Shrimp a good choice for tasty seafood meals

Shrimp is one of the most affordable and accessible types of shellfish around.

It’s also one of the most versatile. Shrimp can be boiled or broiled, sauted or stir-fried, grilled or baked.

They can be served hot or cold, as an appetizer, in a soup or as the main course.

They have a delicate, sweet taste that can shine on its own or become a supporting player in a broth or seafood stew.

To enhance that sweet flavor, some people recommend using beer as the cooking liquid.

No matter how they are prepared, there are a few simple rules to follow.

The first, and probably the most basic, is not to overcook shrimp or they will become dry and rubbery.

Cook shrimp until the flesh is opaque. When boiling them, you know they are done when the shrimp turn pink, rise to the top and float. When sautéing, you don’t want the shrimp to form a tight “C” shape or they are overdone.

It’s easiest to peel and devein shrimp before cooking them, although shrimp cooked in the shell is said to have more flavor than if it’s peeled first.

But no matter when you peel them, don’t discard the shells. You can make a flavorful stock by boiling the shells with spices, onion, garlic, celery and carrot. Cool the broth and strain it through cheesecloth when it’s reached the desired strength, then use it for soups and chowders.

When buying shrimp, remember it is sized by how many are in a pound. Look for shrimp that are moist and firm with translucent flesh.

Shrimp should have a mild fresh smell of the sea. Don’t pick seafood with an off odor or a strong ammonia smell.

Expect the weight of raw shrimp to reduce by half when cooked. Two pounds of raw shrimp will yield one pound of cooked, peeled shrimp.

Refrigerate fresh shrimp in airtight containers in the coldest part of the refrigerator. For best flavor and quality, use fresh shrimp within one to two days.

Keep frozen shrimp in the freezer until you’re ready to use it. Thaw them in the refrigerator overnight or under running water before using.

Following are some recipes using shrimp from www.food52.com.

 

 

Vito’s Shrimp Scampi

Olive oil

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/4 cup white wine

2 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoon salted butter

1/2 cup lemon juice, plus more

1 pound jumbo shrimp (16/20 count)

1 to 2 medium, vine-ripened tomatoes, roughly chopped

Salt

Pepper

1 pound linguine

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan, for serving

1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped

In a large, high-sided skillet, sauté garlic in a little olive oil until lightly toasted. Deglaze pan with white wine. Add heavy cream and butter and cook until reduced by half. Off heat, slowly add lemon juice.

In a separate pan, heat olive oil. Season shrimp with salt and pepper, then sauté until 80% cooked. Add tomatoes and season with a little more salt and pepper. Incorporate shrimp and tomatoes into wine sauce and toss.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with salt. Cook linguine until al dente, drain and toss with sauce. Plate pasta, making sure there’s shrimp on each plate. Garnish with cheese and basil.

 

 

Sheet-Pan Shrimp and Broccoli With Cocktail-Sauce

2 large or 3 small crowns of broccoli

3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 large lemon

1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined

5 tablespoon unsalted butter

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup chicken or seafood stock

6 tablespoon cocktail sauce

Zest lemon directly into a small saucepan and set aside. Cut lemon in half.

Cut broccoli into bite-sized florets and place on parchment-lined sheet pan that’s lightly oiled. Toss broccoli with two tablespoons olive oil and half the salt and pepper and distribute in a single, even layer. Place lemon halves, cut-side down, on sheet pan. Roast in a 425-degree oven for 15 to 18 minutes, until broccoli starts to brown around the edges.

Toss shrimp in one tablespoon olive oil and remaining salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, lemon zest and garlic and cook, without browning the garlic, a minute or two, then whisk in broth and cocktail sauce. Taste, adding a little more cocktail sauce for extra kick, if desired, and adjust seasonings to taste. Keep sauce warm until ready to use.

Remove sheet pan from the oven and nestle shrimp among broccoli florets. Roast three to five minutes, until shrimp is mostly cooked through and turning pink.

Remove sheet pan and pour sauce onto the pan. Carefully tilt the pan back and forth a few times to evenly distribute sauce, then return pan to the oven for two minutes, just until sauce is starting to bubble again. Serve warm on its own or with crusty bread, rice or pasta.

 

 

Roasted Shrimp and Asparagus Scampi

1-1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled

1 pound asparagus, tough ends discarded, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup dry white wine, rosé or water

2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Juice and zest of 1 lemon, plus extra lemon wedges

1 large handful Italian parsley leaves, finely chopped

1 pound spaghetti, cooked until al dente

Place shrimp and asparagus on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with minced garlic, red pepper flakes and salt. Use your hands to mix everything together. Spread shrimp and asparagus in an even layer and pour wine over them.

Broil six inches from heat about five minutes, stirring once, until shrimp are pink and firm to the touch and asparagus is tender.

Drizzle butter and lemon juice over shrimp and asparagus and sprinkle with lemon zest and parsley. Use two spoons to toss everything together.

Transfer scampi and sauce to a large serving bowl along with spaghetti. Stir well to coat spaghetti with sauce. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

 

 

Sheet-Pan Shrimp Scampi for One

1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 cloves garlic, grated

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon mirin

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pinch sugar, optional

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 lemon, zested and juiced

1 tablespoon butter

1 bowl white rice, for serving

In a small bowl, stir together shrimp, garlic, soy sauce, mirin, olive oil, sugar, red pepper flakes and lemon zest. Marinate 10 minutes.

