This Puerto Rican-style Arroz con Camarones (Rice with Shrimps) is loaded with delicious succulent shrimps and tons of shrimp flavor! Combined with other savory seasonings and your result is just simply a mouth watering rice dish! Here’s to another one-pot meal that can easily be put together any day of the week!
When rice and shrimps meet in this Puerto Rican Arroz con Camarones the result is undeniably synergistic! It just works!
As such, many other Latin countries such as Ecuador, Cuba, Columbia and Mexico have their slight variation on this amazing yet simple dish!
The flavors blend so well producing a delicious shrimp-tastic mouthwatering result.
Add other simple ingredients like red pepper and garlic which will only enhance this already amazing one-pot meal.
Finally, compliment this dish with a side of habichuelas guisadas (Puerto Rican Stewed Beans) and avocado slices for a complete Puerto Rican meal.
And of course we cannot forget the platanos fritos (fried sweet plantains)!
Should You Use Fresh or Frozen Shrimps
Although it is ok to use frozen shrimps, I would not suggest it unless you have a heavily concentrated shrimp stock that you have been hoarding in the freezer some place! 🙂
An Arroz con Camarones Recipe is just not the same otherwise!
When you use raw or fresh shrimps, the full shrimp flavor engulfs the rice grains as it is cooking. This produces the best most flavored Puerto Rican Shrimp Rice.
Ingredients to Make Arroz con Camarones
- raw medium to large shrimp
- medium grain or long grain rice
- red pepper or pimiento pepper in brine
- sofrito
- sazon with annatto
- shrimp bouillon (or fresh shrimp stock)
- garlic cloves
- pimiento stuffed olives
- fresh cilantro
- oil
- salt
What Else Can I Add to Arroz con Camarones?
Although the true star of this dish is obviously shrimps, adding other favorites like frozen peas, corn, onions, green peppers or mushrooms is all up to you!
Let your imagination guide you!
How to Make Arroz con Camarones
- Rinse shrimps under cool water.
- Remove shells and devein. Save shrimp shells as we will use them to make a quick shrimp broth.
- Set the raw shrimps in a bowl, cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Need additional help on how to clean and devein shrimp? Check out this post from Savour the Flavor, How to Peel and Devein Shrimp.
Shrimp Broth
- Add the shells to a saucepan with 3 garlic cloves and 2 cups of water. Cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.
- Once the stock is done, strain shells through a strainer and reserve the broth for the rice.
Stock will make 1 ½ cups of broth.
- Add the uncooked rice to a bowl with enough water to cover.
- Using your hand, move the rice around in the bowl. You will start to see the water turn cloudy white. (This is the talc coating “peril” that helps preserve rice)
- Strain rice and repeat the process until the water runs pretty clear about 2 or 3 times. Set rice aside until ready to use.
- In a caldero or dutch oven pot, add the oil and heat over medium heat for a few seconds.
- Add the sofrito and saute for 2 minutes, followed by the sazon, shrimp or chicken bouillon pimiento pepper and olives.
Note: You only need to use the shrimp bouillon if not making a shrimp stock.
- Stir and allow to cook for a few minutes.
- Add the garlic, stir and cook for another minute.
- Add the shrimps, followed by the rinsed rice and stir.
- Then add the 1 and a half cups of shrimp broth.
- Season rice with salt to taste. Stir all together. (Note: For this much rise, I add about a teaspoon of salt)
TYPE OF RICE USED TO WATER MEASUREMENT
I used medium grain rice for my seafood rice. Below is a true and tried method to help you with water to rice measurement so your rice turns out deliciously fluffy and grainy.
- For medium grain rice you will know you have added sufficient water when a large spoon can rest on top of rice almost fully submerged, like the picture above.
- For long grain rice, you will need more water, you will need about 3 cups of water. You will know you have added sufficient amount of water when the spoon can rest on top of rice but is fully submerged.
- Leave rice uncovered and bring to a boil.
- Allow water to evaporate from rice, about 5 minutes. (You will start to see bubbles start to form on the top of rice.)
- After water has evaporated, top with the chopped cilantro.
- Using a large spoon, stir rice in a circular motion. (Be careful not to stir so hard as to disturb the “pegao” that has built on the bottom of the pot.)
