Pescatarian jambalaya
One-pot, seafood-packed jambalaya with prawns, firm white fish and mussels — smoky, lightly spiced and perfect for a midweek feast.
This pescatarian jambalaya keeps the soul of a Creole one-pot while swapping out sausage and chicken for a generous mix of prawns, firm white fish and mussels. It’s smoky, lightly spiced and a brilliant way to feed four with minimal washing up.
Make it when you want something comforting and impressive but not faffy — it’s all about good stock, perfectly softened veg and not overcooking the seafood. Serve straight from the pan for best results.
Ingredients
- 30 ml olive oil
- 1 brown onion — finely diced (about 150 g)
- 2 celery stalks — trimmed and finely diced (about 100 g)
- 1 green pepper — deseeded and diced (about 150 g)
- 1 red pepper — deseeded and diced (about 150 g)
- 4 garlic cloves — finely chopped
- 10 ml smoked paprika
- 0 ml cayenne pepper — adjust to taste
- 5 ml dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 15 g tomato purée
- 300 g long-grain rice — rinse under cold water until the water runs clear
- 750 ml fish stock — hot
- 100 ml dry white wine — optional but recommended
- 15 ml Worcestershire sauce
- 300 g raw king prawns — peeled, tails on or off as preferred
- 300 g firm white fish — e.g. cod or haddock, cut into 3 cm chunks
- 300 g mussels — cleaned and debearded
- 15 g fresh parsley — roughly chopped
- 1 lemon — zest and juice; extra wedges for serving
- salt — to taste (roughly 1.5 tsp for the pot)
- black pepper — freshly ground, to taste
Equipment
- large heavy-based frying pan or casserole with lid
- measuring spoons
Instructions
Prepare everything first: finely dice the brown onion, celery stalks, green pepper and red pepper; finely chop the garlic and parsley. Rinse the long-grain rice under cold water until the water runs clear. Cut the firm white fish into 3 cm chunks and keep the prawns and mussels ready in the fridge.
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based frying pan or casserole over a medium hob flame. Add the brown onion, celery stalks, green pepper and red pepper and soften, stirring now and then, until lightly coloured and sweet — about 10 minutes.
Add the garlic cloves, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper and dried thyme and fry for 1 minute until fragrant.
Pour in the dry white wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the base. Let the wine reduce for about 2 minutes until the liquid has reduced by roughly half.
Stir in the tinned chopped tomatoes and tomato purée and cook for 1 minute to combine.
Add the rinsed long-grain rice, fish stock, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaf. Season with salt and black pepper. Bring to a brisk simmer, then reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, uncovered, for 18 minutes — do not stir during this time.
After 18 minutes, arrange the firm white fish and mussels over the rice and nestle the raw king prawns on top. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 7 minutes, until the prawns are pink, fish flakes easily and the mussels have opened.
Remove the pan from the heat and leave covered to rest for 5 minutes so the rice finishes steaming and the flavours settle.
Discard the bay leaf, scatter over the fresh parsley and lemon zest, squeeze over the lemon juice to taste, check seasoning and serve straight from the pan with lemon wedges.
Tips
- Rinse the rice until the water runs clear to remove excess surface starch — this helps the grains remain separate in the final dish.
- Use hot fish stock so the pan returns to a simmer quickly when you add it; cold stock slows cooking and can make rice uneven.
- Do not stir the rice while it simmers — stirring releases starch and makes the jambalaya gluey rather than fluffy.
- Clean mussels thoroughly and discard any that are cracked or remain closed after cooking.
- Leftovers reheat well the next day; add a splash of water or stock when reheating to restore moisture.
Substitutions
raw king prawns → 200 g squid rings plus 200 g extra firm white fish
Noticeably differentfish stock → vegetable stock (750 ml)
Stays closelong-grain rice → jasmine rice (same weight), reduce simmer time by 2–3 minutes and check doneness
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 590
- Calories
- 57 g
- Protein
- 65 g
- Carbs
- 11 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
- Sugar
- 850 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this gluten-free?
Yes — use a gluten-free Worcestershire sauce (many contain barley) and check your fish stock is gluten-free. Otherwise the recipe is naturally free of wheat.
Why shouldn’t I stir the rice while it’s cooking?
Stirring releases starch from the rice and makes the texture gluey. Jambalaya should have separate grains with a slightly saucy coating, so leave it alone while it simmers.
Can I freeze the jambalaya?
Seafood doesn’t freeze well after cooking — it becomes rubbery. If you want to batch-cook, freeze the rice base (without seafood) and add fresh seafood when reheating.
What if some mussels don’t open?
Discard any mussels that remain closed after cooking — they may be dead before cooking and unsafe to eat.
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