John Martin Taylor's Shrimp Perloo

Name: John Martin Taylor's Shrimp Perloo
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: 2 pounds very fresh, heads-on medium shrimp (see note below); 2 small carrots; 2 celery stalks; 3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme (or 1 ½ teaspoon dried thyme); 1 medium onion; 3 quarts water; 4 thick slices of bacon; 1 large onion chopped; 4 red, ripe tomatoes (about 1 ½ pounds), peeled, seeded and chopped, or four well-drained canned tomatoes; ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper; 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped, plus additional chopped parsley for garnish; 2 cups long-grain rice; 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste; 3 cups hot shrimp stock (see above); shrimp bodies from two pounds of heads-on shrimp (see above) or one and a half pounds of headless shrimp

By Nancy Harmon Jenkins

Published January 21, 1989

Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
Rating: 4(9)
Comments: Read comments

Featured in: FOOD; COASTAL LEGACY

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Ingredients

Yield:Six servings

FOR THE STOCK

2 pounds very fresh, heads-on medium shrimp (see note below)
2 small carrots
2 celery stalks
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme (or 1 ½ teaspoon dried thyme)
1 medium onion
3 quarts water

FOR THE PERLOO

4 thick slices of bacon
1 large onion chopped
4 red, ripe tomatoes (about 1 ½ pounds), peeled, seeded and chopped, or four well-drained canned tomatoes
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped, plus additional chopped parsley for garnish
2 cups long-grain rice
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
3 cups hot shrimp stock (see above)
shrimp bodies from two pounds of heads-on shrimp (see above) or one and a half pounds of headless shrimp

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

FOR THE STOCK:
1. Step 1
  Peel the shrimp, breaking off the heads. Place heads and shells in an enamel or stainless steel stockpot. Place the bodies in a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Step 2
  Roughly chop the carrots and celery and add to shrimp shells. Add thyme. Peel and quarter the onion and add to stockpot. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook stock uncovered at a steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until vegetables are soft and stock has been reduced by about one-third. (The stockpot may be covered if the stock appears to be reducing too much.)
3. Step 3
  Remove from heat and strain through cheesecloth or a fine-mesh sieve. Discard the solids. You will need three cups of shrimp stock for the perloo. Freeze the rest.
FOR THE PERLOO:
1. Step 4
  In a Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, saute the bacon over medium-low heat until crisp. Remove bacon, set aside to drain and pour off all but about three tablespoons of bacon grease - enough to cover the bottom of the pan.
2. Step 5
  Add chopped onion to bacon grease and saute over medium-low heat 5 to 10 minutes, until onion is transparent. Add tomatoes, red pepper and parsley, stir to mix well and cook another five minutes.
3. Step 6
  Add rice, salt and shrimp stock, raise heat slightly just to bring the stock to a simmer, then lower heat, cover pot and leave to simmer 20 minutes. Do not remove lid while cooking rice.
4. Step 7
  After 20 minutes, lift the lid and fluff the rice with a big fork while tossing in the shrimp. Cover the pot again and turn off the heat. The perloo will be ready in 5 to 10 minutes and the shrimp will not overcook.
5. Step 8
  Crumble reserved bacon and sprinkle over the top of the perloo with the additional chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Tip

If you can find only headless shrimp, make the stock with fish heads and trimmings (2 heads of scrod, cod or haddock) or use ½ pound of white-meat fish. Do add the shrimp shells to the stockpot.