Grilled Shrimp Panzanella

There is something about cooking everything, and I do mean everything, on the grill that makes things taste just so much better.  And as these last days of summer fade into autumn, I'm kicking ye olde grille into overtime, baby.  This recipe is a case in point...technically it is a salad, but two of the major ingredients are cooked on the grill.  (In about 5 minutes, which makes it even more enticing in my book.)

Panzanella is traditionally a salad that substitutes bread for the lettuce (how great is that??), usually tossed with some tomatoes, olive oil and a little vinegar, which in and of itself is pretty wonderful.  This particular recipe adds some shrimp and basil and substitutes lemon juice for the vinegar, but here's the beauty part...the shrimp and the bread are cooked on the grill first.  That gives the whole thing that charred grill taste that makes everything feel like the best part of summer.

So while we still have these lazy, hazy days of summer, surrounded by tomatoes and basil, grab yourself some bread and shrimp and crank up that grill.  Salad never tasted so dang good.

Grilled Shrimp Panzanella, from Real Simple

• 1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined large shrimp


• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice


• 4 tablespoons olive oil


• kosher salt and black pepper


• 1 small baguette (about 8 ounces), split lengthwise


• 2 1/2 pounds heirloom or beefsteak tomatoes, cut into wedges


• 2 cups fresh basil leaves

1. Heat grill to medium-high. In a large bowl, toss the shrimp with the lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of the oil, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Brush the baguette with 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil.


2. Grill the baguette and shrimp, uncovered, until the baguette is golden and crisp, about 1 minute per side, and the shrimp are opaque throughout, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Cut the baguette into bite-size pieces.


3. In a second large bowl, toss the shrimp, baguette, tomatoes, and basil with the lemon juice, the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

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Shrimp and Tarragon Crostini

I love crostini.  Maybe it has something to do with my love for toast, which you can read about here if you are interested.  And even though I flirted with silver dollar pancakes shamelessly in terms of being the vehicle for holding delicious little spoonfuls of various things.  But crostini, you will still always be first in my heart, especially when you are topped with a delicious mixture of shrimp and tarragon.

Crostini is super-simple to make.  Just slice up a loaf of your favorite French bread (or Italian bread if you are the kind that likes your crostini substantial. Slice it pretty thin...as close to 1/4 inch as you can get without driving yourself crazy.  Brush them with a little olive oil and pop them on a cookie sheet and into a 400 degree oven just until they are getting golden brown - 5 to 10 minutes.  After that, the possibilities are endless, but in this case I went with a quick little mixture of cooked chopped shrimp, mayo, fresh chopped tarragn, fresh lemon juice and salt and pepper.  Once the crostini are cooled a little, just drop some of the shrimp mixture onto each one and there you go. 

Sometimes the easiest things are just the best!

Shrimp and Tarragon Crostini, adapted from Real Simple

• 24 thin slices of French bread
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 12 ounces chopped cooked shrimp
• 1/3 cup mayo
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oven to 400.  Brush bread slices with olive oil and bake until just golden brown, 5-10 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool.

2. Combine remaining ingredients to make the shrimp mixture and top each crostini with spoonful of this.  You're done!

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Low Country Boil Kabobs

One of the many, many advantages of being married to a Southern man is that you learn about the complete fabulousness of something called Low Country Boil.  It's also sometimes known as Frogmore Stew (based on the hometown of the National Guardsman that invented it).  The town of Frogmore was eliminated by the Postal Service and incorporated into the nearby Beaufort, and the name of the recipe officially changed to Low Country Boil.  This is your culinary history lesson of the day.

Anyway, the way this usually works is that you boil up baby potatoes with a seafood seasoning, and then add the sausage, the corn and then the shrimp as time rolls on so that everything is cooked up perfectly.  Then you drain the whole thing and dump it all onto a platter and let folks dig in...forks optional.  We always have this a few times during the summer, so when I saw this version that called for adding the grill into the mix, my antenna went up.  I always do love to shake up a recipe that I've made a hundred times before.

In this version, you still boil up the potatoes, but after they are done you thread them onto skewers with uncooked large shrimp, chunks of andouille sausage, and pieces of corn on the cob that you have cut into 1-2 inch sections.  Now, the most challenging part of this entire thing is getting the dang corn sections on to the skewers.  The center of corn cobs?  HARD.  So the Southern husband sprang into action...he took each one and hammered a nail into it and then pulled it out - making a perfect little hole for me to slip it right onto the skewer.  There is nothing that makes this man happier than the chance to use his workshop skills in the kitchen.

Once everything is on the skewer, you brush it with a mixture of melted butter and Old Bay seasoning.  Or, if you are like me and THOUGHT you had a container of Old Bay and then remembered too late that you threw it out in a frenzy of purging the spice cabinet of old spices, you can fake it by putting together the mixture I found by clicking here.

Now pop the skewers onto the grill for as long as it takes to cook the shrimp and lightly char the corn - 5-8 minutes should do it.  Now you not only have the wonderfulness of Low Country Boil, but with the added flavor of the grill. 

