Jambalaya

Ingredients

Meat

• 400 gandouille sausage, sliced
• 600 gchicken thighs, cubed
• 300 graw prawns, peeled

Trinity

• 2onions, chopped
• 1sweet pepper, chopped
• 3celery stalks, chopped
• 4 clovesgarlic, chopped

Rice and liquid

• 500 glong-grain rice
• 1 litrestock
• 400 gtinned tomatoes, for the Creole version

Seasoning

• 2 tsppaprika
• 1 tspcayenne
• 2 tspdried thyme
• 2bay leaves
• salt
• black pepper
• 2 tbspoil

To finish

• spring onions
• parsley

Directions

1. Brown the sausage in the oil, then the chicken, taking both further than looks necessary, and leave the crust that forms on the bottom of the pot.
2. Add the trinity and cook it down for 10 minutes, scraping the fond up as the vegetables release their water.
3. Add the garlic, paprika, cayenne, thyme and bay. For the Creole version, add the tomatoes now and cook them down for 10 minutes.
4. Stir in the rice and turn it in the fat for 2 minutes until every grain is coated.
5. Pour in the stock, using roughly twice the volume of the rice, and bring it to a boil. Get the ratio right at this point, because you cannot correct it later without ruining the texture.
6. Reduce to the lowest possible heat, cover, and cook for 25 minutes without lifting the lid. Do not stir it and do not lift the lid.
7. Scatter the prawns over the surface for the last 5 minutes and replace the lid. Take it off the heat and let it stand, still covered, for 10 minutes. Finish with spring onion and parsley.

Technique

• Andouille here is the Louisiana smoked pork sausage, not the French tripe sausage of the same name.
• Long-grain rice only. Short-grain or arborio turn it creamy, which is exactly wrong.
• It is a one-pot dish and moving it to a casserole partway loses the fond.

Substitutions

• Kielbasa or any coarse smoked sausage.
• Any firm white fish or crawfish in place of prawns.

Variations

• Cajun brown jambalaya, with no tomato at all.
• With alligator or rabbit, in the country parishes.
• Vegetarian, built on browned mushrooms for the fond.

History

A rice dish combining meat, seafood and vegetables, developed in Louisiana as a genuine fusion of Spanish, French and West African culinary traditions, with the rice-and-meat base often traced to Spanish colonial-era paella brought to the region, and West African rice-cooking techniques and ingredients, carried by enslaved populations, layered onto that foundation over generations of Louisiana Creole and Cajun cooking. Its name’s exact origin is debated, with one theory tracing it to jambon, French for ham, combined with other linguistic elements, though this explanation is not universally accepted among food historians. Louisiana developed two broadly distinct styles, Creole jambalaya, made with tomato and typically associated with New Orleans, and Cajun jambalaya, made without tomato and more associated with the state’s rural areas, reflecting genuinely different regional culinary traditions within Louisiana itself.

Frequently asked questions

What is Jambalaya?

Jambalaya is a main from United States: creole rice cooked with sausage, chicken, and shrimp. A rice dish combining meat, seafood and vegetables, developed in Louisiana as a genuine fusion of Spanish, French and West African culinary traditions, with the rice-and-meat base often traced to Spanish colonial-era paella brought to the region, and West African rice-cooking techniques and ingredients, carried by enslaved populations, layered onto that foundation over generations of Louisiana Creole and Cajun cooking. Its name’s exact origin is debated, with one theory tracing it to jambon, French for ham, combined with other linguistic elements, though this explanation is not universally accepted among food historians. Louisiana developed two broadly distinct styles, Creole jambalaya, made with tomato and typically associated with New Orleans, and Cajun jambalaya, made without tomato and more associated with the state’s rural areas, reflecting genuinely different regional culinary traditions within Louisiana itself.

How long does Jambalaya take to make?

Jambalaya takes 25 min of preparation and 1 hr 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Jambalaya?

Yes, within limits. Kielbasa or any coarse smoked sausage. Any firm white fish or crawfish in place of prawns.

What is the most important thing to get right in Jambalaya?

Reduce to the lowest possible heat, cover, and cook for 25 minutes without lifting the lid. Do not stir it and do not lift the lid.