This easy to make tropical rendition of shrimp and rice will make any night a special occasion. Bring some smiles to your table with my Pineapple Shrimp Luau.
While traveling this summer, Lisa and I saw this beautiful Pineapple Shrimp Luau and I knew once we got home I needed to recreate it for dinner.
Of course, I have no idea what the dish was called, but Lisa named the dish for me after I set the plate down on the table, as she told me it made her feel like she was at a Hawaiian Luau!
I offered to take the dish out of the pineapple and serve it on a plate but she adamantly refused, saying it was so much fun to eat it the way I served it. Who knew?
The flavors of the aromatic onions and peppers with the sweet flavor of the pineapple combined so well with the spicy flavor of the blackened shrimp. I had fresh corn on hand and although it’s not really a tropical vegetable I thought it would make a nice addition to the dish adding flavor and color to the rice.
Garnish with some chopped cilantro and scallions to add another layer of flavor and a dash of color to the dish.
Then it’s time to sit down and enjoy the deliciousness you created with my Pineapple Shrimp Luau! It really is a very simple dish to make and your family and friends will have fun eating it, making dinner an event to remember.
If you like shrimp you might also like these recipes:
- Chicken and Shrimp Orzo Paella
- Lemon Basil Shrimp with Zucchini Noodles
- Shrimp Etouffee
- Garlic Shrimp with Supergreens
If you’ve tried my Pineapple Shrimp Luau recipe or any other recipe on askchefdennis.com please don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know where you found it in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on Instagram @chefdenniseats and @chefdennistravels, Twitter and Facebook.
This easy to make tropical rendition of shrimp and rice will make any night a special occasion. Bring some smiles to your table with my Pineapple Shrimp Luau.
- 2/3 pound shrimp peeled and deveined I used 26-30 count
- 1 pineapple split and hollowed out save pineapple
- 1/2 cup corn kernels fresh or frozen
- 1/4 cup red pepper - diced
- 1/2 cup onion - diced
- 1 cup pineapple diced
- 3 cups cooked rice I cooked 1 1/2 cup white rice with 3 cups chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons cilantro finely chopped for garnishing
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons scallions sliced for garnishing
- 3 tablespoons cajun seasoning for blackening shrimp
- split pineapple down the middle completely through the stalk and pineapple
- run a pairing knife along the edges of pineapple trying not to puncture the skin
- angle knife to cut sections of pineapple out. As you remove sections it will get easier to remove all of the edible section of the pineapple.
- remove the core from the pineapple and discard. You will have more pineapple than you need for this dish, save remainder for later use.
- Cook rice according to directions.
- saute corn, onion, peppers and pineapple in butter for 5-7 minutes until onion is cooked. Set aside until ready to mix with shrimp
- Peel and devein shrimp, pat dry and dredge in your favorite cajun seasoning to blacken shrimp. If you don't like spicy foods, use old bay or paprika to add color.
lightly blacken the seasoned shrimp over medium-high heat in one teaspoon until fully cooked.
- Mix cooked rice with pineapple mixture and shrimp.
- Fill pineapple halves with mixture, making sure you can see the shrimp towards the top of the mixture.
- Garnish with cilantro and scallions and serve immediately.
Lisa Giordano-Thomas says
Hello Chef Dennis;
Yes… It was delicious as I expected it would!… I usually make this with Chicken Breast chunks instead of Shrimp… But, it was a very nice change (especially putting it all into a cored-out half of a pineapple and was simple to do! I always use Pineapple chunks as well, and sometimes I may add in some fresh (leftover-unused) vegetables, like Corn or peas (or pea-pods) and Broccoli tops, or even cauliflower crown-pieces. Anything I know that I or my company will love that lends itself to a tropical theme! A quick boil, stir fry & add it to the mix! It’s quick & Delicious! A definite make-over meal or a company meal! Plus, it’s lower in fat & calories too, I expect!
Donna Jean says
This looks amazing!! I’m going to try it tonight! Can I sub chicken instead of shrimp?
Chef Dennis Littley says
yes you can Donna. Chicken, fish, lobster what ever you like.
Cathy says
What type of rice did you use I like jasmine or should it be plain rice , basmati etc
Chef Dennis Littley says
I just used regular white rice, but feel free to use what every rice you prefer
Nancy W says
Chef Dennis I made this dish tonight for a dinner party and it was out of this world! My dinner guests were so impressed with this meal. Thank you for all your great recipes as I look forward to receiving them in my email.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thank you so much for the comment Nancy, I love hearing success stories and I’m very happy to hear that your guests enjoyed the meal and presentation! It really is a fun way to serve dinner.
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Mary @ LOVE the secret ingredient says
I’ve never seen a pineapple used as a serving dish, very cute! And these flavors are all amped up from being in there im sure, so delish!!
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks Mary! I saw it done earlier in the summer and knew I had to try it!