Lemony Orzo and Shrimp

This dish was an instant hit.  A combination of a few different recipes I've read in recent days.   My addition was to add shrimp to make a complete main course instead of a delectable side.  Its a spin on scampi flavors with a little something extra from the spinach and peas in it.

Lemony Orzo and Shrimp

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb peeled and deveined 16-20 count shrimp
• 3/4 raw orzo pasta
• 2 strips bacon cut into lardons
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 T minced garlic
• 1 C frozen peas 
• 1 C frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• zest of one lemon
• juice of two lemons (about 3-4 tablespoons)
• 2 T grated parmesan
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot bring 6 cups water to the boil, salting water well.  Cook orzo to package directions for al dente.  Reserve 1/4 cup hot pasta water,  drain remaining in a colander.  Set aside.

Over medium heat fry up the bacon in the olive oil to get it rendering faster.  When the bacon is browned and starting to get crispy, add the shrimp and garlic.  Cook stirring often 2-4 minutes until shrimp just cooked through.

Add cooked pasta, lemon zest and juice with the peas and spinach.  Cook 2-3 minutes until peas thawed and spinach warmed through.  Add pasta and toss to coat, heat gently until warm about a minute or so.  Add parmesan and toss to combine, if sauce is a bit tight add reserved pasta water to loosen it up and create a thin silky  sauce.   Serve immediately with a nice glass of Tuscan dry white wine such as Villa Antinori.

 

Panko Dusted Shrimp

So nice to look at and tasty too is this Panko Dusted Shrimp recipe I came up with Friday.  Stupid easy to make and get a quick light dinner on the table in under 20 minutes.

Panko Dusted Shrimp

• 1/2  pound 15-20 count Shrimp
• zest and juice of one lemon
• 1 t Sambal Oelek chili paste
• 1 t garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 T butter, divided
• 2 T panko style bread crumbs
• 1 T parmesan, grated
• 1/2 t dried poultry spice blend mix
• Pinch of salt

Start by making a marinade for the shrimp by combining Lemon juice and zest, sambal oelek, garlic, salt and pepper.  Add shrimp and toss well.  Cover with plastic wrap.  (If you like really spicey heat you can increase sambal by a teaspoon or two.)  cover and refrigerate 1-2 hours.

Preheat oven to 400F convection.  Remove shrimp from fridge and divide among the heat proof gratin dishes.  Artfully arrange shrimp in a single layer.  Place 2 T butter on top of the shrimp.

Combine panko, parmesan, dried poultry spice blend and a pinch of salt.  Toss to combine. Sprinkle the seasoned panko in a thin line running length of the gratin dish.  Bake 10-12 minutes until shrimp are pink and panko is a nice golden brown.

 

Limoncello Shrimp on Toast

This was a sleeper hit, sitting in my list of recipes to try "someday" going back to 2007...I shouldn't have waited so long to try it.   Just enough acidity to pop on your palette and a perfect bite when you do a piece of toasty tasty ciabatta roll with it.

 Bread...you want something light and crusty.  I used ciabatta rolls sliced on the equator and broiled to a deep golden brown.  I suppose you could if you really had to substitute a sourdough bun but it would be a bit chewier.  Its really worth the effort to track down ciabatta rolls and keep with the Italian theme.

Limoncello...I make my own with Meyer Lemons as it has just a bit softer bite than the usual Eureka or Ponderosa lemons that you get in the grocery store.  Meyer Lemons are in season right now, the local H*E*B has them 2 pounds for $8 on sale right now.  Worth the extra cost for what I consider to be the king of all lemons.

Limoncello Shrimp on Toast

Ingredients:

• 12 very large shrimp (15-20/pound count)
• 2 T Olive oil
• 2 t Garlic
• 1/4 t  Red Pepper flakes
• 1/4 C limoncello
• zest of one lemon
• juice of one lemon
• 1T parsley minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Ciabatta roll 

Method

Clean and devein the shrimp.  

Toast  a ciabatta roll that has been split in half at the equator.  Set aside.

