Got the dregs of a jar of marinara sauce sulking in the back of your refrigerator? Use it to make this weeknight-friendly, one-skillet shrimp dinner. Store-bought sauce, chopped roasted red peppers, and plenty of garlic form a flavorful base used for cooking rice—in a method that’s a riff on traditional paella cooking, borrowing some influence from the process for making rice pilaf or pelau as well. A few minutes before the rice is done, you’ll add seasoned shrimp on top to cook through gently (no rubbery seafood here!). The final touch is a sunny, saffron-scented mayonnaise for dolloping on top alongside a scattering of parsley for a lasting bit of freshness.
Cook's Note: Short-grain rice—like bomba, arborio, or carnaroli—is key here; it maintains a bit of texture as it cooks and doesn’t break or turn to mush in the pan like jasmine might.
Recipe information
Total Time
45 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Place 1 cup bomba, arborio, or carnaroli rice in a colander and rinse under running water until water runs mostly clear; set aside. Season 1 lb. shrimp, peeled, tails left on, deveined, patted dry, with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper; set aside. Stir ½ cup store-bought marinara sauce and 2½ cups water in a large measuring glass to combine; set aside.
Step 2
Heat 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a medium high-sided skillet over medium-high. Add 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced, and ½ cup coarsely chopped roasted red peppers from a jar; cook, stirring often, until slightly softened and garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add 1 tsp. ground cumin and 1 pinch of saffron threads, crushing with your fingers. Cook, stirring constantly, until spices are fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ¼ cup sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar, scraping up any browned bits stuck to bottom of pan, about 1 minute.
Step 3
Add reserved rice and toss a few times to combine. Add 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt and reserved marinara mixture; season with pepper. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover pan and reduce heat to low. Cook until rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 15–20 minutes.
Step 4
Meanwhile, combine remaining 1 pinch of saffron threads, crushing with your fingers, and 1 tsp. warm water in a medium bowl and let sit 20 minutes.
Step 5
Uncover pan and nestle reserved shrimp into rice. Increase heat to medium and re-cover pan. Cook, turning shrimp halfway through, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat.
Step 6
Stir ½ cup mayonnaise and a pinch of salt into saffron mixture. Scatter sliced Peppadew peppers in brine and chopped parsley over shrimp and rice. Serve with saffron mayo.
Recipe notes
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