Turkish Midye Dolma-Style Shrimp Rice

About This Recipe

Midye dolma — mussels stuffed with spiced rice, pine nuts and currants — is one of Istanbul's most iconic street foods, sold from carts along the Bosphorus. This dish takes that same distinctive rice filling, built on allspice, cinnamon, pine nuts and currants, and turns it into a full skillet dinner with shrimp instead of mussels, which makes it far more practical to cook at home without the fuss of prepping dozens of individual mussel shells.\n\nThe rice itself carries the real flavor identity of midye dolma — pine nuts toasted until golden, currants plumped in the pan, and a warm spice blend of allspice and cinnamon that's distinctly Ottoman-influenced rather than typical of most other rice pilafs. Shrimp are added at the very end and cooked just until pink, since they turn rubbery fast in a hot pan.\n\nServe with a wedge of lemon on the side — a squeeze of citrus right before eating is exactly how midye dolma is traditionally finished on the street.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 450 glarge shrimp(peeled and deveined)
• 3 tbspolive oil(divided)
• 0.33 cuppine nuts
• 1onion(finely diced)
• 1.5 cupslong-grain rice(rinsed)
• 0.33 cupdried currants
• 1 tspground allspice
• 0.5 tspground cinnamon
• 2.25 cupshot fish or chicken stock
• 2 tbspfresh dill(chopped)
• 2 tbspfresh mint(chopped)
• 1lemon(cut into wedges)

Instructions

1. 1

   Toast the pine nuts

   Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add pine nuts and toast, stirring constantly, 2-3 minutes until golden. Remove and set aside.

2. 2

   Build the pilaf base

   Add remaining oil and onion to the same pan. Cook 5 minutes until softened, then stir in allspice and cinnamon and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.

3. 3

   Cook the rice

   Add rice and currants, stirring to coat in the spiced oil for 1-2 minutes, then pour in hot stock. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 15-18 minutes until the liquid is absorbed.

   Resist lifting the lid during the simmer — the trapped steam is what finishes cooking the rice evenly.

4. 4

   Cook the shrimp

   Nestle the shrimp into the rice for the last 5 minutes of cooking, cover, and cook until they turn pink and opaque.

5. 5

   Finish and serve

   Fluff the rice gently, fold in the toasted pine nuts, dill and mint, and serve with lemon wedges on the side.

Variations

• •

  Use mussels instead of shrimp for a closer match to traditional midye dolma flavor — steam them separately and fold in at the end.

• •

  Add a pinch of ground black pepper and a bit more cinnamon for a spicier, more traditional Ottoman-style pilaf.

• •

  Swap currants for golden raisins if currants aren't available.

Storage

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Reheat gently in a covered pan with a splash of water — shrimp toughen quickly in the microwave, so low, gentle heat works best.

Frequently Asked Questions