In skillet heat olive oil over medium heat and it begins to shimmer.  Add shrimp in an even layer  Cook 2 -3 minutes until just pink.  Turn over and add garlic, cook 1 - 2 minutes.  Deglaze with lemon cello, simmer until reduced to a syrup.  Add parsley, lemon juice and zest.  Stir 1 minute.  Test for salt and pepper adding as needed.

Place a piece of the toast cut side up and top with 6 shrimp.  Repeat with remaining half of toast and shrimp.  Spoon remaining sauce over the shrimp.  Serve with a nice dry white wine...pinot grigio is a nice pairing.

Stupid Easy Shrimp Scampi

 

Whew its been a few crazy weeks.  First mty oldest daughter's wedding then a shoulder surgery and we are nearly on the eve of Thanksgiving.  Both kept me out of the kitchen for a while.  

This is the simplest dinner ever and is it ever tasty.  Shrimp Scampi, lemony tart made in minutes with simple on hand staple ingredients.  I use Buitoni 

Ingredients

• 1 pkg Buitoni linguini or 9 oz dry linguine
• 1 stick salted butter
• 1/4 c chopped Italian parsley
• 2 t chopped garlic
• 1/4 t red pepper flakes
• salt to taste
• zest of one lemon
• juice of 2 lemons
• 1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp

Method

Bring salted pasta water to a boil. 

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  When the butter just starts top sizzle add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook 1 minute.

Add fresh pasta* to boiling water.  Cook 2-3 minutes.

At same time you added fresh pasta to the water,  add shrimp to the butter mixture.  Cook and stir often until bright pink and opaque (about 2-3 minuites depending on shrimp size).  Add cooked pasta and toss to coat with butter mixture.  Add zest, lemon juice and parsley, toss to distribute.  Add 1/4 to 1/2 c pasta water as needed to thin if needed.  

Serve hot with crusty ciabatta rolls and a nice Tuscan white like Villa Antinori.

*If using dry pasta start cooking it about 6 minutes before you start to melt the butter.  Dry pasta takes about 11 minutes to cook and timing like this will ensure the pasta is cooked and ready to add to shrimp mixture when shrimp are cooked.

Oven Butter Poached Shrimp

A similar version of this recipe exists on this blog.  This version is a bit lighter, who am I kidding, one less stick of butter isn't really lighter.  To amp up the flavor I toss in chopped garlic and wine to make things a bit tastier.

Cooking with wine is a no brainer, use any good wine you'd drink that doesn't break the bank.  Added bonus when you cook with a wine and serve it at the table there's a pairing that magically happens on the palette.  I used a Pinot Grigio, but Pinot Gris or even Chardonnay will work.

I use large shrimp for this as they have better flavor and are easier to eat.  The 21-25 size are ideal for this finger food...not a fine dining experience, but casual dining where you grab it by the tail and enjoy.  Be sure to have a bowl next to you to catch the remaining tails.

Oven Butter Poached Shrimp

• 2 lbs large shrimp
• 3 sticks unsalted butter
• 1 c dry white wine
• 1 t kosher salt
• 1/4-1/2 t red pepper flakes
• 1/4 c minced fresh parsley
• 3 cloves garlic minced

Preheat oven to 375f

Wash and shell/devein the shrimp leaving the tail on.

Gently heat butter until just melted.  Add wine, salt, pepper flakes to taste, parsley and garlic.  Whisk to combine.

Place shrimp in a 9X13 baking dish.  Pour over butter mixture.  Bake 20-25 minutes until no longer pink and cooked through.  

Ladle into bowls. Serve with crusty bread to soak up the luscious poaching liquid.

Roasted Shrimp and Polenta

I'm really into the clean food movement, little if any processed foods in our diet here.  I like to start with good fresh ingredients and build flavor the old fashioned way avoiding tons of salt and preservatives.

I really like the Golden Pheasant brand polenta easily found in local grocery stores. Its just the right grind and fresh corn flavor to build flavor upon.  The key to polenta without lumps is to stir constantly with a whisk and slowly add polenta to the boiling water in small amounts and incorporate completely before adding the next bit.

Roasting shrimp is stupid easy and they can marinate in the flavors while you prepare the polenta.  They simply roast in a hot oven until pink and cooked through...no effort on your part once they are on a sheet tray.

