Sometimes you just have to treat yourself, and in my house, shrimp is fare nearly once a week.

This recipe is healthy and tasty. It also costs a lot less than if you ordered something similar at a restaurant.

NOTE: Since I don’t always have fresh seafood right around the corner, I buy frozen quick peel shrimp. Quick peel is easier because the shell remains, but the core “gutting” has already been done. To defrost, just set the shrimp in the fridge for several hours, or for a quick defrost, set it in cold water for 10-20 minutes.

INGREDIENTS: (serves TWO)
12-16 Jumbo Shrimp (or, 16-20 large)
1-1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons seasoning (see below)
4 cups fresh cauliflower (washed and split into small pieces)
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1-1/2 to 3 tablespoons milk (cream or creamer can be used for a thicker texture)
2 teaspoons chives

DIRECTIONS:

1. Start steaming cauliflower (I use a colander over a kettle of simmering water) until fork tender. Let set with lid on for a few minutes.
2. Heat skillet on medium with olive oil.
3. Add uncooked, peeled shrimp to skillet and season.
4. While shrimp grills on one side, heat milk until warm (10-15 seconds in microwave).
5. Transfer cauliflower to food processor and add butter, kosher salt and pepper. Run a few bursts until mixture is smooth.
6. CHECK SHRIMP - it’s probably ready to be turned.
7. Add milk, a splash or two at time while mixing cauliflower, until desired texture is reached.
8. Plate the mashed cauliflower and sprinkle with chives.
9. When both sides of shrimp are deep in color and bare some golden brownness, remove from heat and serve immediately.

About the Shrimp Seasoning: Because tastes vary, I recommend you use what you prefer. Most often I use onion powder, black pepper, paprika, kosher salt, garlic powder and orange peel. But I’ve found that some of the spice mixtures you’ll find in grocery stores can work well. Though the bulk of them are accompanied by an overwhelming salty taste, if you’ve got something in your pantry for another type of meat, it may work. For instance, I’ve used McCormick’s Grill Mates Montreal Chicken seasoning, as well as Season-All (very salty).

Posted Tuesday, January 30th, 2007 at 10:36 pm EST
Read more in Recipes

RSS 2.0 feed | leave a response | trackback from your own site