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Asopao de camarones in a bowl and cilantro
Olga

Puerto Rican Shrimp Stew

5 from 1 vote
This Puerto Rican Shrimp Stew (Asopao de Camarones) is loaded with tender shrimp, tomatoes, and a perfectly seasoned broth. It’s a cozy, one-pot dish that’s simple to make and brings all the bold, authentic flavors of Puerto Rican cooking to your table.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 2 people
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: Puerto Rican
Calories: 560
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

Stock
  • 8 cups Purified Water
  • 1 Cup Bonito Flakes
  • 1 Cup Shrimp Shells, tails, and heads
Shrimp Stew
  • 1 lb Wild Argentinian Shrimp
  • 1 Large Sweet Onion
  • 1 Large Vine Ripened Tomato
  • 1/2 Pepper red, orange or green.
  • 3 tbsp Avocado Oil
  • 4 Cloves Garlic
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 1/4 cup Sofrito
  • 1/2 tbsp Sazon
  • 1/2 cup Jasmine Rice
  • .5 tsp Salt
Garnish
  • 1 wedge Lime
  • 1 tsp Diced Cilantro

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch Oven
  • 1 Tongs
  • 1 Cutting Board
  • 1 Chef Knife
  • 1 Stock Pot

Method
 

Shrimp Stock
  1. The shrimp stock is the foundation for a rich and flavorful shrimp and rice stew. Fill a small stock pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add the bonito flakes or shrimp shells, reduce the heat, and let it simmer gently.
  2. For extra depth, roast the shrimp shells in the stock pot before adding the water to extract even more flavor.
Stew
  1. Dice (1) tomato, (1) onion, and (1/2) pepper. Grate or finely mince (4 cloves) of garlic and set it aside. Heat a Dutch oven over low heat and add (3 tbsp) avocado oil. Slowly sauté the diced tomato, onion, and pepper, cooking on low heat until the onions are translucent and the tomato and pepper are tender.
  2. While the onion mixture is sautéing, clean and rinse the shrimp, then let them drain well. Once the onions are caramelized, add the shrimp to the Dutch oven and cook for one minute on each side. Remove the shrimp and set aside to prevent overcooking.
  3. Increase the heat to low-medium. Stir with a silicone spatula and add (1/4 cup) sofrito, (1/2 tbsp) sazon, (2) bay leaves, (1 tsp) salt, and the minced garlic. Cook for 3–4 minutes. Add (1/2 cup) rice and stir well until the rice is fully coated in the sofrito mixture.
  4. Strain the shrimp stock or bonito stock, then add the liquid to the Dutch oven with the rice mixture. Stir gently and continue cooking until the rice is al dente.
  5. Once the rice is cooked, return the shrimp to the Dutch oven and simmer for another two minutes until fully cooked.
Garnish
  1. Wash and chop fresh cilantro, and slice lime or lemon wedges.
  2. Serve the asopao de camarones in bowls. Garnish with chopped cilantro, a lime wedge (optional), and sliced avocado. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 560kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 54gFat: 16gFiber: 4g

Notes

Tips For The Best Shrimp Stock

  • Bonito flakes and shrimp shells add an amazing depth of flavor to the broth. Can’t find one of them? No worries—just use a little extra of the other, and it’ll still turn out delicious.
  • To really bring out all those flavors, let the broth simmer gently on low heat. This gives the shells and bonito plenty of time to work their magic.
  • And when it comes to shrimp, wild-caught has so much more flavor than farm-raised. I’m a big fan of Trader Joe’s wild Argentinean shrimp—it’s clean, great quality, and affordable, too!

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