Life is very, very good.

Low Country Boil Kabobs, from Everyday Food

1/2 pound baby potatoes

2 ears of corn, cut into 1 inch sections

1/2 pound cooked andouille sausage, cut into 1 inch rounds

1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deviened

4 tablespoons melted butter

2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

1. Boil potatoes in salted water for about 12 minutes or until tender.  Drain and cool slightly.

2. Thread skewers with potatoes, shrimp, corn and sausage.

3. Combine melted butter and Old Bay and brush onto skewers.  Grill on medium high for about 5-8 minutes or until shrimp is cooked and corn is lightly charred.  Serve immediately.

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Poached Shrimp with Sour Cream Horseradish Dipping Sauce

Okay, so here's the latest in the Friday Night Lights series, and let me just say that anything that involves shrimp and horseradish has me at hello.  This is basically a spin on that shrimp cocktail that you secretly yearn to order at every restaurant you go do but don't because it costs as much as your mortgage payment.

But this one is so, so much more than a shrimp cocktail, and it is all due to the sauce, which is not the typical tomato/horseradish variety, but instead is a mixture of sour cream, horseradish, chopped chives, lemon peel and (get this) a reduction of the lemon white wine mixture that you have cooked the shrimp in.  Wildly luxurious-sounding, right?  It almost doesn't seem fair that it is so dang easy to make, but it is!  

You poach the shrimp for about four minutes in a mixture of water, white wine, half of a lemon and a few other things.  Scoop out the shrimp and put them in an ice water bath to chill down, and then boil the poaching liquid down for about 20 minutes.  In the meantime you can mix up the rest of the sauce, which is a sour cream/horseradish/lemon peel/chives mixture that gets thinned out with a tablespoon or two of the poaching liquid.  After that, the only thing left to do is find some pretty glasses, spoon some of the sauce in the middle, hang as many shrimp as you can fit around the edge, and try not to scarf them down TOO fast.

Yum, right?  And elegant too.  Even if you ARE eating them while lounging on your couch watching a taped version of House.  I mean Glee.  I mean Nurse Jackie.  You get the drift!

Poached Shrimp with Sour Cream Horseradish Dipping Sauce, adapted from Bon Appetit

1 cup dry white wine
6 whole black peppercorns
1/2 lemon
1 bay leaf
Pinch of coarse kosher salt
8 uncooked unpeeled large shrimp
dipping sauce

1/4 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon prepared white horseradish
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
Coarse kosher salt
Whole fresh chives (for garnish)

1. Fill medium bowl with ice water; set aside. Combine 2 cups water, wine, and next 4 ingredients in medium saucepan. Bring to boil. Add shrimp; reduce heat to low, cover, and poach just until shells are pink and shrimp are opaque in center, 3 to 4 minutes. 

2. Using slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to bowl with ice water; reserve poaching liquid and lemon half. Drain and peel shrimp, leaving tails intact. Devein shrimp.
3. Squeeze juice from reserved lemon half into poaching liquid in pan. Boil liquid until reduced to generous 2 tablespoons, about 20 minutes. Strain; cool.
4. Mix sour cream or crème fraîche, chopped chives, horseradish, lemon peel, and 1 tablespoon reduced poaching liquid in small bowl. Season sauce with coarse salt and black pepper.
4. Spoon dipping sauce into short glasses. Arrange shrimp on rims. Garnish with whole fresh chives and extra lemon peel if you have it.

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Shrimp and Pineapple Kebabs with Lime Viniagriette

Okay, so I will once again admit it: I am a complete sucker for shrimp cocktail.  There's something about chilled shrimp in a glass that just has me at hello, so it is pretty much a done deal that I will be working this into the Southern husband and my Friday Night Lights approach to Friday dinners in any way I can, and I have to say that so far....this may be my favorite.

It's got shrimp.  It's got pineapple.  It's got cherry tomatoes.  It's got a light lime vinaigrette.  It's served on skewers, which makes it oh-so-easy to eat when you are on the couch watching a movie while your teenager is out gallivanting.

I love the word gallivating.  Somehow I never look like this when I do it.

Anyway.

This is one of those ecipes that looks like you spent all day creating a wonderful seafood concoction when you really only spent about 15 minutes cooking up some shrimp, chopping up some tomatoes and pineapple and whisking together a super-simple line dressing.  You mix the whole thing together and skewer the pieces together,  Then chop up a little lettuce (I used Bibb lettuce for this and it was just about perfect.)  Now comes the fun part: choose whatever glasses you have that have a wide opening.  Margarita glasses would actually be perfect, and if I had any that's what I would have used.  Make a nice soft bed of lettuce in the glass and arrange a few skewer inside.  Drizzle the whole thing with the leftover lime dressing from the mixing bowl, and then hand them out.

Now comes the REALLY fun part.  The eating.  Because this is one of those dishes with just the right amount of tangy and sweet and wonderful.  We had these for our light supper, but I can totally picture them as the perfect summertime appetizer before you grill whatever it is you are going to grill.  And I'm beginning to believe that grilling season might just get here one day.

