Pork, Ham, & Shrimp Jambalaya
Submitted by wyldchyld6
Pork, ham, and shrimp jambalaya is a Louisiana-Creole rice dish layering sausage, cubed ham, and shrimp in a tomato-thyme broth. Three-protein one-pot meal with deep Southern roots.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
1 hrsREADY
2 hrsJambalaya is the Creole cousin of Spanish paella, built on the same principle of cooking rice directly in a flavored broth so each grain absorbs the seasoning. This three-protein version stacks pork sausage, cubed ham, and shrimp into a deeply savory base. The shrimp goes in early with the aromatics to release its juices, while the cured pork brings smokiness from start to finish.
The technique that separates good jambalaya from great is browning the meats hard in a separate pan before combining. Render the fat, develop the fond, and only then bring everything together. A blend of tomato paste, thyme, and parsley provides the New Orleans backbone, and the long simmer with hot water builds the broth that the rice will eventually drink up. Don’t add the rice too early. It needs only the last 30 minutes to absorb the liquid and finish without going to mush.
Pro Tips
- Use andouille sausage if you can find it. Italian sausage works too but lacks the smoky-paprika punch authentic to jambalaya.
- Peel and devein the shrimp before cooking. Keeping the tails on is optional. They make for prettier plates but trickier eating.
- Don’t lift the lid during the final 30 minutes of cooking. Escaping steam means undercooked rice and a soupy mess.
- Salt at the end. The ham and sausage already bring plenty of sodium, and salting before the long simmer can make the dish over-salty.
Variations
- Add diced bell peppers and celery with the onion for the full “holy trinity” of Creole cooking.
- Stir in a teaspoon of Cajun seasoning or a few dashes of hot sauce for proper Louisiana heat.
- Swap ham for diced cooked chicken thighs for a lighter, more chicken-and-sausage profile.
Ingredients
Directions
Melt 1 tablespoon butter and brown onion and garlic.
Peel and devein shrimps. If using large shrimp, cut them in halves lengthwise.
Add shrimp to onion mixture and cook, stirring for about 5 minutes, until shrimp are bright pink.
Cut sausages into small pieces and brown in a separate pan.
Cut ham into cubes the same size as the sausage and sauté with the sausage for a few minutes.
Blend in flour.
Combine the meat with the shrimp and add tomato paste and thyme.
Add hot water and bring to a boil.
Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
Cook rice according to package instructions until it is barely tender.
Stir rice into meat mixture and continue cooking for 30 minutes more or until rice has absorbed all the liquid and the mixture is quite dry.
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