- Lower heat to medium low, cover pot immediately with lid and cook rice for 15 minutes. (DO NOT lift lid during this time or rice will stun and not cook well)
- After 15 minutes, lift lid and stir rice again and cover immediately. Cook for another 15-20 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, stir rice one last time.
- Rice is done and ready to serve. Enjoy!
What to Serve with Arroz con Camarones
Although this dish is a one-pot meal that can be eaten on its own, it is even more amazing served the way it is traditionally eaten in Puerto Rico.
Normally in Puerto Rico, you will find this dish served with a side of Habichuelas Guisadas (Puerto RIcan Beans), avocado slices and a simple salad of lettuce and tomatoes. However, here are other serving ideas that are just as delicious.
Serve with:
Habichuelas Guisadas y Calabaza (Stewed Beans with Pumpkin Chunks) and Garlic Tostones (fried green plantains).
📖 Recipe
Arroz con Camarones (Puerto Rican Rice with Shrimps)
Ingredients
- 1 lb raw medium to large shrimp peeled, deveined
- 2 cups medium grain or long grain rice rinsed
- 1 red pepper or pimiento pepper in brine chopped
- 2 tablespoon sofrito
- 1½ packets sazon with annatto
- 1 large shrimp bouillon (or fresh shrimp stock)
- 3 garlic cloves minced or thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoon pimiento stuffed olives can leave whole or cut in half
- 1 handful fresh cilantro rinsed and chopped
- 3 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
To Make a Quick Shrimp Broth
- shells from peeled shrimps
- 2 cups water
- 3 garlic cloves peeled
Instructions
To Make a Quick Shrimp Broth
- Rinse shrimps under cool water.Remove shells and devein. Save shrimp shells to make the shrimp broth.
- Set the raw shrimps in a bowl, cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Add the shells to a saucepan with 3 garlic cloves and 2 cups of water. Cook on medium-low heat for 15 minutes.
- Once the stock is done, strain shells through a strainer and reserve the broth for the rice.Stock will make 1 ½ cups of broth.
Rinse Rice
- Add the uncooked rice to a bowl with enough water to cover.
- Using your hand, move the rice around in the bowl. You will start to see the water turn cloudy white. (This is the talc coating “peril” that helps preserve rice)Strain rice and repeat the process until the water runs pretty clear about 2 or 3 times. Set rice aside until ready to use.
Making the Arroz con Camarones
- In a caldero or dutch oven pot, add the oil and heat over medium heat for a few seconds.
- Add the sofrito and saute for 2 minutes, followed by the sazon, red pepper or pimiento pepper and olives.
- Stir and allow to cook for a few minutes.
- Add the garlic, stir and cook for another minute.
- Add the shrimps, followed by the rinsed rice and stir.
- Then add the 1 and a half cups of shrimp broth only if using medium grain rice.For medium grain rice, you will know you have added sufficient stock, when a large spoon can rest on top of rice almost fully submerged. If you need additional liquid, simply use water.For long-grain rice, you will need more liquid than needed for medium grain. To make up the difference, simply use water. You will need about 2 additional cups of water. You will know you have added a sufficient amount of water when the spoon can rest on top of the rice but is fully submerged.
- Season rice with salt to taste. Stir all together. Note: For this much rise, I add about a teaspoon of salt
- Leave rice uncovered and bring to a boil.
- Allow water to evaporate from rice, about 5 minutes. (You will start to see bubbles start to form on the top of rice.)
- After water has evaporated, top with the chopped cilantro.
- Using a large spoon, stir rice in a circular motion. Note: Be careful not to stir so hard as to disturb the “pegao” that has built on the bottom of the pot.
- Lower heat to medium low, cover pot immediately with lid and cook rice for 15 minutes. (DO NOT lift lid during this time or rice will stun and not cook well)
- After 15 minutes, lift lid and stir rice again and cover immediately.
- Cook for another 15-20 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, stir the rice one last time.Rice is done and ready to serve. Enjoy!
Alternative Way of Making Arroz con Camarones
- Follow all the above steps for cooking rice except do not add the shrimps until the end.
Cooking Shrimps
- Sprinkle a little bit of salt on shrimps.
- Quickly cook shrimps in a skillet with 2 tablespoon of butter or oil over medium heat until pink or cooked through.Note: Do not overcook shrimp.
- Once the rice is cooked, toss shrimps in and stir the rice to incorporate.
- Serve!
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