Roasted Shrimp and Polenta

• 1 c Golden Pheasant polenta
• 2 c water
• 1/2 t garlic salt
• 1/2 c grated Parmesan
• 2 lbs 21-25 count shrimp
• 2 T minced garlic
• 3 T olive oil 
• 1 T dried thyme
• 1/4 t red pepper flakes
• salt 
• pepper

Preheat oven to 400f

Peel and clean shrimp.  Place in mixing bowl.  Add minced garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes and thyme.  Toss to combine.  Set aside while preparing the polenta.

Bring water to a boil in a small sauce pan.  Add garlic salt.  Slowly whisk in polenta meal until it is well combined with no lumps.  Reduce heat to low and simmer slowly, stirring continuously until thick and big bubbles puff their way to the top...15-20 minutes.  Reduce heat to lowest setting and stir in Parmesan cheese.  

Spread shrimp onto a rimmed baking sheet.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake in preheated oven 5-7 minutes until pink and cooked through.

Put a dollop of hot polenta in a serving bowl.  Ring it with Roasted shrimp and enjoy! 

Shrimp Chowder

This is a slightly richer tastier Shrimp Chowder than I had posted before...richer in that I add just a tidge of heavy cream the end for that smooth creamy mouth feel.  

At my house we like a  little heat so I use a full 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, if you aren't a fan of the heat dial it back to taste.  But a little really plays nice with the inherent sweetness of the shrimp.  

Which gets me to my next point...Shrimp.  I splurge for the jumbo 21-25/lb as they are that much sweeter and more tender than the smaller variety.  Do make sure you buy the whole shrimp not the already peeled and deveined variety.  You need the shells and end bits for making the hearty stock.  And in terms of stock...use the whole vegetable leaves, skins and all for maximum flavor.

Unusual for me I opt for Russet in this recipe.  They absorb flavor nicely but more importantly hold their shape not dissolve into the stock as they cook until tender to the bite.  Important reason to use...they are there for shape and texture not to make a pot of mashed potato soup.

Shrimp Chowder

Stock

• Shells and end bits from 2 lbs large Shrimp
• 6 c water
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 T Old Bay Seasoning
• 1 celery stalk - leaves included
• 1 half onion...skin included
• 1 large carrot

Chowder

• 2 lbs peeled and deveined shrimp
• 1/2 onion - minced
• 4 cloves garlic - minced
• 2 cups small diced potatoes
• 3 strips bacon
• 2 T butter
• 2 T flour
• 1/8-1/4 cayenne pepper
• 1/2 t fresh ground black pepper
• salt to taste
• 2 T parsley
• 1/2 c heavy cream
• 6 cups shrimp stock

Clean and devein your shrimp.  Place clean shrimp in colander and refrigerate until needed.  

Place shells with tail and heads into a large pan with 6c water.  Add salt and Old Bay Seasoning.  Add vegetables cut to fit into pan.  Bring to boil then reduce heat to simmer and simmer covered for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and let steep 15 minutes.  Pour stock through a fine meshed strainer and discard the solids.  Yield about 6 cups stock.

In large soup pan fry up bacon until crisp.  Reserve the fat.  Add pepper, butter, onion and garlic and sweat over moderate heat until translucent.  Add flour and stir until dissolved.  Add potatoes.  Add stock slowly and stir until smooth and begins to thicken.  Bring to boil then reduce to simmer. Simmer covered 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft.  Test for salt and add as needed.

Add Parsley and shrimp.  Stir and cook 5 minutes over low heat stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and stir in cream until dissolved.   Do not add cream while on the flame as the cream could curdle if overheated.

Serve the Shrimp Chowder hot with a crusty loaf of bread and a nice wine that can stand up to the rich and spicy shrimp!

Cheesy Baked Shrimp

I got this idea from the Barefoot Contessa, didn't have the recipe, and just as well as half her ingredients I couldn't find here in the SGV.  27 kinds of bok choy at one store, but not a single bulb of fresh fennel.  After a morning of searching I gave up and went for substitutions.

