Shrimp Recipe Me

February 21, 2008 12:27 PM

Give me your easy, your delicious, your nummy shrimp recipes, yearning to be free!

I don't eat red meat and I'm trying to cut back on chicken, so I'm eating seafood. I need different shrimp recipes because I hate shrimp scampi and just frying it up in a stir fry is boring and repetitive.

Please give me your favorite recipes with shrimp to fry, bake or George Foreman grill. I have the cooking skills of a stegosaurus so please dumb it down for me.

MegaUltra Bonus points if you somehow know how to make Creamy Spicy Rock Shrimp Tempura in Chili Garlic Sauce from this restaurant in Miami (lord have mercy that's delicious).

posted by cashman to food & drink (27 comments total)

Here's an Alton Brown recipe for a Ramen Shrimp Pouch. It's dead easy, and there's an entire episode about these "pouch" recipes you can play around with.
posted by shinynewnick at 12:49 PM on February 21, 2008 [1 favorite]

This might count as "just frying it up," but Benihana-style shrimp is insanely easy, requires no shmancy ingredients (you can even omit the parsley), and has always turned out fantastic for me. You can experiment with different dipping sauces if desired (this one is a pretty tasty knockoff of the sauce they have at Benihana).

Frogmore Stew is also delicious and simple; you can always leave the sausage out.
posted by Metroid Baby at 12:50 PM on February 21, 2008

This is really simple and really yummy.

De-vein the shrimp if you need to. Set aside in a bowl and squeeze a bunch of fresh lime juice on the suckers. Let them marinate anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes. You can cover them in a dish and plastic wrap and stick them in the fridge while they soak up the lime juice.

Meanwhile cut up some garlic.
Heat up a skillet.
Add some butter.

Put in garlic and let that brown a few minutes and then add shrimp.
Add some white wine and let it simmer. As the liquid cooks off, liberally apply more lime juice and then paprika... Let the liquid cook off. You'll know they are done when they are pink and firm.

Also, you can sautée them in some simple butter and a little bit of wine and then use any really good store Pesto sauce. The key ingredient there is REALLY good pesto sauce. Not the cheap stuff. Make any plate of pasta or gnocchi (!!!) and add the pesto and cooked shrimp on top. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and some parmesean cheese... Instant success.
posted by heatherbeth at 12:51 PM on February 21, 2008

I make a super simple shrimp and pasta that everyone in my family goes nuts for. It's really basic, and the leftovers are nom nom nom too.

a couple of pats of butter
a few spoonfuls of olive oil
1 lb uncooked shrimp, shelled and deveined, chopped a bit if the shrimp are especially large
1 bottle clam juice
the juice from half a lemon
2 cloves garlic, chopped
quarter cup chopped fresh parsley
fresh cracked black pepper
some freshly grated romano cheese, at least one handful...be generous!
1 lb of the pasta of your choice - I usually use angel hair. Cook and set aside right before you heat your skillet.

Get a BIG skillet. Heat up a pat or two of butter and a few spoonfuls of olive oil, then add the shrimp and saute. The shrimp will only take a minute or two to loose translucency, and when it does, add everything except the cheese and the cooked pasta. When everything is heated through and the shrimp looks done, add the cheese and pasta and toss to blend and meld the flavors. You can serve it right in the skillet or transfer it to a bowl. It's so so so good. It feeds 3/4 but you can add or subtract easily to accommodate.
posted by iconomy at 12:54 PM on February 21, 2008 [2 favorites]

Salt and Pepper Shrimp. Tastes amazing, and easy to make with ingrediants you probably already have around the house. The ginger really completes the dish.
posted by ShootTheMoon at 12:55 PM on February 21, 2008 [2 favorites]

I forgot to mention that my previous boyfriend said I love you for the first time after eating the pesto-shrimp combo. So I think that means he liked it.
posted by heatherbeth at 12:56 PM on February 21, 2008

Just remember with shrimp: cook them very quickly and relatively hot. There are few things more disappointing than formerly-lovely shrimp that have been overcooked.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 1:02 PM on February 21, 2008

This is the number one lazy dinner chez gaspode:

Get a bunch of deveined shrimp and sprinkle them with chili powder, salt, garlic powder, whatever floats your boat. Saute them a few minutes each side in a skillet.

Make a salsa with chopped avocado, chopped mango, a little tomato, and chopped red onion. squeeze over some lime juice and if you like it, add some chopped cilantro. Mix that all up.