In the meantime, cuddle up inside on the sofa with some of these and March won't seem so March-like.

Shrimp and Pineapple Kebabs with Lime Vinaigrette, adapted from a WeightWatchers recipe.  (5 points, if anyone's counting!)

	8 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
	1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
	2 tsp honey
	1 tsp olive oil, extra-virgin
	1 tsp apple cider vinegar
	1 tsp Dijon mustard, coarse-grained
	1 tsp cilantro, chopped
	1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
	8 chunks fresh pineapple
	4 medium cherry tomato(es), halved
	1 1/2 cup(s) mixed baby greens
	2 Tbsp red onion(s), finely chopped

• Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil; add the shrimp. Reduce the heat and simmer until the shrimp are just opaque in the center, 3–4 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels.
  
• Stir together the lime juice, honey, oil, vinegar, mustard, cilantro, and crushed red pepper in a bowl until blended. Stir in the shrimp, pineapple, and tomatoes; gently toss to coat.
  
• Alternately thread the shrimp, pineapple, and tomatoes on 4 (6-inch) wooden skewers; reserve any vinaigrette remaining in the bowl. Divide the greens between 2 glasses; place 2 kebabs in each glass. Sprinkle with the onion and drizzle with the reserved vinaigrette. 

Click here for printable recipe

Shrimp with Beer

Now, it occurred to me that the title of this recipe could reasonably make you think that we were eating shrimp while swigging down beer.  Which was not the case.  Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I am a merlot type of girl.

No, the beer in this super-easy dish is the liquid that you cook the shrimp in.  That and a little bit of whole allspice, a clove of crushed garlic, and some fresh parsley and dill.  You throw all of these ingredients into a skillet, boil it all for two minutes, and you are done.  Yes, TWO MINUTES.  I barely had time to make the dipping sauce, which is melted butter with some lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and another crushed garlic clove.  That's it, folks.  It just may be a new indoor record in terms of getting a pretty great-tasting dinner on the table in as little time as possible.

A couple of things to mention here.  First and most importantly, this is from the fabulous 60 Minute Gourmet Cookbook by Pierre Franey.  For all you youngsters out there, this is a simply wonderful cookbook collection of a feature that used to be in The New York Times...recipes that were elegant and delicious and fast.  Well, under 60 minutes, anyway.  I have several books in this series, and for some reason I forget them from time to time, and then remember they are in my bookcase and then it is like Christmas, recipe-wise.   Anyway, to Pierre Franey, wherever you are, I lift my glass of merlot in love and appreciation.

Second, this dish is messy, and I mean that in the best way.  One of the reasons it is so fast is that you don't peel the shrimp first (yes!!!) - they cook in the shell.  You dump the whole thing into one big bowl, have another empty bowl on the table for the shells, give everyone their own personal little container of the lemon butter dipping sauce, and go to town.  Peel and eat, baby...no forks involved anywhere.  At my house, this always results in a merry, festive attitude during dinner, and that in itself is worth the butter spatters all over the table.  I put a plate of buttered toast on the table as a "side dish," but this is one of those meals where you are in it first and foremost for the shrimp, and we'll worry about getting our veggies at some other meal.

Now, I couldn't find my actual old battered copy anywhere on Amazon, but the link that's with the recipe is for a book that looks like it is an updated version...and so long as it is from the 60 Minute Gourmet, it's going to be great.  Especially the recipes that are really actually TWO minutes.

Shrimp with Beer, from Cooking with the 60-Minute Gourmet: 300 Rediscovered Recipes from Pierre Franey's Classic New York Times Column 

• 3 pounds shrimp in the shell (get the large kind)
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 6 whole allspice
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 sprigs fresh parsley
• 2 sprigs fresh dill
• One 12 ounce can beer

1. Combine all ingredients above in a heavy skillet and cover.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer and remove from heat.  Meanwhile assemble dipping sauce (recipe below).

2. Serve in the shell, letting people peel their own and giving them individual

Lemon Butter Dipping Sauce

• 1/4 pound butter
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 teaspoon Worscestershire sauce 
• 1 clove crushed garlic

1. Heat the butter until hot and bubbling.

2. Add remaining ingredients and stir.  Serve in individual containers for each person.

Click here for printable recipe

Lemon Shrimp Scampi with Linguine

So, I better start this post off by saying that you must love and adore the following things in order to love and adore this recipe.

Lemons.  There are lemon slices, lemon zest and lemon juice in this dish.  A whole lot of lemon juice, freshly squeezed from four, count 'em, four lemons.

Garlic.  There are nine, count 'em, nine cloves of garlic in this recipe, all minced up and cooked with the lemon juice, along with a good amount of butter, a lot of fresh chopped parsley, and some lovely large shrimp.  The whole process takes about 7 minutes (not kidding), which is just about the amount of time you will need to cook up a nice pot of linguine.  Then all that is left to do is drain the linguine and toss it with the shrimpy, buttery, lemony, garlicky sauce.