Lay shrimp on a quarter sheet pan in a single layer and roast in a 450-degree oven for eight to 10 minutes, until cooked through. Add butter and toss shrimp until coated and butter is melted, then spritz with lemon half. Serve with white rice.

 

 

Champagne Alfredo with Crispy Prosciutto and Shrimp

8 thin slices prosciutto

1 pound pappardelle pasta

Salt

Pepper

12 jumbo tail-on shrimp, shelled and deveined

2 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup butter

1 shallot, mined

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup champagne

1/2 cup heavy cream

1-1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

1 handful parsley, minced, for topping

Lay prosciutto slices on a parchment-lined cookie sheet in a single layer. Do not overlap. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until it begins to crisp. Place prosciutto on cooling rack.

Bring a few quarts of heavily salted water to a rolling boil, then add pasta.

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Add olive oil to pan and, once hot, add shrimp and sear two minutes on each side, until they begin to color. Place shrimp on a plate. Turn heat to medium low and melt butter. Add shallot, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Sauté two minutes, until just fragrant. Add champagne, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Add 1/2 cup pasta cooking water and heavy cream and boil five minutes.

When pasta is cooked, add it to the pan with the sauce. Toss pasta to coat. Remove pan from heat and add the cheese. Toss pasta until evenly coated and cheese is melted.

Divide pasta into bowls and top with Parmesan cheese, a few shrimp, parsley and a slice or two of crispy prosciutto.

 

 

Sheet-Pan Seafood Pot Pie

2 slices bacon, diced

1 sweet onion, diced

1 head fennel, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup white wine

6 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 cup flour

2 cups fish stock

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 cups corn kernels

1 cup peas

1/2 pound cooked lobster meat

1/2 pound lump crab meat

1 pound small shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/3 cup fresh chopped parsley

1/4 cup fresh chopped dill

1 pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper

Double crust pie dough

Egg wash (egg beaten with water or cream)

In a large pot, crisp bacon over medium heat. Remove from pan and reserve.

Add onions and fennel to pot and cook four to five minutes, until onion is translucent. Add garlic and cook one minute, until fragrant. Add white wine and bring to a simmer. Simmer until reduced significantly.

Add butter to the pot and melt over medium heat. Add flour and stir well to combine. Cook three to four minutes, until it begins to turn lightly golden.

Add fish stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer five minutes, until mixture will coat a spoon. Stir in heavy cream, corn, peas, lobster, crab and shrimp. Cook three to four minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley, dill and reserved bacon.

Pour filling onto a baking sheet or casserole dish and cool five to 10 minutes, then refrigerate until cool. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out half the pie dough into a 10-by-14-inch rectangle about1/4 inch thick. Transfer dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet and dock with a fork. Spoon filling into the center and spread into an even layer, leaving 1-1/2-inch border uncovered on all sides.

Roll out second half of the dough to same dimensions. Brush uncovered edges of the dough with water, then gently place the top crust over the filling, pressing firmly at the edges to seal. Crimp the edges as desired.

Egg wash the crust and cut a few vents into the top. Bake in the lower third of a 425-degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until crust is evenly golden brown and filling is bubbling through the vents. If it’s browning too quickly, lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees or tent with foil. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

 

 

 

Pesto Risotto for One With Shrimp

1 tablespoon butter

1 shallot, chopped

1/2 cup Arborio rice

1/4 cup white wine or dry vermouth

2 cup chicken, seafood or vegetable stock, heated

4 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 tablespoons pesto

1 tablespoon sour cream

1 pinch salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium braiser or high-sided pan, melt butter, then sauté shallot for a couple minutes, until translucent. Stir in rice, coating each grain until oil-slicked. Add wine and cook until reduced, stirring constantly.

Once alcohol has evaporated, lower  heat and slowly ladle in the hot stock, one or two ladlefuls at a time, stirring until fully absorbed by the rice between each addition. Keep stirring 16 to 18 minutes, until the rice is al dente.

When cooked to your liking), turn off  heat, stir in shrimp and cover five minutes so the risotto and shrimp finish cooking in the residual heat.

Stir in pesto and sour cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

 

 

Grilled and Chilled Shrimp Rolls

2 pounds 16/20 shrimp, tails removed, peeled and deveined

1-1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1-1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon lemon zest

3 tablespoon lemon juice

1 bunch scallions, light and white green parts, thinly sliced

1 small celery stalk, finely chopped

1/4 cup celery leaves, roughly chopped

6 New England–style top-split hot dog buns

3 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon finely chopped chives, plus more for serving

Flaky sea salt

Prepare gas or charcoal grill for high heat. If using a charcoal grill, arrange hot coals in an even layer. Let the grates heat at least five minutes before grilling. If using a gas grill, set all burners to high heat.

On a large rimmed baking sheet, pat the shrimp dry with paper towels. Drizzle olive oil, one teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper over the shrimp and toss until well coated.

Clean grill grates. Place shrimp on the grill and cook one to two minutes, until shrimp turns pink on one side. Flip shrimp over and cook one to two minutes, until  shrimp is fully pink and opaque. Transfer grilled shrimp to a clean cutting board and let cool. Cut the shrimp into 1/2-inch pieces.

In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, lemon zest and juice, scallions, celery stalk and leaves, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chopped shrimp and stir until well coated. Cover bowl and refrigerate one to 24 hours.

Spread 1/2 tablespoon butter on each bun. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, open buns and toast them in the skillet until golden brown on both sides or grill over medium high heat until golden brown.

Add 1/2 cup shrimp mixture to each bun. Sprinkle each with chives and flaky sea salt and serve immediately.