Photo of Shrimp paella stir-fry by WW

Shrimp paella stir-fry

4
Points®
Total Time
40 min
Prep
35 min
Cook
5 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Easy
Rice must be cooked, cooled completely and refrigerated to stir-fry properly. Hot rice results in a gummy stir-fry. If you have time, prepare the night before you want to make the dish and cool overnight. If you stumble into the recipe and have a time crunch, cook your rice and spread on a baking sheet in a thin later. Cool in the freezer until cold and proceed from there. Leftover rice is also a good option, although it omits the color and flavor of the saffron. This dish is ready in just 40 minutes and boasts in impressive one-pan presentation of brightly colored peppers and tomatoes with richly flavored shrimp nestled in the flavorful rice base. Our stir-fry method cuts the baking time but keeps the delightful elements of the traditional dish.

Ingredients

Uncooked white rice

½ cup(s), long grain

Fat free chicken broth

¾ cup(s)

Saffron

½ tsp, (pinch), optional

Peanut oil

1 Tbsp, or vegetable oil

Jarred minced garlic

1 Tbsp

Uncooked shrimp

10 oz, medium, peeled, deveined, cut in 1/2-inch pieces

Bell pepper

2 cup(s), cut into 3/4-inch squares

Paprika

1 tsp, sweet

Cherry tomatoes

1 cup(s), halved

Scallions

½ cup(s), chopped, thinly sliced

White wine

1 Tbsp

Table salt

½ tsp

Black pepper

½ tsp, freshly ground

Instructions

  1. The day before serving, put rice in a small 1-quart saucepan. Wash rice in several changes of cold water until water runs clear. Drain. Level rice in pan, add broth, and crumbled saffron threads. Bring broth to a boil uncovered over high heat. When broth comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until most of broth has evaporated and little craters appear on surface, about 4 to 5 minutes. Cover, and simmer 10 minutes or until all of liquid is absorbed. Turn off heat and let sit 5 minutes. Fluff rice and cool before covering and refrigerating.
  2. Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or 12 inch skillet over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Swirl in oil, add garlic and stir-fry 10 seconds or until fragrant. Add shrimp and stir-fry 30 seconds or until almost all the shrimp have turned orange. Add bell peppers, paprika and cold rice, and stir-fry, breaking up rice clumps, for about 1 minute or until well combined. Add tomatoes, scallions, white wine, salt and pepper, and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes or until shrimp are cooked through and peppers are tender crisp. Yields 1 1/4 cups per serving.

Notes

Saffron is a classic ingredient for paella, adding brilliant color, aroma and a delicate flavor. But it's also very expensive. You can omit it and the paella will still be delicious.