir in the shrimp, tomatoes, and green onions. Stir them through until they are thoroughly heated. Serve Immediately.
The recipe calls for bell pepper but you did not say how much. I added one pepper I hope that was right.
Yes, one bell pepper! Thanks for the catch, I have fixed it in the ingredients above!