Dutch Oven Shrimp Jambalaya
Sausage, instant rice, and shrimp in one pot over coals. A camp dinner that cooks in a single boil.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 11 oz
- cal / oz
- 56
- protein
- 42 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 25 min
- total time
- 35 min
- water
- 480 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Dutch oven
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Smoked sausage or kielbasa | 1 lb | hot links if you want heat |
|---|---|---|
| Onion | 1, chopped | |
| Garlic | 4 cloves, chopped | |
| Parsley | 1 cup, chopped | |
| Canned petite diced tomatoes | 1 15 oz can | do not drain |
| Dried thyme | 1 tsp | |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Instant rice | 2 cups dry | |
| Water | 2 cups | |
| Frozen peeled shrimp | 1 lb | they thaw in the cooler on the drive |
| Cooking oil | 1 tbsp | only if the sausage runs lean |
Method
- Set a 12-inch dutch oven over coals — nothing on the lid yet. Cut the sausage into half-inch coins.
- Fry the sausage and onion until the onion goes translucent. Add oil if the pan stays dry.
- Stir in the garlic and parsley. Two or three minutes, until the parsley wilts down.
- Add the tomatoes with their juice, thyme, salt, water, and rice. Bring it to a boil, then stir in the shrimp.
- Move the oven onto 4 or 5 briquettes and put 10 on the lid. That is a low simmer, not a bake.
- Give it about 15 minutes. Done when the rice has drunk the liquid and the shrimp have turned pink all the way through.
Instant rice is what makes this work over coals. Regular rice wants twenty-five minutes of steady heat and a lot of guessing about your coal bed; instant rice just needs the pot to reach a boil once and then hold warm. The shrimp cook in the same window, which is why they go in last and why nobody stirs after that.
Coals underneath only for the frying stage, then a small number under and most on the lid for the simmer. Too much bottom heat scorches rice into the cast iron and you will be scraping it in the dark. The tomato juice counts toward the liquid, so do not drain the can.
Packing
Measure the rice, thyme, and salt into one bag at home. Sausage and shrimp go in the cooler; the shrimp can ride frozen and act as an ice block. Chop the onion, garlic, and parsley the night before and bag them together.
Variations
- Swap half the onion for bell pepper and celery. That is the standard Cajun base and it is worth the extra chopping.
- Diced tomatoes with green chiles instead of plain, or a spoon of Cajun seasoning, if the group wants heat.
- No cooler? Use a foil pouch of chicken instead of shrimp and dried onion and parsley flakes instead of fresh. It becomes fully shelf-stable.
https://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/recipe/jambalaya-1798.asp