Cheese and shrimp or any seafood for that matter combined is considered heresy in Italian cookery, but this isn't Italian so I'm not gonna fret about it.  It sounded tasty unlike Mrs Goldberg's "Shrimp Parm".

I was able to find the Feta that is called for in this recipe.  I know this is a polarizing cheese, a reasonable swap out would be coarse grated Parmesan.  The point is you want the salty goodness of the cheese to compliment the naturally salty taste of the shrimp not drown it in gooey cheese.

Another hard to find ingredient can be Pernod. Its an anise based liquor with an herbal nose to it.  Not whack you in the face hard anise, but subtle and herby.  Quite tasty and no kitchen doing French cookery should be without it. Ask your local Liqour Store to order you a bottle, thats what I did.  If you don't like this...sub in Absinthe...still herby but no subtle anise flavor.

I use canned tomatoes as they are always available and tasty.  However, don't season with salt and pepper until you've added them and tasted.  The amount of salt varies wildly between brands and its best to season with them in place.   You can always add salt, but you can't take it away.

I used a Pinot Gris in the cooking because I like the taste and it goes well with Seafood in general.  Add it bit too cooking and it livens up the dish and compliments your wine pairing even better.  Actually any dry white wine will work so grab your favorite and swap to your hearts content.

Cheesy Baked Shrimp

• 2 lbs 21-25 Count Shrimp, cleaned and deveined
• 1 medium onion coarse chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 stalk celery thinly sliced
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 t dried marjoram
• 1/2 C Pinot Gris
• 2 T Pernod
• Salt
• Pepper
• 8 oz crumbled Feta cheese
• 1 C Panko Bread crumbs
• zest of one lemon
• juice of one lemon
• 2 T olive oil
• Baguette for dipping

Preheat  oven to 350F
Place 4, 16 oz (2 Cup) ramekins on a baking sheet

In a medium saute pan add enough olive oil to lightly coat bottom and place pan on medium heat.  Add onion and celery and cook until soft and translucent, about 5-8 minutes.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer until fragrant.  Add wine to deglaze pan, cook one minute.

Add tomatoes with juice to pan. Add Marjoram. Stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in Pernod.

Divide the sauce equally among the 4 ramekins.  Take 1/3 of the shrimp and divide equally among the ramekins arranging carefully in a single layer.

Take 1/2 the cheese and divide it equally among the ramekins on top of the shrimp.

Take another 1/3 of the shrimp and divide them equally in a single layer into the ramekins.  Top with remaining Feta cheese split between the 4 ramekins.

Take remaining shrimp and arrange in the ramekins in a single layer.  Sprinkle the lemon juice evenly over the ramekins.

Combine panko bread crumbs, pinch of salt and lemon zest to evenly distribute.  Add olive oil and toss until combined.  

Divide bread crumbs and sprinkle evenly over the ramekins.  Place in oven and bake 15 minutes.

Serve hot with a baguette for dipping in the juices and a simple green salad on the side.

Shrimp evenly and artfully arrange ensures they cook evenly and your layers are even as well.

Thai Grilled Shrimp Salad

This salad is a righteous incredible summer treat.  Pair it with a crisp Pinot Gris and you are in heaven.  Did I throw enough superlatives at it for ya?  I hope so as I really wanted to drive home how good it is as a meal.

Make your life easy here...remember to zest your lime first then juice it. Going the other way you'll get owwie fingers and lose most of the zest.

Thai Grilled Shrimp Salad
4 servings

• 2 lbs shelled and deveined 16-20 count xlarge shrimp
• Juice of 2 limes
• zest of one lime
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 T red pepper flakes
• 1 T toasted sesame oil
• 1 t fish sauce
• 1 T soy sauce
• 1/3 C rice wine vinegar
• 2/3 C neutral oil like canola
• 3/4 C fresh mint leaves
• 3/4 C fresh cilantro leaves
• 8 C mixed greens (I use a spring mix)

Combine zest, pepper flakes, lime juice, garlic, sesame oil, fish sauce, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, oils and 1/4 C each mint and cilantro leaves in a food processor.  Pulse several times until herbs and garlic are finely minced.  Reserve scant 1/2 cup of this for dressing the salad greens.

