There I was, in the grocery and they had beautiful wild shrimp on sale – the big ones. I NEEDED a pound or two… of course I did! Not exactly sure what I’d do with them, but I was sure I’d figure something out! I come home and I remembered I’d come across gorgeous large poblano peppers the other day and had bought some. I then also remember I’d come across a shrimp stuffed poblano pepper recipe that I’d been wanting to take a crack at, even longer ago. (How is it that recipes stick in my head like that?). I guess it’s not a large leap for me, as I love southwest food, and I love shrimp – so how awesome would a stuffed poblano be ? Except….there was a problem. (Do you hear boo’s and hisses?) It had been more than a day or two since I’d bought the beautiful fresh poblano’s and they’d developed a couple of icky spots. Thinking on my feet – I decided – that’s Ok – I won’t stuff them, and we will adjust carry on…. Today we will be serving deconstructed shrimp stuffed poblano peppers.
I went searching for my long ago found recipe
And I couldn’t find it. (JEEZ) (And you wonder – is this how creations happen in Bridget’s Kitchen???) So I started searching and found some recipes and none of them floated my boat. So, I did what I do. I started making it up. Now – if this recipe / guide doesn’t float your boat – by all means — MODIFY !!!!
OK – so What to start with ?
When I used to have problems at work – I’d always think about what did I know about this problem and what did I know about similar problems I’d solved in the past. That always got me closer to ideas to solve the current problem. In this case, I started thinking about what I knew about regular stuffed peppers – or even my southwest stuffed peppers. (Which TOTALLY need to get blogged!)
How about we start with some RICE? So I made some brown rice in my rice cooker. I also knew that I needed cheese. You can’t have Mexican or southwestern food without cheese.
Being who I am (#VegItUp) I went to the veg drawer to see what else I could add to the mix! I found some celery, green onion, and a jalapeno!
Spices – will need some spices – and low and behold I had a leftover mix of southwest flavors sitting on my counter – from my fish tacos ! (Chili powder, cumin, garlic, smoked paprika, salt & pepper)
I didn’t consider (at the time) adding black beans and/or corn – but you definitely could !!!
What about stuffing the poblanos if they are fresh and beautiful ?
What I’d do is ask the hubster to char up my poblanos on the grill. (You could also char them on a gas stove – holding each poblano with long tongs — or turn the oven to broil and place poblanos under the broiler). I’d then put the charred poblanos in an airtight bowl (using plastic wrap) and let them sit in their own heat for 30+ minutes. I’d then peel off their skin, chop off the stem and pull out the seeds. Then your pepper would be ready to stuff.
After preparing the filling – I’d bake them. Probably at 350 for maybe 10 – 15 minutes. I suspect I’d consider putting more cheese over the top of the poblanos, as they bake.
I really liked the flavor of this dish, and I’m hoping you do too.
Deconstructed Shrimp Stuffed Poblano Peppers
Ingredients
Deconstructed Peppers
- 1½ Lbs Wild Fresh Shrimp Peeled and Deveined**
- 3 C Brown Rice Cooked (Can use White Rice)
- 4 Stalks Celery Chopped
- 1 Jalapeno Seeded and chopped fine
- 3 Poblano Peppers Chopped ***
- 1 Bunch Green Onion Chopped
- 3 Cloves Garlic
- Butter & Olive Oil
- 2 C Cheese Shredded – Use whatever you like
Southwestern Spice Blend – (you won't use it all – could make 1/2)
- 1½ tsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Pepper
Instructions
- Cook your rice – in a rice cooker or on the stove or however you like to do it.
- Peel and devein the shrimp. (Save the shells and make shrimp stock for a future recipe!). Or skip entirely and purchase peeled and deveined shrimp.
- Sprinkle some spice blend on the shrimp. Us approx 1 tsp per LB of shrimp. You can – of course – use less if you want it less spicy.
- Put some butter (1-2 tbl) and some olive oil (a good swirly swirl) into your pan and warm up the pan. Cook the Shrimp appx 2-2.5 minutes per side. (I also added more S&P direct to the shrimp). NOTE : If you are stuffing the peppers and baking them – be sure to ever so slightly under cook the shrimp on this step. Maybe 1.5 min per side. ALSO : If your shrimp are small they will cook much quicker. My shrimp were very large The key is to see the shrimp turn pink and to check their texture by tasting. Taste test a shrimp part way through and at the end of your cook to see how they are progressing / are cooked. You can always cook them longer, if needed. Remove shrimp from the pan and set aside once cooked.
- Saute the vegetables in more olive oil and a smidge of butter until soft.
- Add the rice to your pan and stir.
- Add the shrimp cheese to your pan and fold in.
- If stuffing peppers – do so – and bake / warm in the oven 350℉ 10-15 minutes. Consider sprinkling additional cheese over the peppers before baking.
- If not stuffing the peppers – serve and enjoy !!!