If you are like me, welcome to heaven, where everything is made with lemon and garlic.  And bacon.  And chocolate.  And bacon.

(Note to self: possible to make this recipe with bacon next time?  Must ponder...)

Linguine with Lemon Shrimp Scampi, adapted from Barefoot Contessa Family Style

• 1 1/2 pounds linguine
• 3/4 stick butter
• 5 tablespoons olive oil
• 9 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• Grated zest of one lemon
• Juice from 4 lemons (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 lemon, cut in half and thinly sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

1. Cook linguine in salted water until done, drain and put back in the pot.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter and olive oil in large skillet over medium low heat.  Add garlic and saute for one minute.  Add shrimp, one teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, turn up heat to medium and saute until shrimp are pink, about 5 minutes.  Stir often, turning the shrimp over to make sure they are cooked through.

3. Turn heat back down to low and add lemon juice, zest and slices, and red pepper.  Stir for about a minute to combine and heat up the sauce.

4. Pour sauce with shrimp into pot with drained pasta, toss well and serve.

Click here for printable recipe

Coconut Shrimp Salad

So, this happens to me WITHOUT FAIL every January.  Right about now, I get a hankering for something tropical.  Something made with coconut and corn and seafood.  Something that makes no sense to be eating when all of us here in the Northern Hemisphere are pretty much standing around in a big old pile of this:

But I want it anyway, and since it isn't always practical to hop on a plane to the Cayman Islands, this recipe might possibly be the next best thing.  The most challenging part of it is the corn - I was lucky enough to snag some Actual Fresh Corn at my local market (probably flown in from the Cayman Islands.  I try so hard to be a locavore, but sometimes I stumble in big ways), but if you need to, you can definitely sub in some defrosted frozen corn.  Aside from that, you are home free in terms of the ingredients.  The basis of the salad is that corn, some nice cooked shrimp that you have chopped into bite-sized pieces, some fresh parsley or cilantro, and a chopped up avocado.  The dressing is a mixture of olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice and some minced jalapeno.  I tossed in a chopped shallot just because I happened to have one lurking around.

But the crowning glory, the thing that makes this dish sing, is about a half cup of toasted sweetened coconut flakes.  Scatter a generous handful over the whole thing, turn up the thermostat, put on some shorts and some Bob Marley music and you can almost forget that your mailbox looks like this.

(Note to self: get Southern husband to dig path to mailbox so mailman will be able to deliver packages from Stonewall Kitchen.)

Coconut Shrimp Salad, adapted from Cooking Light The Essential Dinner Tonight

• 16 large cooked shrimp, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup fresh or thawed frozen corn
• 1/3 cup chopped shallots
• 1/3 cup chopped parsley (or cilantro, if you like that better)
• 1 peeled diced avocado
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 head frisee lettuce, chopped
• 1/2 cup toasted sweetened coconut

1. Combine corn, shallots, parsley, avocado and pepper in large bowl.  Stir in shrimp.  Combine lemon juice and oil and pour over salad mixture, toss to coat.

2. Divide lettuce among 4 plates, top with shrimp mixture and sprinkle coconut over all.

Click here for printable recipe

Roasted Shrimp with Feta: Guest Blogger Aileen Morgan!

So, I'm kinda good at a couple of things.  I can cook, and I can take a decent picture now and then.  But there's one talent that I don't have that I would LOVE to have, and that is singing.  I can belt out my own personal version of Free To Be Me in the shower, but you wouldn't necessarily want to be there to actually hear it.  My beautiful little sister, on the other hand, can sing like an angel.  

And she writes all her own songs.  And as it turns out, she can cook, too.  If she gets her hands on my Nikon, I may be in trouble.  In the meantime, I'm taking advantage of all this talent by getting her as a guest blogger on Framed Cooks today...so my wonderful readers, meet my wonderful sister!

 Hi! My name is Aileen Morgan and I'm proud to say Kate is my big sis! She is just as incredible as you can imagine from this beautiful home on the web, and a tough act to follow. I am super excited and grateful to be a guest blogger. I hope you enjoy. 

  It’s the holiday season, a time that brings such joy, but it’s also a time that can be difficult for many 
of us. The expectation of having to give (great!) gifts can make us feel stressed and even strapped at   the same time. You may be asking yourself what to give your significant other when they either have everything, want for nothing, and/or you simply don’t have a ton of dough to spend.

Well, we have to eat, right? So what better
  gift is there then that of a delicious homemade meal- and how about a romantic one? To me, holidays symbolize love, sharing, and time spent with those who mean the most to you. Add wine, candles, music, sumptuous food and love- what more could anyone want?!

To go along with this yummy one dish dinner is a song! Inspired by a romantic dinner made standing next to someone I was falling for, it’s of course, a love song. Follow the following  link, click on "Join Aileen's Email List!" and you'll receive an mp3 that is yours to give a gift! 


www.aileenmorgan.com 

(and that amazing picture on the home page is, of course, Kate's!)

 Here is another gift idea for you for that special night- burn the song onto a CD, wrap it in pretty  tissue paper, add a ribbon and a handwritten message and give it to your loved one to play while you pop open that yummy bottle of wine.

