Sometimes when we are living on a budget we think we can't eat things like shrimp, but that is one of the things that I love most about making these bowl recipes. You use a ton of rice and add beans and lots of fruits and veggies and other toppings and then you can add a few shrimp to the dish and now you are eating fancy on a budget.
I bought the bag of frozen, raw and peeled shrimp. I bought the smaller ones since they cost less and your get "more". That way, I could put 6-7 shrimp on each bowl. It looks like you are getting a bowl full of shrimp-y goodness, but most of the bowl is full of rice and then topped with a pineapple black bean salsa and the sauce that I made the shrimp in.
Another super amazing thing about this recipe is that the salsa was made from a can of crushed pineapple and a can of black beans. I almost always have that in my pantry. It tasted so bright and fresh with the shrimp, it was delicious. -- The day after I made this, I had extra rice and salsa leftover and so I made a bowl of just rice and the pineapple black bean salsa for lunch and it was so delicious by itself. I could have eaten for a dish all on its own. Gotta love those pantry favorites!
Ingredients:
1 lb. 40/50 peeled shrimp
1 tsp chili powder
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp vegetable oil (divided)
1 tsp honey
1 tsp soy sauce
3 cloves garlic (divided)
2 medium limes
2 (15 oz.) cans black beans
½ tsp cumin
2 medium jalapenos
1 (20 oz.) can crushed pineapple
½ small red onion
1 tsp salt
¼ bunch cilantro
2 cups long grain rice
Instructions:
Start with marinating the shrimp.
Prepare the marinade by combining the chili powder, honey, and soy sauce with the juice of one lime, one clove of minced garlic, and one teaspoon of vegetable oil.
Rinse the shrimp and shake off excess water. Add the marinade, stir to coat, and refrigerate until ready to cook.
Next start to cook the rice. Combine 2 cups of dry rice with four cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to the lowest setting and let simmer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the heat off and leave it covered until ready to serve. Fluff with a fork just prior to serving.
Prepare the seasoned black beans. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to a medium pot and add two cloves of minced garlic and one seeded and minced jalapeno.
Saute for about one minute and then add the cumin. Saute for one minute more and then add the black beans. Stir and heat through.
Now you'll want to make the pineapple salsa. Drain the can of crushed pineapple well. Cut the red onion into a small dice. Remove the seeds from the jalapeno and cut it into a small dice. Roughly chop ¼ bunch of cilantro. Combine the pineapple, jalapeno, red onion, cilantro and 1 tsp of salt in a bowl. Stir until combined. Taste and adjust the salt and cilantro as desired.
To cook the shrimp heat a large skillet over a medium flame. Add the shrimp and all of the marinade.
Cook just until the shrimp is opaque and has curled up. Remove the shrimp from the skillet and continue to let the marinade simmer until it has reduced and thickened (about five minutes more).
Pour the thickened marinade back over the shrimp and stir to coat.
Build the shrimp bowls. Place one cup of rice in the bottom of a bowl. Top with about ¾ cup seasoned black beans and about ½ cup of pineapple salsa. Place 7 or 8 shrimp on top. Garnish with extra cilantro if desired.
And... You're done! It seems like a lot of steps, but I promise you, none of them take very long and each of them gives you time to complete the next one. This is a super easy dish and turns our so amazing. You'll wonder how it came out of your own kitchen. Joseph went super crazy for it.
