This meal is a fairly quick one to put together. I made it on a whim with some remaining pineapple that we had in the fridge and some frozen shrimp I had thawed out earlier that afternoon because I had no idea what to make for dinner. Just some random odds and ends but oftentimes, those end up being the best kinds of meals!

Since the shrimp doesn't take long to cook, I made the rice first to have it ready for serving; and same for the tostones when I have them on hand. This dish is a perfect balance of sweet, smoky, and a little spicy, which I love. You can use whatever kind of shrimp you have on hand, fresh or frozen (I always have a bag of frozen raw shrimp in the freezer for quick and easy dinners) and you can also make this with cubed pork meat.

Keep in mind, this is definitely a clean out the fridge or pantry kind of dinner so just have fun with it!

Smoky Pineapple Shrimp

Cook time: 20 minutes

Serves 4-6

1lb raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground ginger

2 tbsp avocado oil

4 mini sweet peppers, de-seeded and thinly sliced

1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced

Pinch of red pepper flakes

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 cup fresh pineapple chunks, cut in smaller pieces if needed

Zest of 1 lime

Green onion, sliced for garnish

White rice, for serving

In a medium bowl, combine the cleaned shrimp, kosher salt, baking soda, smoked paprika, cumin, ginger, and avocado oil. Toss to make sure everything is well combined and set aside to let marinate for 10 minutes.

In a large non-stick or cast iron skillet, heat the pan to medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, sear the shrimp on one side until they’re slightly crisp and just starting to turn pink, about 2-3 minutes, making sure not to crowd the pan (I worked in batches since the shrimp were on the larger side). Remove the shrimp from the pan and set them aside. They’ll finish cooking through when we add them back to the vegetable and pineapple mixture shortly. Partially cooking them first makes sure that we don’t overcook them later!

Carefully wipe out the pan and then add a little bit of avocado oil to sauté the veggies. Then, add the sliced peppers and onion, cooking for 1 minute. Season with a large pinch of kosher salt and black pepper and a pinch of the red pepper flakes, stirring. Then add the garlic, sautéing for another 2 minutes or until fragrant.

Fold in the pineapple chunks and the lime zest, stirring occasionally and cooking for another 2 minutes. Fold the partially cooked shrimp back in to finish cooking. Once the shrimp are no longer soft and starting to firm up, turn the heat off and squeeze the lime over the mixture.

Serve immediately over steamed, white rice and garnish with a few chugs of hot sauce and the sliced green onion.

¡Buen provecho!