Skewer shrimp and place in a large glass baking dish.  Pour remaining dressing over the shrimp and toss to marinate.  Marinate 1 hour. 
Remove from marinade.  Shake off excess. Grill over hot grill 2-3 minutes per side until pink but still tender.

Toss mixed greens with remaining half cup of mint and cilantro leaves.  Toss with dressing and divide among 4 serving bowls.  Deskewer the shrimp and divide among the 4 bowls of greens.

Harissa Lemon Shrimp

I'm a fan of spicy food. I'm a fan of trying new stuff. This was a home run without trying.

Harissa Mina is a wonderfully spicy Moroccan chili, pepper and spice blend. I've seen it used a lot of times on the Food Network as an ingredient in marinades or as a condiment.  I used it in the former for this recipe.

Harissa Lemon Shrimp

• 2 lbs 16/20 Shrimp, peeled and deviened
• 1/4 c lemon juice
• zest of one lemon
• 1/4 c Harissa
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 1 T dried Thyme

Clean shrimp and arrange on skewers.  Lay in in non reactive dish.

Combine lemon juice, zest, Harissa and oilve oil.  Pour over shrimp.  Turn to coat evenly.  Marinate for 30 minutes.

Grill over gas or charcoal grill on medium high heat.  Place shrimp skewers on grill.  Grill 2-3 minutes, turn over and grill additional 2-3 minutes until bright pink and opaque through out.

Crepes de Mer avec Bearnaise

Translation: Seafood Crepes in Bearnaise sauce, or crepe making is a pain in the arse.

It should be no news that I don't have a "dough hand" around here.  Crepes fall into that category.  Tried years ago making them and kept tearing them.  To shreds.  Want someone with arm power to whisk and whip a sauce I'm your guy.

Enough already I say, flash forward some 20 years and they sell ready made crepes at both my local Pavilions and Cost Plus World Market. Yeah...they still are very fragile.  I tried folding like they do at my favorite little local french restaurant and failed.  My daughter says they made crepes in her French class and rolled them.  Meh.  I needed to enlist my daughter to do the rolling for me as I massacred one in the beginning, and her rolled ones were really well done.

Why seafood crepes?  Well I adore them.  We have a pretty awesome French Provencal restaurant here in my corner of LA. Its Cafe Massilia.  Its tiny, maybe 15 tables and the reservations book up fast...wanna walk in, fuhgettaboutit.  Their food is among the best I've ever had, just getting in is a challenge.  So its up to me to make my own.

This recipe is based on a few I found online and talking with the chef at Cafe Massilia.  Crepes come ready made and it lets me concentrate on the filling and Bearnaise sauce.  Both are a little intense in their prep but oh so very worth the effort.  Wonderfully rich buttery sauce over an equally rich seafood filling.  Perfect for a fall or winter day, not the 108f we had yesterday...but my wife had her heart set on them before the heat wave started so I went with the plan, heat be damned.

I used a pinot grigio as I like the acid and balance of fruitiness. The acid is really needed to cut through the richness of the sauce and filling. You can substitute in any white wine you like, just use a good quality wine that you would like to drink with the meal.  I always use the same wine in the preparation that I will serve with the meal as the synergy of cooked and potable is pretty amazing on the palate.

Finally, when you plate, put a small herb salad on the side. Use some of the same herbs you have in the sauce and filling along with parsley to tie the two together and bring some freshness to the plate to balance out the meal.

As there is a lot of wine and vinegar used in both the filling and sauce its really important you use a non-reactive pot.  That would be either stainless steel, non-stick, ceramic or glass, the latter is next to impossible to fine as corning ditched its "visions" line decades ago.  I have a nice set of stainless steel lined copper for just this sort of cookery. Watch the sales or outlets for close outs and save yourself a bundle.  I have 3 sizes of copper sauce pots and a fry pan all stainless steel lined that I paid under $100 for the whole works by hitting Marshall's and Tuesday Morning regularly.

I simply cook the seafood in acidulated water with salt and 2 T Old Bay Seasoning.  Cook until just done, 3-4 minutes, then put it into ice water to stop the cooking.  Drain well in a colander in advance of your filling preparation.

