Ghanaian Warm Spice Jollof Rice with Shrimp

About This Recipe

Seafood jollof, made with shrimp or fish instead of the more common chicken or beef, is a genuine variation found along Ghana's coast, where fresh catches from the Gulf of Guinea naturally find their way into the country's signature rice dish. This version keeps the essential jollof technique — a reduced tomato-pepper base, warm curry spicing, and rice steamed directly in that sauce — while folding in shrimp at the very end so they stay tender rather than turning rubbery from overcooking. The tomato-pepper-onion base is blended and reduced the same way as any proper jollof, cooked down until the oil separates, which builds the deep, slightly sweet backbone the dish depends on. Curry powder and thyme season the rice as it steams, a combination distinctly associated with Ghanaian jollof more than other West African versions. Shrimp are seasoned separately and stirred into the rice only in the final few minutes of cooking, just long enough to turn pink and opaque, keeping them plump and juicy rather than tough.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 500 glarge shrimp(peeled and deveined)
• 4tomatoes(roughly chopped)
• 2red bell peppers(roughly chopped)
• 1scotch bonnet pepper(seeded for less heat)
• 2onions(one blended, one diced)
• 0.33 cupneutral oil
• 2 tbsptomato paste
• 1.5 tspcurry powder
• 1 tspdried thyme
• 2bay leaves
• 2 cupslong-grain parboiled rice(rinsed)
• 2 cupsfish or vegetable stock
• 1.5 tspfine sea salt
• 3 tbspfresh parsley(chopped)

Instructions

1. 1

   Blend the base

   Blend the tomatoes, bell peppers, scotch bonnet and one onion until smooth.

2. 2

   Cook the diced onion

   Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the diced onion 5 minutes until soft.

3. 3

   Reduce the tomato base

   Add the blended mixture and tomato paste. Simmer uncovered 20-25 minutes until thickened and the oil separates and rises to the surface.

4. 4

   Add rice and steam

   Stir in curry powder, thyme, bay leaves and salt. Add the rinsed rice, coat in the sauce, then pour in the stock. Cover tightly and cook over low heat 25 minutes until nearly tender.

5. 5

   Add the shrimp

   Season shrimp with a pinch of salt, nestle into the rice, re-cover, and cook 5-6 minutes more until the shrimp are pink and the rice is fully tender.

6. 6

   Rest and serve

   Let stand covered off heat 5 minutes, then fluff gently and scatter with fresh parsley.

Variations

• •

  Fish version: substitute chunks of firm white fish for shrimp, added at the same point in the cooking process.

• •

  Extra smoky: let the rice cook a couple of minutes longer at the end over slightly higher heat for a deeper bottom crust.

• •

  Mixed seafood: combine shrimp with squid rings for a more varied seafood jollof.

Storage

Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 2 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of water, since shrimp toughen if reheated too hard or for too long.

Frequently Asked Questions