Ahhhh, the holidays.


This dish can be made ahead of time, up to the last step before adding the shrimp, which means more time for romance!

Roasted Shrimp with Feta from Ina Garten's HOW EASY IS THAT?

Serves 4

• 4 tbs good olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 cups medium diced fennel
• 1 tbs minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbs Pernod (optional)
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 lb (16-20) peeled and cleaned shrimp, tails on
• 5 oz good Feta cheese, coarsely crumbled
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 3 tbs minced fresh parsley
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest
• 2 lemons

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Heat 2 tbs of the olive oil in a 10 or 12 inch heavy, oven-proof skillet over medium-low heat. Add the fennel and saute for 8-10 minutes, until the fennel is tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the wine and bring it to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the tomatoes with the liquid, tomato paste, oregano, Pernod (if you have it), salt, and pepper to the skillet. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 - 15 minutes.

3. Arrange the shrimp, tails up, in one layer over the tomato mixture in the skillet. Scatter the feta evenly over the shrimp. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, parsley, and lemon zest with the remaining 2 tbs olive oil and sprinkle over the shrimp.

4. Bake for 15 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked and the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the shrimp and serve hot with the remaining lemon cut into wedges.

Click here for printable recipe

Shrimp in a Jar

Okay, so I know this particular dish is half novelty and half supper, but honestly, the whole thing made me just ridiculously happy, and how often can you say that about a Tuesday night supper?

This all started with a trip to Costco, where the Southern husband (who THINKS he has more self-control than I do at Costco but really doesn't) not only bought a huge bag of shrimp but also a Costco sized bag of avocados. Now, the shrimp can be sub-divided into many freezer bags and stored away for future meals. The avocados? Not so much. It was use-it-or-lose-it time, avocado-wise. And since I am a girl who loves a challenge, I spent a week making many avocado-based things while still trying to keep it interesting. We had:

Chilled Avocado Cucumber Soup

BLA's (Bagel with Lox and Avocado)

Lots of guacamole

And...Shrimp in a Jar, which is basically layers of chopped lettuce, fresh tomato salsa, cooked chopped shrimp, mashed avocado with lime juice, all topped with crumbled tortilla chips. But the beauty part is the jar. Why? I have no idea -- but for some reason it was just so much fun! I picked up these little wide-mouth jars at The Container Store, and once you have finished eating your supper out of them they make GREAT little storage devices. They are currently lined up on my counter with four different types of cookies in them.

I'm already thinking up new possibilities for what the Southern husband is already calling "jar food." In the meantime, here's the recipe.

Shrimp in a Jar, adapted from Epicurious

• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped white onion
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro or parsley
• 1 to 2 teaspoons chopped fresh jalapeno
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
• 1 pound peeled cooked shrimp, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 firm-ripe avocados
• 2 cups shredded lettuce (I used iceberg)
• 1/2 cup coarsely crumbled tortilla chips

1. Stir together tomatoes, onion, parsley, chile, ketchup, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

2. Stir in shrimp and season with salt and pepper.

3. Mash avocados with remaining 1 to 2 tablespoons lime juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

4. Divide lettuce among jars and layer shrimp mixture, avocado, and crumbled chips on top.

Click here for printable recipe

Shrimp and Watermelon Salad

I have to say, I paused a bit on the idea of this salad. Shrimp and...watermelon? In the same bowl? Possibly ending up on my fork in the same bite? Really?

Really.

It's one of those things that sounds like it might not work, but trust me, it does. It's kind of the whole sweet and salty thing that I love so much, only seafood style. The shrimp and the feta cheese are the savory salty end of this recipe, and the watermelon and fresh tomato are the sweet side. Even the dressing has the sweet and salty thing going on -- the sharp taste of vinegar and Dijon mustard and garlic are mixed with the sweetness of honey and orange juice, and the whole thing is a Taste Sensation! Sweet and salty and tropical and summery and cool and wonderful. Summer on a plate.

Plus it is as easy as easy as easy can be.

Thanks for walking on the wild side with me, shrimp and watermelon-wise.

Shrimp and Watermelon Salad, adapted from Epicurious

Dressing:

• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 6 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Salad:

• Juice and rind from 1 lemon
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 4 cups chopped watermelon
  
• 1 pound heirloom tomatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks
  
• 1/2cup crumbled feta
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, torn

1. Combine all dressing ingredients in food processor and process to blend.

2. Fill a 4-quart saucepan with water and bring to a boil; add lemon juice, lemon rind, garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns and salt. Add shrimp, cover, remove from heat and let stand until shrimp is cooked, about 15 minutes. Drain and cool 10 minutes, then refrigerate 30 minutes, or run under cold water to cool if you are in a hurry.

3. Toss shrimp, melon, tomatoes and cheese together in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing to taste and toss again. Scatter basil on top and serve.