Make delicious wraps, with 4 or 5 shrimp, and a few tablespoons of the salsa per wrap. YUM!
posted by gaspode at 1:04 PM on February 21, 2008 [2 favorites]

I love a shrimp curry with potatoes and carrots and peas. Oh yeah.

My wife panfries them after dredging in egg/milk > sweet coconut, then makes a dipping sauce by mixing sauteed diced hot chiles (jalapeno usually) with melted marmalade. I love that too.
posted by luriete at 1:06 PM on February 21, 2008

- cook some orzo (or any pasta) and set aside
- simmer diced tomatoes + garlic + lemon
- throw in and saute shrimp
- add to taste dill + feta
- put on top of orzo

Quantities are all to your liking so test and serve when you like it. Soooooo goooood. (I think it's from the Moosewood Cookbook, so check it out if you want actual amounts and times, etc.)
posted by cocoagirl at 1:09 PM on February 21, 2008

Do the olive oil + garlic thing. Lots of garlic. Add one whole white (not yellow) onion chopped up (into 2cm pieces, not teeny). Low-medium heat. Mix around, let sit for a minute. Add the shrimp (head off, deveined, exoskeleton on). Mix around. Let it sit for two minutes. Add one big teaspoon of MILD curry paste, mix around. Let sit for another two minutes. Add one can of coconut milk and turn up the heat a bit. Put a lid on it. Let sit for two minutes. Pour over rice. We eat this at least twice a month. Delicious!
posted by Mrs Hilksom at 1:10 PM on February 21, 2008

Marinate in Sambuca, wrap in prosciutto. Grill, preferably over charcoal or wood, though gas will work fine too.
posted by bondcliff at 1:13 PM on February 21, 2008 [1 favorite]

My wife panfries them after dredging in egg/milk > sweet coconut

I looked on google but I'm still not sure, so I'm asking - what is dredging? Like marinating?
posted by cashman at 1:13 PM on February 21, 2008

Marinate in Sambuca, wrap in prosciutto. Grill, preferably over charcoal or wood, though gas will work fine too.

I have no idea what Sambuca and Prosciutto are, but I can easily find out. But I could use some help with how long to marinate, just how to wrap them, and how long to cook them. I don't have a real grill, only a foreman grill (I know, blasphemy!).

You sound like one of those awesome cooks who can take two teaspoons of castor oil and a piece of macaroni and make some dish that knocks your socks off.

I happen to be your antithesis, a person who has literally had issues putting together a tuna sandwich properly.

Please give me details on how to make what sounds like an interesting recipe. Thanks!
posted by cashman at 1:19 PM on February 21, 2008

Get a big pot, fill it with water, throw in a pouch of Zatarain's crab boil (add few slices of lemon if you like). Wait for the water to boil and dump in the shrimp. They'll cook super fast. Take them out as soon as they turn pink and strain them in a colander. Put them in the fridge for an hour or so, take them out, peel them, and enjoy! As a side dish I would highly recommend potato salad.

You can eat them with tartar sauce or cocktail sauce, but my mom would make a great dip out of chili sauce, horseradish and mayonnaise. A proper remoulade would be divine.
posted by Evangeline at 1:31 PM on February 21, 2008

Apologies for being so brief and not fully reading your post. I read "shrimp recipes" and posted.

I'm a decent cook, but I almost never measure or time anything.

Sambuca is a liquir. I think it's Greek. I don't really know how to describe it. Liquorishy, maybe?

Prosciutto is pork cured on the naked thighs of angels, or something like that. It's like ham that promotes orgasms. It's that fucking good. Go down to your local deli and order up six thin slices of prosciutto di parma (imported Italian prosciutto from the Parma region, the same place they make the cheese) and place a bit of it on your tongue, the way you might with a communion wafer or a tab of acid. You'll see. Buy the less expensive domestic kind if you're going to grill it. The imported stuff is better if you're making an antipasto. I see, now that I've read the post like I should have, you don't eat red meat. This is pork though, which the TV tells me is actually white, even though this particular deli meat is red in color. Everyone should make an exception for prosciutto.

Marinate for maybe a few minutes to a half hour. Shrimp will soak that stuff up pretty quickly. Take about an inch-wide strip of prosciutto and wrap it around the shrimp. Cook them for a couple of minutes. Larger shrimp will take longer. As I said, I don't tend to time things myself. Cook them until that translucent fish texture is gone. I usually grab one off the grill and tear it in half. If it's done, I eat that one. If it's not done, I put it back on the grill for another minute or two and then eat it. Take the rest off the grill when that first one is done.

