West African Jollof Paella with Louisiana Gulf Seafood
Author: Niema DiGrazia
Ingredients
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 cups fine diced yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
- 3 cups fine diced tomatoes
- Nimzomatic All-Purpose Seasoning, to taste*
- Nimzomatic Pepper Sauce, to taste*
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste (about 1[4-ounce] can)
- 1¼ cups chicken stock
- 1 medium green bell pepper, fine diced
- 1 cup fine diced yellow bell pepper
- 1 cup fine diced orange bell pepper
- 6 to 8 cups steamed basmati or jasmine rice, cooked al dente
- 1 cup steamed peas
- 1 cup steamed carrot, small diced
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 (8-ounce) grouper or snapper fillet
- 1 pound peeled and deveined fresh Louisiana Gulf shrimp
- 1 pound domestic clams
- ¼ pound domestic mussels
- ¼ cup water
- Garnish: chopped green onions, chopped parsley
Instructions
- Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Sauté yellow onion until translucent. Add garlic , and cook, stirring, until fragrant. Add diced tomatoes; season with Nimzomatic seasoning and pepper sauce to your taste. Cook for a few minutes until mixture is well combined.
- Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until well combined. Add 1 cup chicken stock, stirring to combine. Add bell peppers, stirring to combine. Add steamed basmati rice to the pot, stirring until fully coated in the flavorful tomato mixture. Add remaining ¼ cup chicken stock, gently stirring to combine (add more stock as needed). Cover with parchment paper, and cover tightly with lid. Reduce heat and let simmer about 15 minutes. Uncover and add peas and carrots, stirring to combine. Cover and keep warm.
- In a separate pan, heat butter and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Season snapper fillet and shrimp with Nimzomatic seasoning, then sear one side of snapper until golden brown. Flip fillet and add seasoned shrimp, and cook until shrimp are pink and firm and fillet flakes easily. Remove fillet and shrimp and keep warm. To the same pan, add clams, mussels, and ¼ cup water, and cook over medium heat until clams and mussels open. Remove from heat.
- Arrange the cooked seafood over the prepared jollof rice in the skillet.
- Garnish and serve: Sprinkle the dish with chopped green onions for a fresh finish. Serve immediately and enjoy this fusion of West African and Louisiana coastal flavors!
Notes
*You can find Nimzomatic All-Purpose Seasoning and Pepper Sauce at rnlauthentics.com.