Click here for printable recipe

Shrimp and Andouille Sausage with Grits

Okay, so I've been very good and patient -- I haven't posted yet another recipe for shrimp and grits in ages and ages. Well, not since May, when I put up the post on shrimp and grits with artichoke hearts. But I can't help it. I'm married to a Southern man, and with those vows come love, cherish and enthusiastically eat shrimp and grits for as long as we both shall live. And I do love all of 'em -- the shrimp, the grits and the Southern husband, so I'm always on the look-out for new variations, and this is a great one.

The grits you cook up the way you always do. I like this variety, which you can order online, but if the only thing available is the Quaker quick-cooking grits -- well, that's better than no grits at all. (And for those of you grits-doubters out there, feel free to subsitute the word "polenta" for "grits" throughout this post. It's all ground corn, and it's all good.)

This recipe is all about the topping, which is a glorious mixture of shrimp, spicy sliced andouille sausage, and a garlicky cream sauce. It all gets cooked up together and spooned over the grits and oh, my my. Broil up some of the cherry tomatoes that are springing up all around us to toss on the side, and you have a quick and luxurious supper that would make my Southern husband proud.

Shrimp and Andouille Sausage with Grits, from Everyday Food

• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 cup grits
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 pound andouille sausage, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
• 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• Olive oil and salt and pepper
  

1. Cook grits according to package directions.
2. Place tomatoes, cut side up, on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Broil until lightly charred, 8 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through.
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add andouille and cook until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer andouille to a plate and reduce heat to medium.
   
4. Add garlic and scallion whites to skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour. Whisk in broth and cream. Cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits from skillet, until thickened, about 3 minutes.
   
5. Add shrimp and andouille and cook, stirring constantly, until shrimp are opaque throughout, about 5 minutes.
   
6. To serve, top grits with shrimp mixture and sprinkle with scallion greens. Serve with tomatoes.

Click here for printable recipe

Shrimp Rolls

Okay, so if a shrimp cocktail and a lobster roll fell in love and got married and had a baby, it would look a little like this:

Wait, wrong adorable baby picture! Although he is pretty delicious-looking too...

Anyway, it would look like that first picture up at the top, which is basically the world's fastest and most satisfying supper on a warm Friday night. First of all, you need to get New England style hot dog rolls, which are those kind that are split down the top instead of split down the side. I have no idea why this makes them New England style -- somebody out there please tell me? - but they work the best for these shrimp rolls. If you can't find them, go ahead and use the side-split kind, they will still taste just as good.

Next you boil up some nice peeled shrimp. Here is my usual pitch for buying your shrimp in bulk at Costco -- they have the best shrimp anywhere, their prices are amazing, and once you have your Southern husband separate them into freezer bags full of normal-sized portions, you will have a freezer full of wonderful shrimp just ready for whatever shrimp recipe you want to make next, and you will sleep easier at night.

Anyway, boil the shrimp up until they are just cooked through -- I usually throw them into a pot with enough water to cover, toss in a couple of spoonfuls of Old Bay seasoning, bring the whole thing to a boil and then turn it off as soon as it boils and let the shrimp sit in the hot water for about 5 minutes. Drain them and put them in a bowl of ice water to cool down.

Then mix up a batch of cocktail sauce - ketchup plus horseradish plus chopped celery. At this point you can decide if you want your shrimp whole, or if you would like to cut them up -- either is fine. Now the assembly: open up your hot dog roll. Line with one leaf of Bibb lettuce. Fill with shrimp. Spoon cocktail sauce over. Serve with salt and pepper potato chips. Be this happy.

Here's the recipe.

Shrimp Rolls, adapted from Everyday Food

• 1/3 to 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled, cooked and chilled.
• Bibb lettuce leaves
• Hot dog rolls, lightly toasted and buttered
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/8 cup horseradish (or more to taste)
• 1 stalk chopped celery

1. Mix together ketchup, horseradish and celery
2. Line rolls with one lettuce leaf each
3. Place shrimp on lettuce
4. Spoon cocktail sauce over top.

Click here for printable recipe

Shrimp and Grits with Artichoke Hearts

Shrimp and grits, I love you way more than a Northern girl should. Maybe it is the Southern husband's influence, but I have never met a shrimp and grits recipe I didn't like, and this one is no exception. The shrimp and artichokes are cooked in a delectable lemon garlic butter sauce, and then you spoon the whole thing over some grits that have been kicked up with a little butter and parmesan cheese.

The fact that I made this recipe did not, however, stop me from making another shrimp and grits recipe with andouille sausage and roasted tomatoes several days later. I can't help myself. Stay tuned to this channel for that one, but in the meantime....

Shrimp and Grits with Artichoke Hearts

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 package artichoke hearts, thawed
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 8 ounces large shrimp, peeled
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 stick butter
• 2 cups cooked grits
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oil in a large non stick skillet over medium high heat. Add artichokes and saute 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, shrimp and garlic and saute 6 minutes. Add lemon juice, 1/8 stick butter, salt and pepper. Remove from heat, cover and keep warm.

2. Cook grits according to package directions and reduce heat to low. Cook 7 minutes or until thick Stir in cheese and remaining butter and stir until melted.

