Shrimp Perloo

Picture
Ingredients
1/4 cups bacon, 1/2 inch dice
1 1/2 cups onions, 1/2 inch dice
2 cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 cup long-grain rice
2 cups clam juice
16 ounces, shrimp (16-20 count)
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and black pepper to taste

Directions
  1. Render the bacon over medium heat and cook until crisp. Remove to paper towel-lined plate.
  2. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of fat from pan.
  3. Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes.
  4. Add the tomatoes and red pepper flakes, and cook 5 minutes.
  5. Stir in the rice and clam juice. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover. Cook 20 minutes.
  6. Stir in the shrimp and fluff the rice. Remove from the heat and cover; let set 10 minutes (the heat from the rice should cook the shrimp; if not, don't overcook rice, pull shrimp and bake to finish).
  7. Add the parsley, lemon juice, and reserved bacon. Correct seasoning and serve.

Critique
Chef: the shrimp is perfectly cooked, but the rice is a bit gummy (overcooked), the bacon and onions had a nice texture, good large sized bites, the spice is nice (we added cayenne). Nice presentation with the shrimp "star" on top.

Personal/Team: This was my favorite dish for the region. the rice did overcook slightly because the shrimp were large and we underestimated how long they would take to cook. The flavors/spice blended well in this dish; could have been better with fresh lemon and riper tomatoes.

Lessons Learned: In order to have the rice and shrimp cook together at the same time, it would be better to use smaller shrimp or pull shrimp and bake separately to finish apart form the rice, so rice doesn't overcook.