Lastly timing is everything.  The Bearnaise sauce will  set up if you allow it to cool.  Make the Bearnaise sauce after the crepes are assembled and serve it warm over them.  The Bearnaise sauce I use is a simple blender made version that is really fool proof in the words of the Barefoot Contessa.

Crepes de Mer avec Bearnaise

Crepes de Mer

• 10 ready made crepes
• 1 lb cooked shrimp, cooled
• 1 lb cooked crab, cooled
• 4 T unsalted butter
• 4 T corn starch
• 2 shallots minced (about 1/4 c)
• 1/2 t kosher salt
• 1/4 t fresh ground pepper
• 1 c white wine (plus more for thinning if needed)
• 1/2 c half and half
• 2 oz fontina cheese- shredded
• 6 oz cream cheese - cubed'
• 2 T parsley
• 2 T tarragon

Over low heat in large non-reactive sauce pot add butter and shallot. Add salt and pepper.  Cook until the shallot is just translucent.  Add corn starch and whisk in until smooth and it starts to bubble.  Add half and half and whisk well until smooth.  While whisking constantly slowly pour in the white wine and stir until smooth and it starts to bubble.  Add additional wine if needed to thin to the consistency of mayonnaise. Add cheeses and fold in until melted.  Add herbs and fold in.  Fold in the drained seafood and stir until warm. Test seasoning and add more salt if needed. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to warm (150-170f).  Lightly butter a baking dish.  Dampen a dish towel.

Take a crepe and lay a generous 1 c of the filling across the top quarter of the crepes.  Slowly, gingerly roll the crepe over onto the unfilled side.  Roll up jelly roll style and place in the baking dish.  Repeat with remaining crepes and filling.  When done rolling place the damp towel over the crepes and place in oven to stay warm while you prepare the sauce.  (The damp towel will keep them from drying out while making the Bearnaise sauce).

Bearnaise Sauce

• 1/2 c white wine
• 1/4 c white wine vinegar
• 2 T shallot- minced
• 4 T tarragon leaves chopped
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 t kosher salt
• 1 1/2 c unsalted butter - melted

Combine wine, vinegar, shallot and tarragon in small non-reactive sauce pot.  Over medium heat bring to simmer and cook until reduced by half.  Remove from heat, cover and cool to room temp.

Heat butter over medium heat and melt.  Heat until it just starts to bubble at the sides.  do not bring to boil as you will burn the butter and need to start over.

Assemble blender.  Add egg yolks and salt. Whiz on low until blended and starting to fluff up.  With blender running on medium add a few drops of the melted butter until incorporated.  Slowly add in a steady stream add the hot butter until it is all incorporated.  Reduce speed to low and add the wine shallot and herb mixture.  Blend until just incorporated. 

Pour a small puddle of Bearnaise sauce on the bottom of the plate.  Add a couple of filled crepes.  Drizzle a little more Bearnaise over the top of the crepes.  Serve with a salad on the side.

Kung Pao Shrimp the stupid easy way

Ok, I'm a guai lo, and damn proud of it.  I'm not much of a sauce maker and am in ABSOLUTE heaven with the introduction of the Panda Express Sauces at my local grocery store.  Gone are the days of the over salty sauces, sauces that didn't thicken right or were too bland as I was to light on the soy.  Yahoo!

The hardest part of this recipe is cleaning the shrimp.  I use the large 16/20 shrimp as I think they have a sweeter less fishy taste than the smaller salad sizes. They also are way easy to clean and get rid of that nasty "vein" which we really know is its poop tract.  Yuck and tastes bad too.

The remainder of this recipe is simple chopping and measuring.  Stupid easy.

Kung Pao Shrimp

• 2 lbs raw shrimp
• 1 red bell pepper -  1" dice
• 1 small onion - 1 inch dice
• 1 T minced fresh ginger
• 1 T toasted sesame oil
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 3/4 c Panda Express Kung Pao Sauce

Heat wok over high heat.  Add oils and heat until shimmering.  Add bell pepper, onion and ginger. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes.  Add shrimp. Stir fry for 3-4 minutes until just turned opaque and pink.  Reduce heat to low, pour in the Kung Pao Sauce.  Stir until evenly coated and it starts to bubble.  Serve hot over cooked rice.