3. Ladle grits onto plates and top with shrimp and artichokes. Grind fresh pepper over all.

Click here for printable recipe

Asian Shrimp, Pineapple and Peanut Salad

Here's the back story on this one. (You know I love the backstory).

Here are the main loves of my life.



Aren't they the sweetest?

And this, God help me, is the other love of my life.

And I was pretty much living happily ever after with all three of them, thinking life couldn't be much better.

Until this came along.

Yes, I know it is not right to fall in love with inanimate objects. But it plays all my favorite songs. It plays all my favorite movies. It lets me read all my favorite books...with a backlight!!! It shows off all my nine million pictures of chocolate chip cookies. And you can jazz it up with apps that tell you everything from where you parked your car at the mall to what to make for dinner when you have shrimp, pineapple and peanuts on hand and you just KNOW there's a good recipe in there somewhere.

For those of you who have one of these babies, there is an app called EPICURIOUS that is in the App Store for the low, low price of $Free. And for those of you who don't have one, as far as I can tell all the recipes are also available on www.epicurious.com. Anyway, one of the first delectable recipes that caught my eye was this one for a salad of shrimp, pineapple, avocado and peanuts, with a jalepeno lime mint dressing. Yes please, and thank you. It was quick and easy and delicious in a fun, tropical, summer-is-almost-here kind of way.

Asian Shrimp, Pineapple, and Peanut Salad, from Epicurious

Dressing:
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots (about 2 large)
1 small jalapeño chile, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons (packed) fresh mint leaves

Salad:
16 peeled deveined cooked large shrimp with tails intact
6 ounces fresh pineapple, peeled, cut into 2x1/4-inch spears (about 1 1/4 cups)
1 large avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons salted peanuts
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges (for garnish)

For dressing:
Whisk lime juice, fish sauce, oil, and sugar in small bowl until sugar dissolves. Stir in shallots, chile, and mint.

For salad:
Toss shrimp with salt and pepper in bowl. Add pineapple, avocado, and dressing; toss to coat. Divide among plates, top with nuts, and garnish with lime wedges.

Click here for printable recipe

Pasta with Shrimp and Feta Cheese Sauce

This recipe is so quick and so easy and SO delicious, and it's all about one of my favorite appliances. The food processor. Yep, as long as you can boil water and push the on button, you are all set with this one, and that's my kind of dinner on a weeknight.

First the water-boiling part. Fill up a good sized pot with water and put it on to boil. While you are waiting for it to boil, cut up some tomatoes and toss them in a bowl. Any kind of tomato will do. I had some nice cherry tomatoes when I made this.

Ok, now comes the fun part. Toss the following into your food processor: scallions, fresh thyme, feta cheese, cottage cheese. Press the button until it is all nice and creamy, and then taste it to see if it needs any salt and pepper. Then scoop it into the bowl with the tomatoes.

Your water should be boiling by now. Drop your shrimp in and cook them for about 2 minutes, just until they are nice and pink. Without turning the water off, scoop them out with a slotted spoon, drop them into the bowl with the sauce and give it all a stir.

Drop some of this into the still-boiling water....



And when it is done, drain it, toss it with the sauce, and dinner is served. Grind a little fresh pepper on top, and nobody will ever know that this involved exactly one mixing bowl and a pot of boiling water. And your trusty food processor, of course!

Pasta with Shrimp and Feta Cheese Sauce

• 4 scallions
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
• 6 ounces feta cheese
• 9 ounces cottage cheese
• 12 ounces raw shrimp, shelled
• 12 ounces tomatoes, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 9 ounces spaghetti

1. Boil water for pasta.
2. Chop scallions and thyme together in food processor.
3. Add feta and cottage cheese to processor and blend until creamy.
4. When pasta water boils, add shrimp, cook for 2 minutes or until done, and remove from water with slotted spoon, keeping water at a boil. Add shrimp to cheese sauce.
5. Cook pasta until al dente. Drain and add pasta to sauce, toss thoroughly and serve.

Click here for printable recipe

Shrimp in Gorgonzola Sauce

Shrimp, shrimp, shrimp....what else can I tell you about shrimp that I haven't said a hundred times before?

Here's my shrimp video, in case you missed it last time...

I kind of can't believe I made this whole shrimp slideshow extravaganza without including this recipe, which I love with a passion and which I have been making ever since the Southern husband and I were first engaged, lo those many years ago. It is still as scrumptious as it was back then, and is one of those easy, reliable, elegant recipes that you will go to again and again...at least, I do. So for all you shrimp-lovers out there, here's one of my all-time favorites.

SHRIMP IN GORGONZOLA SAUCE

• 10 ounces large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
• Chopped fresh parsley
• Fresh ground pepper

1. Melt butter with garlic in large pan over medium high heat, and saute shrimp until opaque. Add cheese and lemon juice and stir until cheese is just melted.

