Zibdiyit Gambari (Spicy Shrimp and Tomato Stew)
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1medium red onion, finely chopped
- 1(14-ounce) can whole, peeled plum tomatoes, juices reserved
- 1teaspoon granulated sugar, plus more to taste
- ¾teaspoon ground cumin
- ½teaspoon caraway seeds
- ¼teaspoon ground allspice
- Sea salt and ground black pepper
- 1 to 2jalapeños, finely chopped, plus more to taste
- 3garlic cloves, chopped
- 2tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
- 2tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1pound raw medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed
- Coarsely chopped parsley leaves, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
224 calories; 10 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 25 grams protein; 609 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
Heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and their juices; 1 teaspoon sugar; the cumin, caraway seeds and allspice; ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper; and 1 cup water and bring to a simmer.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, mash the jalapeño, garlic, dill and ½ teaspoon salt together using a mortar and pestle for a few minutes. Alternately, finely chop them together on a cutting board, then mash them by pressing back and forth using the flat side of your knife until a paste forms. (Both approaches release the oil from the jalapeño and dill and make them more fragrant.) Add to the tomato sauce and stir to combine. Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally to break down the tomatoes, until sauce is thickened and flavors meld, about 20 minutes.
- Step 3
Meanwhile, toast the sesame seeds: In a small skillet, stir the sesame seeds over medium heat until golden-brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.
- Step 4
When the tomato sauce is ready, taste and adjust the seasoning (you may want to add a bit more sugar or jalapeño). Finally, stir in the shrimp, making sure they are submerged, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they have just turned pink and are cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Step 5
To serve, drizzle with a generous amount of extra-virgin olive oil and scatter with the sesame seeds and chopped parsley.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Jane in Maryland
I'm puzzled why no one has commented on this recipe. There was a lot of conversation about the politics of the article that contained it; maybe that dissuaded people from trying it. That said, it is a terrific dish, with wonderful layers of flavor. I followed the recipe as written, and we loved it. Lots of steps, but I think it's one that would become easier and more logical to prepare the more often you make it. Highly recommended.
SFG
Made this without any hot peppers and instead added 2 tsp smoked paprika and it was still wonderful. Important to let sauce thicken. Made sauce about 2 hours ahead and reheated to add shrimp.
Sarah
Yum!!! Accidentally used smashed tomatoes but the sauce still thickened and was quite flavorful. I used 1.5 jalepenos without the seeds, and I wish I had left the seeds in - the sauce was a bit sweet. But some red pepper flakes added the punch back. I forgot the olive oil drizzle but do not think it was needed.
Steve Hudson
His was excellent! Would add that 4 servings would be small. Would suggest doubling the recipe to have a little more and leftovers.
Suzy
Wow -- we'd eat this often. We skipped the olive oil drizzle, and forgot the sesame seeds. The only other modification we made was to used petite diced tomatoes, as it was what we had on hand. Served it with roasted cauliflower; dynamite combination.
zeichgeist
The flavors were good, if not outstanding and definitely better the next day. But the shrimp did not do it for me at all. Cooking them in this highly spiced tomato sauce did nothing for their texture and certainly they did not absorb any flavor. Maybe first sauteing them would be better. And then using the tomatoe sauce as a side dish you could ladle over the shrimp or a sturdy veggie - green beans would be good imo.
kristinky
YUMMM! Accidentally used a huge can of tomatoes and still turned out great. Ate over brown rice!
Brian Burriss
I added white rice as an accompaniment to take advantage of the wonderful flavors.
Karin
My husband is not fond of shrimp, so I substitute scallops --still very good. A keeper.
Dan Clements
What a delicious recipe! We used one large jalapeño with seeds. Sauce was a bit spicy before shrimp were added, perfect for our tastes with shrimp tempering the pepper. Looking forward to trying some of Mayukh’s other Palestinian recipes!
Lisa G
I found this dish somewhat disappointing. I have the cookbook Jerusalem and had hoped this recipe would live up to the recipes in there. Not quite.
Some Bees
Changes I made: Added a can of great northern beans, just for a little added veg. Added extra dill when making the paste, and more dry dill later on in cooking. Increased shrimp to 1 lb. Serranos instead of jalapeno. I would make this again, but would double the spices and be way more generous with the dill. I would also leave the seeds in one Serrano. Overall needed more spice and oomph. But fairly easy and tasty for a weeknight.
Rick T
Delicious. Used a serrano instead of the jalapeno, and served it over couscous, but this would work equally well in a bowl, with some naan or pita to mop up the sauce.
WAS
Very nice!!! Would not have thought that dill would marry so nicely w the tomato base! Didn’t have a jalapeño so put a couple of twists of the ghost pepper grinder in the sauce. I thought it really was a nice compliment of heat.
DC_resident
This was a rare miss for NYTimesCooking, in my opinion. The flavors seemed to be fighting with one another. A generous squeeze of lime juice helped, but not enough to make this worth keeping.
summerhorse
Followed very closely with no allspice since I didn't have any and fresh dill as garnish since I had a ton. My jalapenos are pretty tame, so we added hot sauce at the table. Personal preference. Overall, we really liked it and will do it again!
John Anderson
this was actually very good. not too hot & not too sweet I served it over Couscous, which stretched portions a it without compromising flavor. Definitely will make again...
jackie
Delicious ! A rich and flavoursome dinner which didn’t take very long at all, I highly recommend.
TaiL
This was OK, but a little too much for a main course. It has the same quality as pesto, delicious for three bites, then overly intense. I served it over risotto and also served a salad as a first course.
Davida
We love this dish. Has anyone made it vegetarian and if so what did you substitute for the shrimp?
lm
We used okra and it was delicious!
Lola
Fantastic dish! We will definitely add it to our regular rotation. The flavor profile was utterly beguiling, unfamiliar to our palates, and utterly delicious. We used fennel seed instead of caraway because it’s what we had, but otherwise made it exactly as written with lovely big #8-12 white shrimp. Served with pita bread, might have basmati next time.
Nellie
I'm looking for serving suggestions. Potatoes? Rice? Bread?
Shannon McNeely
Delicious recipe. I used 1/2 pound shrimp and 1/2 pound spicy sausage. I used one jalapeño and should have used two without the seeds. Instead, I added Aleppo crushed pepper and about 1/2 tsp. Ancho chili pepper to increase the spiciness. The sesame seeds add a nice touch. I did increase the canned tomatoes to two cans of fiery crushed tomatoes and the extra tomato was perfect.
Shannon McNeely
By the way, frozen shrimp work fine. I sort of defrosted them but since they were pre-cooked, all I had to do was heat them in the sauce.
Sarah
This has become a family favorite and I have made multiple times. Very quick and easy with warm, satisfying flavors. Found the 4 servings small, and always double the recipe.
lorA
Delicious but make I would make it a little a spicier next time. And there will definitely be a next time!
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