Shrimp Scampi

This is a family favorite...at least among the shrimp eaters among us.  Just the right amount of sweet, heat and tart from the lemon.  Lemon you say?  Yup...I'm blessed or cursed with a nice sized Meyer Lemon tree that leaves me with quite the bounty that must be used in the spring.  Cooking with lemons adds a brightness to dishes that I really like.  Meyer lemons have an interesting almost floral note to their juice that really adds an extra dimension of flavor to the dish that a regular lemon can't.  If you can't find a Meyer lemon by all means substitute with a regular lemon.

One caveat with this dish.  It cooks up fast and you don't want to overcook the shrimp so timing is everything. I start the sauce when I toss in the Angel Hair Pasta which takes all of 5 minutes to cook.  IF you are using bigger pasta such as a linguine set your timer to start the sauce the last 5 minutes of the cooking time.

It is really important to salt your pasta water to the same degree as sea water.  That means about a tablespoon of salt (I use kosher salt as it has less of a metallic taste) for the couple of quarts of water used to make the pasta.  It is the only way you'll get the pasta seasoned properly.

I buy the shrimp with their shell still on as they tend to stay fresher that way longer.  I save the shells and tails to make Shrimp Stock for other dishes like my Shrimp Chowder.

Before draining your pasta scoop out some of the starchy pasta water.  That little bit of starch will go a long way towards making the silky smooth sauce that will coat the pasta.

Shrimp Scampi

• 2 Lbs peeled and de-veined shrimp
• 1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 - 1/2 t red pepper flakes
• 2 T parsley minced
• zest and juice of one lemon
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup pasta water.
• 12 ounces Angel Hair Pasta

Put water on to boil.  Add salt.  Add pasta and set time to cook to al dente.


Over medium high heat melt butter.  Sautee garlic and red pepper flake 1 minute being careful to stir constantly so as to not burn garlic. Add juice and zest of lemon.  Add white wine.  Bring to simmer and then add shrimp.  Stir the shrimp to ensure all cook evenly, about 3-4 minutes.  When pasta is done scoop out 1/2 c pasta water and add to the shrimp.


Drain the pasta.  Add Pasta and parsley to the shrimp and stir to evenly coat the pasta with the sauce. 

Drowned Shrimp

Mmmm...butter. Not for those of us who diet regularly or watch our cholesterol, but every once in a while its nice to fall off the wagon. Leaving the tails on leaves you with a nifty handle and it becomes finger food in the process! How fun is that...playing with your food at the dinner table and not getting in trouble.

If you are using frozen shrimp instead of fresh here's a tip for easy thawing and keeping them from smelling fishy in the process. Pour your shrimp into a bowl with cold water and one sliced lemon. The shrimp will defrost in no time and the acid from the lemon will keep them smelling fresh like the sea instead of getting a chance to oxidize and smell "fishy".

Drowned Shrimp

• 3 lbs peeled and de-veined raw shrimp
• juice of one lemon
• 2 t chopped garlic
• 1 lb unsalted butter
• 1 t black pepper
• 1/8 t cayenne pepper
• 1/4 C white wine (optional)
• Salt to taste.

Melt butter and add garlic, peppers, wine and lemon juice. Place shrimp in a 9X13 inch baking dish. Pour butter mixture over the shrimp. Bake in 400F oven 15-20 minutes until bubbly and shrimp are no longer pink. Serve with a loaf of sourdough or french bread for dunking in the broth!

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail

This is one of those OMG it is so f'ing good things.  The entire tray was devoured in minutes during the Super Bowl.  I have to admit the idea for Roasted Shrimp Cocktail got its start from a recipe from Ina Garten on Barefoot Contessa.  However, I know that her version was a bit plain.  My Mike likes his shrimp without sauce but still with some flavor.  I do to sometimes, though a good horseradish laden sauce like the one from Heinz works out fine.