2. Serve over rice, garnished with parsley and fresh ground pepper

Click here for printable recipe

Coconut Shrimp Soup

If I had to make a list of my all-time favorite things to eat, soup, shrimp and coconut would be right there at the top of the list. Okay, so they would be after bacon, but still right there near the top. Okay, maybe behind chocolate too -- but still at the very head of the class.

So this speedy little soup is a great favorite of mine. It combines shrimp and coconut milk with angel hair pasta and carrots and it all comes together in a delicious, rich-tasting mixture that is part soup, part stew, and totally wonderful. I like to sprinkle some flaked coconut on top each serving - it gives it a little of that sweet and salty kick that I am so hopelessly addicted to. It's like a little taste of the tropics, right here in the middle of snowy, cold, snowy, windy, snowy February. (Did I mention that we had some snow?)



Go warm up with some nice hot coconut shrimp soup.

COCONUT SHRIMP SOUP, adapted from Everyday Foods

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 grated fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 1 pound (6 to 8 medium) carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced
• 1 can (13.5 ounces) coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 4 ounces angel-hair pasta
• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• Coarse salt
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• Flaked coconut for garnish
  

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add carrots, coconut milk, and 3 cups water. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water until smooth; add to pot. Bring to a boil.
2. Break pasta in half; add to pot. Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until pasta is al dente and carrots are just tender, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Add shrimp; stir until opaque, about 1 minute. Remove pot from heat, and stir in lime juice; season with salt. Ladle into serving bowls, and garnish with scallions and flaked coconut.

Click here for printable recipe

Warm Quinoa Salad with Shrimp and Asparagus

So, I was probably the last one to find out it is pronounced "keen-wah," and that it contains more protein than any other grain. You guys all knew that already, right? I just knew that it tastes dang good, and whenever I have had one too many Maple Butterscotch Macadamia Blondies and am needing an injection of healthy food, this is a great and yummy way to get some. It is chock-full of veggies -- asparagus, peas, sundried tomatoes -- flavored up with some scallions and a few salty cashews, and topped off with my favorite...delicious chopped up shrimp.

Even more happily, it all cooks up in one pot -- the quinoa first, then the veggies, topped with the shrimp. If I am feeling really crazy, I crumble some soft feta cheese onto the top right before I serve it.

This recipe comes from the Whole Foods website, which is (as you might guess) a great source for healthy and delicious food. I wouldn't go there looking for Cookie Truffle recipes, but if you are looking for stuff to make with quinoa, you're looking in the right place.

So there you go. Be healthy, people. Every now and then, anyway.

WARM QUINOA SALAD WITH SHRIMP AND ASPARAGUS, from Whole Foods

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, not reconstituted, julienned
1/2 cup vegetable broth or water
1/2 cup white wine
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
1/2 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup fresh or frozen green peas
1/2 cup roasted cashew pieces
6 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

1. In a medium pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add sun-dried tomatoes and continue to cook for 1 more minute. Add broth, wine, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Stir in quinoa and simmer on low heat, covered, for about 20 minutes, or until quinoa is almost tender.

2. Arrange shrimp on top of quinoa in pot and simmer for 3 minutes. Add asparagus and peas on top of the shrimp and simmer for 3 more minutes. Top with cashews, green onions and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Click here for printable recipe

Andouille Sausage and Shrimp Scramble

This recipe is one of my long line of "I adore New Orleans" recipes, and yes, I will be cheering loudly for the Saints on Sunday. If you have never been to New Orleans...well, it is one of the best and most unique places on earth, and home to some of the best food you will ever taste. From the beignets at the Cafe du Monde (best eaten really, really late at night with your true love) to the barbeque shrimp at Pascale's Manale, to the pile of perfectly cooked spicy peel and eat crayfish at that place on Decatur Street that I can't remember the name of, to my friend Emeril's spectacular restaurants....New Orleans is Food Heaven.

There are certain ingredients that immediately conjure up New Orleans for me, and andouille sausage is one of them. Spicy, delicious...you can toss it into everything from gumbo to scrambled eggs and whatever it is will be kicked up several notches of deliciousness. My friend R says that andouille sausage is made by little Cajun angels, and I think he is right.

This recipe was supposed to be made with crayfish, but sadly, crayfish are hard to come by in northern New Jersey. If you ever want to bring me a present, crayfish would be just fine. But since no crayfish were available I substituted chopped shrimp, and that was almost as good. This dish is pretty much as easy as it gets to make -- you saute the sausage and seafood and scallions in a little bit of butter, add in the beaten eggs, gently stir the whole thing around until the eggs are set and voila! Spicy, creamy, wonderful.

Which is all I have to say for now, except....

Geaux Saints!

ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE AND SHRIMP SCRAMBLE, adapted from Bubby's Brunch Cookbook

3 large eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 ounces andouille sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 tablespoon butter
2 ounces chopped shrimp (or crayfish, if you've got any!)
2 tablespoons sliced scallions
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Beat eggs until frothy

2. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat and saute sausage for 1-2 minutes. Add butter, shrimp and scallion and stir until shrimp are just cooked through, about 2-3 minutes.

3. Add eggs and cook, stirring continuously until they are set. Salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Click here for printable recipe