This will work on a Foreman, I'm sure. Or just do it under the broiler for five minutes or so.
posted by bondcliff at 1:34 PM on February 21, 2008 [1 favorite]

Prosciutto is pork cured on the naked thighs of angels, or something like that. It's like ham that promotes orgasms. It's that fucking good.

Awww, I don't eat pork and beef. Thanks for the recipe though. Maybe someone else can come with it.
posted by cashman at 1:37 PM on February 21, 2008

Yeah, sorry 'bout that. The marinated shrimp would still be good without the prosciutto.
posted by bondcliff at 1:41 PM on February 21, 2008

Here's a bunch of shrimp recipes from the Everyday Food archives. (Don't be intimidated by the fact that it's a Martha Stewart site -- the Everyday Food recipes are designed to be pretty easy, with a minimum of ingredients and preparation.)
posted by scody at 1:47 PM on February 21, 2008

Dredge peeled, de-veined, tail-off or on shrimp in seasoned flour (season the flour however you like - salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, maybe some cayenne for a kick), and then fry at a high heat quickly. The dredging coats them and adds a nice texture to the outside.

Serve with whatever suits yer fancy.
posted by thedanimal at 1:58 PM on February 21, 2008

I recently made this best ever shrimp sauce recipe along with chilled cooked shrimp for my boyfriend and his parents. Everyone raved! I reduced the amount of mayonnaise to about half and upped the amount of cayenne since I like things spicy.
posted by peacheater at 1:58 PM on February 21, 2008

Shrimp have a very delicate flavor. Even a little extra stuff overwhelms them. For me, the best way to cook them is as simply as possible.

Heat about 1/4 cup of white wine in a pan. Add literally a few grains of Old Bay seasoning - maybe 1/16 teaspoon - and stir. When the wine boils, dump in whole, unpeeled medium-size shrimp in a single layer.

Cook the shrimp until they become opaque - about a minute - shaking the pan a couple of times.

Turn the shrimp over and cook on the other side until done - less than as minute.

Slide the shrimp out on a plate, pour back any liquid and reduce the liquid to almost a syrup - a tablespoon or two - and pour over the shrimp.

Peel and eat immediately.

If you use tiny live shrimp (the ones 1" to 1-1/2" long including the head), you can eat them whole, as in Chinese seafood restaurants.

NO butter. NO red sauce. At most a few drops of lemon juice. Or for Chinese style, a dipping sauce of soy sauce, a little grated ginger and a finely chopped scallion.

If you peel the shrimp before eating them, save the shells and tails and make a shrimp broth, which you can freeze and use in place of some of the wine the next time.
posted by KRS at 2:08 PM on February 21, 2008

I looked on google but I'm still not sure, so I'm asking - what is dredging? Like marinating?

Dredging is placing/dragging the shrimp through the coconut in this case. If you've ever seen someone make fried...anything, really, they'll plop the meat/fish in flour for a second, then flip it and put the other side in the flour. That's dredging.

The food needs to be wet before you do this, so an egg wash (beaten eggs with a little water) moistens the meat and helps the breading adhere better.
posted by Atom12 at 2:16 PM on February 21, 2008

Prosciutto is pork cured on the naked thighs of angels, or something like that. It's like ham that promotes orgasms. It's that fucking good.

Quoted for truth.

Easy shrimp: peeled, deveined. Melt half a stick of butter (low salt if you worry about that kind of thing), pour in about a tablespoon of lemon juice. toss the shrimp in, throw them in the oven on broil for just a few minutes (shrimp cooks really quickly). Lemon shrimp is good over rice, and prety low-fat even with the butter.
posted by misha at 3:23 PM on February 21, 2008

The other day I marinated some shrimp in 3T tequila, juice of one lime and a heavy pinch of salt. Let sit for 30-45 minutes, then sauté until cooked through. They're great in fajitas, shrimp tacos, etc.
posted by slogger at 3:25 PM on February 21, 2008

Is this similar to the rock shrimp at Harrison's?
posted by Houstonian at 3:27 PM on February 21, 2008

I know this doesn't fit the cooking methods you asked for. But really healthy and really yummy if you like spicy. Nigella's Tom Yam Soup with Shrimp.
posted by marsha56 at 6:17 PM on February 21, 2008