To make the basic recipe mine I opted to add some lemon juice for the citrusy acid bite, a little crushed red pepper for some subtle heat and thyme to enhance the lemony notes and give it a little fresh green flavor.  Either way its tasty and is even better washed down with a good cold beer or a newish red that can handle the heat of the crushed red pepper.

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail

For the shrimp: 

3 pounds (12 to 15-count) shrimp 

2 tablespoon good olive oil 

1 teaspoon kosher salt 

1/2 teaspoon freshly finely ground black pepper

1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes

1 T loosely packed fresh thyme 

Juice of 1/2 fresh lemon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 

Peel and devein the shrimp. Place them in a bowl.  Add olive oil, salt,lemon juice, thyme and peppers.  Toss until well coated. Spread them in 1 layer on a sheet pan. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, just until pink and firm and cooked through. Set aside to cool. 

What ever you do don't toss out the shells and tails.  Add them to 2 qts hot water with celery, an onion and 2T Old Bay and you have a terrific Shrimp stock for "Shrimp Chowder" which is on the menu with fresh hot bread this weekend as it is supposed to rain here in LA.

Shrimp Chowder...semi-light version

I'm generally not a big "chowder" fan. It is usually too rich or too pasty to really sit down and enjoy a big bowl of the stuff. I suspect the former is from recipes that call for heavy cream at the end and the latter for too much flour used to thicken that just doesn't get cooked well. Regardless not many really get me going.

I was watching food TV earlier this year and so many shows were doing chowders and the many variations. One of the episodes, I suspect it was Barefoot Contessa, that had a seafood chowder and recommended using a shrimp stock. It was interesting as it was made from the left over shells and stuff after the raw shrimp was used for something else. Around that time I had a shrimp recipe that called for peeled and deveined shrimp and I decide to use those remnants to make some stock and then just can it for future use.

Last night I got the bug to do shrimp chowder and figured out how to make it somewhat lighter than the traditional recipes I kept seeing. I eliminated the cream/half & half/whole milk and increased my stock and used instant mashed potatoes to thicken and give the soup more body. I worked. I got a lower fat per serving and still had a nice thick soup that wasn't pasty.

Shrimp Chowder

• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 large yellow onion
• 2 large carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 large russet potatoes
• 1 t Old Bay Seasoning
• 1 t sea salt
• 1 whole bay leaf
• 1 t fresh cracked black pepper
• 1/2 t cayenne pepper
• 1/2 c chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
• 6 c shrimp stock
• 1/2 - 3/4 c instant mashed potato
• 1 1/2 pound peeled/deveined raw or previously cooked shrimp

Melt butter in large stock pot. Finely dice onion and add to pot, cook about 5 minutes. Finely dice celery and carrot, add to pot. Add salt and black pepper. Cook 10 minutes until onion is translucent and very soft. Cut potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes add to pot with cayenne, Old Bay, bay leaf and shrimp stock. Bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes covered.

Remove lid and add 1/2 c mashed potato and stir well until dissolved and soup begins to thicken. Depending on brand you may need to add additional instant mashed potato to get the right consistency. Add the additional amounts 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Add shrimp to soup. If using raw cook until they are pink, 3-5 minutes. If using previously cooked add to pot and cook 1-2 minutes until heated through. Stir in chopped parsley.

Shrimp stock:
6 cups water
1/2 large onion rough chopped
1 large carrot chopped
1 large stalk celery chopped
1 bay leaf
1 T Old Bay
shrimp shells from 1 1/2 - 2 pounds of raw shrimp.

Add onion, carrot, celery and spices to water in large stock pot. Bring to boil and simmer until onion is clear. Add shrimp shells and cook 5 minutes. Strain well. Pour stock into freezer container and freeze until ready to use. OR you may bring strained stock to a boil then pour into sterile canning jars and sealing with "pop" lids and refrigerate up to 4 weeks. I prefer the latter option as it tastes fresher that way.

It is fun to serve in small sourdough bread bowls but those tend to be hard to find. I opted to use sourdough mini-loafs which were just fine, just not the same pissy presentation you get in the usual bread bowl.

This does make a big batch of soup and the butter winds up being pretty nominal when divided into 8 big servings.