Shrimp, Tomato, and Chickpea Stew
This could be your new back-pocket recipe for a hearty, satisfying meal that’s ready to eat in half an hour. My cooking class students are always pleasantly surprised at how quickly this Shrimp, Tomato, and Chickpea Stew comes together, yet it tastes like a long-simmered sauce. Using fresh cherry tomatoes means the sauce tastes brighter if it’s not cooked too long. And the shrimp takes just a few minutes to become tender and pink nestled atop the sauce.
Beans + tomato sauce = endless variations
I love the combination of chickpeas and shrimp in a thick garlicky tomato broth, but there’s lots of room for variation here. Other types of beans, such as cannellini or cranberry, would work well. You could also try it with other types of seafood, such as scallops, halibut, or mussels. Make it vegan by omitting the shrimp. Make it alcohol-free by omitting the white wine. Sometimes just cooking chickpeas in tomato sauce makes for satisfying, simple meal.
Chickpeas are a Blue Zones food
Chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans, are one food that’s common to all Blue Zones — the 5 places on earth with the most dementia-free centenarians. It’s not surprising that eating chickpeas, or any other legume, is associated with longevity. The fiber in beans help regulate blood sugar, insulin levels and cholesterol. Randomized trials show an association between eating legumes on a regular basis and having a slimmer waist, less diabetes, and lower blood pressure.
Canned vs. home-cooked chickpeas
Canned chickpeas can be just as nutritious as freshly-cooked ones as long as they don’t contain too much sodium. Rinsing canned beans well removes about half of the added salt. Or choose low sodium beans and reserve the bean liquid to add to your food — it’s packed with nutrients!
Choosing the best shrimp
Shrimp provides selenium, potassium, and iron, all nutrients your brain loves. Look for American shrimp in season at the grocery store. Seek out seafood purveyors you can trust who can tell you the origins of their products. Avoid shrimp imported from other countries; as much as two-thirds of imported seafood is labeled incorrectly so you have no idea where it’s really from.
Cooking School Tip: If your frozen shrimp is head-off and peeled, it was probably shipped from Asia. Look for head-off, peel-on American shrimp.
My students and I had a lot of fun cooking this Shrimp, Tomato, and Chickpea Stew at La Cocina Que Canta cooking school at Rancho La Puerta. One tip they learned was to add the garlic after the tomatoes instead of adding them directly to the olive oil. This makes is easy to avoid burning the garlic and gives the stew a brighter flavor. Cooking the garlic gently also preserves its anti-inflammatory properties. We love pairing the shrimp stew with a creamy bowl of Pumpkin Polenta, but it would be just as good with cauliflower couscous or a whole grain pasta, like the fregola sarda pictured here.
Servings |
4-6
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- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes or 1 14-oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 pound large shrimp peeled and deveined, about 16-20
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas cooked from scratch or from one 15-oz. can, see note
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives finely chopped
Ingredients
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- Place a large saucepan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the olive oil and heat just until it starts to shimmer. Add the cherry tomatoes and the salt, and cook over low-medium heat until the tomatoes start to burst, about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.
- Add the white wine and cook for a few minutes to reduce the sauce.
- Fold in the chickpeas and place the shrimp atop the simmering sauce. Cover the pot and cook over low-medium heat until the shrimp turn pink, about 5 minutes.
- Taste; adjust the salt and add freshly ground pepper.
- Just before serving, garnish with chives.
- If using canned tomatoes instead of fresh cherry tomatoes, cook the sauce for an additional 20 minutes before adding the shrimp.
- Make it vegan by omitting the shrimp.
- Make it alcohol-free by omitting the white wine.
- If you don't have chickpeas, substitute cannellini, cranberry, or another medium-sized bean.
- Took cook chickpeas from scratch: Soak 1 cup dried chickpeas overnight in water and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Drain and discard soaking water. Place the chickpeas in a medium saucepan and add enough fresh cold water to cover by 2 inches. Add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to a simmer so that the liquid is gently bubbling. Cook until the beans are tender, 30 to 40 minutes. (Older dried beans will take longer to cook.) One cup dried beans = 3 cups cooked. Leftover chickpeas can be used in salads or frozen for another day.
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