Saffron Rice Pilaf with Garlicky Shrimp
Saffron Rice Pilaf with Garlic Shrimp
Yields: 6 to 8 servings
Pilaf:
1 teaspoon saffron threads
3 cups chicken stock
Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large fennel bulb or yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
6 large garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons fennel seed
1½ teaspoons ground coriander
2 cups white basmati rice, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 (12-ounce) package frozen peas
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a medium container, combine the saffron, stock and zest. Set aside.
Add the olive oil to a large 5.5-quart Dutch oven and place over medium heat. Add the fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fennel softens and is translucent, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add garlic, fennel seed and coriander, stir and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the rice and cook, stirring often, until grains are coated in the oil and begin to toast, about 3 minutes.
Add the stock, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
Turn off the heat, cover the Dutch oven, and transfer it to the oven.
Bake for 20 minutes – do not peek!
Remove the Dutch oven from the oven, open lid and quickly and evenly disperse the peas atop the rice (do not stir) and cover again quickly and let sit at room temperature, undisturbed, for 15 minutes.
(Cook the shrimp during this time.)
After 15 minutes, remove the lid and fluff the rice with a large fork, stirring/fluffing in the peas. Cover until ready to serve.
Shrimp:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
7 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1½ pound (16/20 count) fresh sustainable shrimp, shelled and deveined
½ cup Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Add the olive oil to a large sauté pan and place over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.
Add the shrimp and cook, flipping shrimp occasionally, until they turn pink and are cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer shrimp to a bowl and set aside.
To the same pan, add the wine and reduce until ¼ cup remains.
Add the butter and lemon juice swirl the pan and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir or swirl pan until the butter melts and the sauce thickens and remove from the heat. Add the shrimp back to the pan and stir to coat.
Serve pilaf in large bowls and top each serving with shrimp. Spoon over any remaining sauce from the pan over each bowl.
Chef Nathan Lyon 