I’ve always been inspired by New Orleans cuisine. The cajun style, fresh ingredients, warm spices, the Southern United States vibe. I’ve never been there yet, but I really can’t wait to taste it for real. In the meantime, it was in a restaurant in Old Montreal that I discovered a dish like this that completely blew me away. I came home and said to myself: it’s decided, I’m making my own version. I replaced the classic white rice with a 7-grain rice blend for texture, I added black beans for the creole side, I kept the trio of smoked paprika, paprika and cumin for a well-balanced heat, and I finished it all with a splash of fresh lime juice. Result: a dish that transports you directly to the French Quarter, without the plane ticket.<\/p>\n
When I started cooking rice, I made all the beginner mistakes. I stirred every 30 seconds, I lifted the lid to check, I stressed for nothing. That’s the worst thing you can do. Rice, you start it, you mix it, you cover it, and after that you don’t touch anything until it’s ready. That’s the magic. Overcooked rice is unappetizing, undercooked rice is inedible. The key is to follow the package instructions and forget about your pot. For shrimp, I have a foolproof trick: watch their shape. If they form a C shape, they’re perfect. If they’ve curled into an O on themselves, they’re overcooked and the texture becomes rubbery. Take them off the heat as soon as they’re in a C, even if you doubt. You’ll thank me.<\/p>\n
This dish is the kind of entertaining recipe that works as much for a Saturday night with friends with a little salad on the side as for a quick weeknight meal with the kids. You can serve it as a main dish with the shrimp, or remove the shrimp and serve it as a side dish to a grilled piece of meat. You can replace the shrimp with chicken, fish, cubes of cajun sausage. Basically, it’s a recipe that adapts to everything you have in the fridge. As a bonus, it freezes beautifully, so double the recipe if you want meal prep for the week. It’s exactly the kind of recipe that pleases kids, impresses your guests, and saves your life on a Tuesday night when you have no idea what to eat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Cajun 7-grain rice with shrimp, black beans and smoked paprika. Inspired by New Orleans, versatile and spiced just right.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":60062,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"cajun rice with shrimp and vegetables","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Cajun Dish of Rice and Vegetables Recipe with Shrimp","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"This cajun dish of rice and vegetables recipe pairs seasoned shrimp with black beans and smoky paprika for a bold, New Orleans-inspired meal.","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"Cajun rice with shrimp and vegetables","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"Cajun 7-grain rice with shrimp, black beans and smoked paprika. Inspired by New Orleans, versatile and spiced just right.","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":""},"recipe_category":[172,167,168],"sponsorship":[],"class_list":["post-60064","recipe","type-recipe","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","recipe_category-fishes-seafood","recipe_category-main-dishes","recipe_category-rice"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n