Asopao de Camarones

Description

Shrimp gumbo, Puerto Rican style

Ingredients

Group A

• 1 lb fresh- or salt-water shrimp, shelled and deveined
• the juice from a small green lemon (or 2 tbsp bottled lemon extract)

Group B

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium sized onion, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 2 tbsp crushed garlic
• 1 cup (1 small) tomato, diced
• 2 tsp cilantro leaves, diced
• 1 bay leaf
• salt to taste (just a pinch for salt-water shrimp, about 1 tsp for fresh-water shrimp)
• cloves to taste
• ginger to taste

Group C

• 4 cups water
• 1½ cups raw, uncooked medium rice
• 1 cup potatoes, diced (optional; if using, add more salt)
• 1 red pepper, sliced

Directions

1. Rinse the shrimp.
2. Baste with the lemon extract.
3. Let stand.
4. Add the salt, cloves and ginger to three cups of water in a deep sauce pan.
5. Bring to a boil.
6. Sieve through a colander to remove the remnants of the spices.
7. In a deep cooking dish, place two tablespoonfuls of olive oil and heat for about one minute.
8. Saute onion, pepper and diced cilantro for under a minute, add garlic, tomato and bay leaf, saute another minute.
9. Add the water and bring to a boil.
10. Add the rice and bring the heat down to medium.
11. Cook over medium heat, covered, for around twenty minutes.
12. If the pot is not deep enough, it is likely to boil over, so uncover it often, stir, and let some steam out to prevent it.
13. Add the shrimp, diced potatoes and red peppers.
14. Cook for another ten minutes.
15. Serrve hot, preferably with tostones de plátano.