Two-for-One Shrimp Deal!

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE shrimp!  Boiled shrimp, deep-fried shrimp, stuffed shrimp, shrimp cocktail, shrimp étouffée, shrimp Creole, shrimp and corn soup. 

O.K.  I’ll stop now.

Lately, I’ve been taking advantage of some good two-for-one deals of packages of frozen large easy-peel shrimp--wild caught whenever possible.  Who knew that those little flyers at the front of grocery stores have good information?!

So I’m going to give YOU a two-for-one deal of two great shrimp recipes.

But WAIT! There’s more!  I’m also going to give you two super side dish recipes absolutely free!

And I’m not done!  Here are two unsolicited shrimp tips!

Leftovers:  When I reheated leftovers, I took out the shrimp and reheated the rest of the ingredients in the microwave until hot.  Then I added the shrimp for about 1 minute (or less) so that they didn’t overcook.

Tails and shells:  Since I’ve been cooking a lot of shrimp dishes lately, I started saving the tails and shells in plastic bags in the freezer with the hope of using them for a shrimp stock.  I haven’t figured out that process yet, but I’ll let you know how it goes.

Skillet Shrimp Destin with Orzo

This is not an original recipe, but I did add the grape tomatoes.  This dish is a refreshing combination of orzo cooked in a light broth and lemony shrimp.

I’ve been working on preparing my mise en place—chef speak for getting your stuff ready ahead of time.  And that made this recipe go together in a snap.

Yield:  4 servings

Source:  Southern Living, May 2020

Ingredients: 

• 1 bunch scallions
• 1 pint grape tomatoes (optional)
• 12 ounces medium or large peeled, deveined raw shrimp
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
• 1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
• 2 cups uncooked orzo (1 lb.)
• 2/3 cup dry white wine
• 3½ cups vegetable stock or chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Process:

Slice dark green scallion tops to equal ¼ cup; slice light green and white bottoms to equal ½ cup. Set aside, keeping scallion parts separate. (Reserve the remaining scallions for another use.) Toss together shrimp, lemon zest, and ½ teaspoon of the kosher salt in a large bowl.

Heat oil in a large, deep skillet over medium. Add scallion bottoms and tomatoes, if using. Cook, stirring often, until onions are translucent and tomatoes are beginning to burst, 3-5 minutes. (I pressed the tomatoes a bit during the cooking process so that they released some of their juice.)

Add garlic and sauté until garlic is fragrant but not brown. Add orzo; cook, stirring often, until lightly toasted, 2 minutes. Stir in wine. Cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add stock and remaining 1 teaspoon salt (I used less); bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.

Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook, undisturbed, until orzo is tender, about 12 minutes, adding shrimp during final 3 minutes of cook time. Remove pan from heat. Sprinkle evenly with scallion tops, parsley, and dill.

Green Beans and Mushrooms with Garlic Sauce

The vegetable dish is one I’ve made for years.  The soy sauce and ginger do lend a slight Asian “vibe,” but it was a good complement to the main dish.

Source:  old clipping 

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed, cut into 2-inch lengths
• 6 oz. fresh mushrooms, quartered
• ¼ c. soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons peeled, minced  fresh ginger

Process:

Heat oil in wok or heave large skillet over high heat.  Add green beans and mushrooms; sauté until beans are just crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.  Add soy sauce, garlic, honey and ginger.  Boil until sauce thickens slightly and coats vegetables about 2 minutes. 

Shrimp Lo Mein

The is an original recipe in that it is a “hybrid” of about six different recipes that I consulted.  And it’s definitely a keeper!  The flavors and proportions were almost perfect, if I do say so myself.

My husband said it would be great even without the shrimp, but I don’t know if I’d go that far.  However, I did make this recipe again using about a pound of thin-cut pork chops trimmed and cut in ¼-inch strips.

As is the case with most stir fry recipes, this one would be great with many vegetable additions or substitutions, such as sugar snap peas, green beans, sprouts, sliced water chestnuts, etc.  If you wanted to significantly increase the amount of vegetables, and/or the noodles, I might double the sauce.

I have a tendency to always make too much pasta, mostly because I like the leftovers with a little butter, salt and pepper.  But here the 4 oz. was exactly the right amount for the recipe.

Source:  original recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 oz. lo mein noodles (or thin spaghetti), dry or fresh

Stir Fry Ingredients:

• 2 cups very small broccoli florets
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into ½-inch strips
• 6 button mushroom caps, thinly sliced
• 6-8 green onions, thinly slice and separate white/light green ends from dark green tops
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
• 1 tablespoon peeled, minced ginger root
• 1 lb. peeled, deveined shrimp (I used 18 large)
• Peanut oil for frying

Sauce:

• ¾-1 cup chicken broth
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1-2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce (optional)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)

Process:

In a large pot of boiling water, cook the noodles according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.

In a wok or high-sided saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil to sizzling.  (I add a pinch of salt to the oil when stir frying to raise the smoke point, and I cook at the highest heat possible.)  Add broccoli and red pepper to wok and stir fry (stirring constantly with 2 wooden spoons or spatulas) until almost crisp-tender.  Add mushrooms and white/light green scallion pieces.  Continue to stir fry until mushrooms and scallions are crisp-tender.  Add garlic and ginger.  Stir fry until fragrant, but not brown, about 1 minute.  Remove vegetables from pan to a large serving bowl.

Add 1 tablespoon peanut oil to wok and stir fry shrimp until almost opaque.  Add reserved vegetables, noodles and stir fry to mix ingredients.  Add sauce to wok, stirring to incorporate. 

To thicken sauce (optional):  In a small bowl using a fork or small whisk, mix the cornstarch with 1-2 tablespoons cold water.  Turn heat down to low and stir cornstarch “slurry” into wok in increments until desired consistency is achieved.

Taste sauce and add additional soy sauce and/or Sriracha to taste.  Garnish with green onion tops before serving.  Pass additional soy sauce and/or Sriracha.

Asian Broccoli Slaw with Jan’s Dressing and Topping

As a side dish, I began with a bag of grocery store broccoli slaw—you could do that from scratch, but why?  I dressed the slaw with a sweet and sour salad dressing and ramen-nut topping from the recipes of a good friend mine. 

The recipes for the dressing and topping make much more than needed for this recipe, but they are SO good on any type of salad and keep for a good while in the refrigerator.

Source:  Jan Shoemaker’s recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients & Process:

Dressing:

• 1 cup vegetable oil 
• 1 cup sugar (I use a little less)                                 
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• Salt & pepper to taste

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the ingredients together.  Store in an airtight container (such as a jar) until needed.  Shake before using and keep the leftover dressing in the refrigerator.

Topping:

• 4 T. butter
• 1 c. walnuts or pecans, chopped coarsely                    
• 1 pkg. ramen noodles, uncooked & broken up (save flavor packet for another use)  I “mash” the unopened package of ramen with a meat mallet.

In a medium frying pan, melt the butter and brown the nuts and ramen noodles.  When toasted, cool the mixture on paper towels.  Refrigerate leftovers.

Slaw:

• ½ of a 12-oz. package of broccoli or other slaw

Place slaw in a serving bowl. Dress the slaw with the some of the dressing.  (Don't overdress.  You will have leftovers.)  Sprinkle desired amount of nut/noodle topping on top or mix in to slaw.