crispy rice bowls with chili crisp shrimp & jammy tomatoes
TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes
SERVES: 2
2 things I love for an easy elevated dinner - crispy rice, and shrimp. Frozen shrimp, straight from the freezer, defrosts in about 5 minutes flat if you just throw it in a bowl of cold water. Perfect for unprepared me.
A jammy cherry tomato base also just happens to be one of my favorite summer moves. It’s so easy but ridiculously flavorful. And cheap thanks to them being in season! (a giant tub from Costco runs about $6, so you can make this on repeat without thinking twice).
Before you question me using two pans when this could seemingly be a one pan dinner, I did in fact try cooking the rice in the same pan right after the tomatoes. But it burns, so unfortunately, yes you do need the second pan. And a few pan notes while I’m at it: nonstick will take a little longer to get that crispy layer than stainless steel, but if you go stainless, make sure it’s properly preheated and don’t skimp on the oil, or the rice sticks instead of crisping. A 10-inch pan is the sweet spot for 3 cups of rice to have enough for a real crispy layer on the bottom with some still soft up top. Go much thicker than that and you’ll end up with rice shrapnel instead of a crispy rice bowl. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
key tools.
ingredients.
For the crispy rice:
3 cups cold cooked white rice**
2 tbsp avocado oil
For the jammy tomatoes:
2 tbsp avocado oil
1 pint (12oz) cherry tomatoes
½ tsp salt
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp honey
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
For the chili crisp butter shrimp:
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lime
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp avocado oil
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp chili crisp
1 tsp lime zest
2 tsp lime juice
To finish:
Scallions
Extra chili crisp
steps.
Marinate the shrimp:
Add shrimp to a small bowl and toss in juice of 1 lime and 1 tsp salt. Set aside.
Make the jammy tomatoes:
Heat 2 tbsp avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the cherry tomatoes and a ½ tsp salt, toss and cover and cook for about 10 minutes, until they start to burst and soften.
Uncover and use the back of a spoon to gently smash them.
Add 3 cloves minced garlic, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp soy sauce and 1 tsp rice vinegar.
Cook another 5-10 minutes until thick, glossy and jammy (this will really vary based on your tomato moisture and your preference). Stir occasionally but also let them sit to get a deep color on parts.
Transfer to a bowl. but don’t wipe out the skillet.
Make the crispy rice:
While your tomatoes cook, heat 2 tbsp avocado oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
Spread the rice into an even layer and press firmly with a spatula.
Cook about 5 minutes without touching until the rice softens slightly, then use the spatula to compact the rice again.
Cook another 3-5 minutes, until your edges start to get golden and your rice is moving around in one piece when you gently shake the pan. Let it sit in pan until serving.
Make the chili crisp butter shrimp:
While your rice cooks, return your tomato pan to medium high heat, and drizzle in 1 tbsp avocado oil.
Add shrimp and cook for about 2 minutes until starting to brown and nearly pink all the way through.
Flip the shrimp, then turn off heat and drop in 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp chili crisp and mix until melted and coated.
Add in zest and juice of 1 lime, and toss to coat.
Serve:
Divide the crispy rice in chunks into bowls.
Spoon the jammy tomatoes over top, pile on the shrimp and finish with scallions and more chili crisp.
tips and subs.
make it GF: ✅ use tamari in place of soy
make it DF: ✅ sub DF butter or skip and use 1 tbsp oil in place to balance the heat from the chili crisp. Or don’t if you’re tough and can handle the heat ;)