Cooking Shrimp:
Shrimp Recipes

Shrimp Primavera
Strawberry Shrimp Cocktail
Shrimp Curry
Shrimp Scampi
Waldorf Shrimp Salad
Catfish and Shrimp Soup
Gazpacho Shrimp and Spanish Rice

Shrimp Primavera

It is quite tasty and really simple to assemble once you have your ingredients all together. In the recipe, I call for Shrimp Base. I use a product made by Minor’s. It’s optional but I recommend it in the recipe. I get mine at www.soupbase.com

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1/3 pound egg noodles
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon shrimp base, optional but recommended
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 stalks asparagus, cut in 1 inch lengths
1 each Roma tomato, diced
1 tablespoon red onions, small dice
2 tablespoons red bell peppers, cut into small strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons white wine
10 each shrimp, large, 16-20 count, peeled, de-veined and cut length wise
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon basil, chopped
1 teaspoon chives, chopped
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, grated
1 pinch pepper

Preparation:

Cook the noodles in lightly salted water until just al dente. Rinse under cool running water and set aside.

Combine the heavy cream, tomato paste and shrimp base in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to incorporate the paste and base. Be careful not to overheat, as it will boil over. Your object is to reduce this by half.

Once the sauce is reducing, heat your olive oil and butter in a sauté pan and add the asparagus, tomato, onion, red pepper and garlic and sauté for about 4 minutes, until the veggies are just under cooked. Add the wine and shrimp and cook for another 2 minutes, until shrimp are nearly done.

The sauce should be ready by now. Add it and the cooked pasta and blend the whole dish together. Combine the fresh herbs, Parmesan and pepper together. Decant the pasta dish onto two warm plates and top with herb cheese mixture.

Strawberry Shrimp Cocktail

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon chives, chopped
1 teaspoon mustard
1 pinch tarragon leaves
1 bunch spinach, washed and stemmed
1 pound shrimp, medium size (36-42 count), cooked and peeled, tail on
1 quart strawberries, fresh, whole
4 each parsley sprigs
4 each lemon wedges

Preparation:

Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, chives, mustard and tarragon in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Chill for one hour for flavor to develop.

Line 4 chilled plates with spinach leaves. Place a small dish of the sauce in the center and place shrimp and strawberries around the outside. Garnish with fresh parsley and a lemon wedge on each plate

Shrimp Curry

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons red onions, diced
2 tablespoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ginger, powdered
1 each dried red chiles, crushed
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup meat stock
4 cups shrimp, medium (36-42 count), peeled and de-veined
1 cup coconut milk
1 each cucumber, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 pinch cayenne pepper

Preparation:

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the onion. Cook until the onions gain a little color. Add the curry powder, ginger, chile, salt and meat stock. Simmer for 15 minutes or so.

Add the shrimp, coconut milk, cucumber, lemon juice and cayenne. Simmer for about 5 minutes until the shrimp are cooked through. Serve with white rice.

Where does shrimp come from? Silly question? It’s the ocean right? For the most part you’d be right, but more and more inland shrimp farms are popping up. The shrimp are good, sometimes with a noticeably sweeter flavor. I still prefer gulf shrimp for most preparations.

Gulf shrimp is the standard shrimp sold in the USA. They are caught in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Atlantic, from the Carolinas to Florida. Mexico also supplies large amounts from both coasts. When I vacation in Mexico, I love to meet the shrimp boats and buy the fresh catch. Actually, we are going to Puerto Vallarta next week and I’ll be doing just that.

Between US harvested shrimp and imported shrimp, Americans consume over 600 million pounds a year.

Shrimp Scampi

Shrimp Scampi is one of the most popular shrimp preparations. It’s a preparation using garlic. And of course there are many versions. I like to make a creamy style sauce using heavy cream and serving it over fresh noodles. I’ll give you a basic recipe.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds of jumbo shrimp, (21-25 count) peeled and de-veined, tail-on
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
Salt and pepper
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
3 tbsp. white wine.

Preparation:

In a large skillet, sauté the shrimp in the butter and olive oil for about 5 minutes until the shrimp are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and remove the shrimp to a large warm platter.

Add the garlic and parsley to the pan and sauté for 2 minutes, add the wine and cook for another minute. Pour the sauce over the shrimp and serve immediately.

Waldorf Shrimp Salad

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 pound shrimp, medium, peeled
2 tablespoons walnuts, chopped
1 cup red delicious apple
1 cup celery, diced
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1 pinch salt and pepper
1 head Bibb lettuce

Preparation:

Add 1 tbsp. of the lime juice to 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and add the shrimp. Cook only until just done, about 3 minutes. Drain the shrimp and hold back a tbsp. of the cooking liquid. Chill the shrimp under cold running water and pat them dry.

Heat a sauté pan over high heat,toss in your walnuts and toast them for a couple of minutes. Stir during cooking time. Allow to cool.

Combine shrimp, celery, apples and walnuts in a bowl. Combine Mayonnaise, the remaining 1/2 tbsp. of lime juice, the reserved liquid, and remaining ingredients in another bowl and blend well. Incorporate the shrimp mixture with mayonnaise mixture and blend well. Serve over a very small bed of soft lettuce like Bibb.

Catfish and Shrimp Soup

Serves 8
Preparation Total 1:40

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 28 oz. can tomatoes
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 bay leaf
4 cups water
1 cup white wine
8 fl. ounces bottled clam juice
1/2 pound shrimp, medium, shelled
16 ounces catfish fillets cut in 1 cubes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Ground fresh coriander, chopped, for garnish
Lemon, cut in wedges, for garnish

Preparation:

In large pot, heat oil. Sauté onion and garlic until onions are transparent. Add tomatoes, tomato paste and bay leaf. Cover and simmer 25 minutes. Add water, wine and clam juice. Simmer uncovered 45 minutes. Add shrimp, catfish, salt and pepper. Cook 10 minutes, or until catfish flakes easily. Remove bay leaf.

Garnish each serving with chopped coriander and lemon slices.

Recipe By: The Catfish Institute

Gazpacho Shrimp and Spanish Rice

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 each Roma tomato, seeds removed, diced
1 tablespoon red onions, diced
2 tablespoons cucumbers, diced
2 tablespoons red bell peppers, diced
1 tablespoon green bell peppers, diced
1 sprig parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pinch salt and pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup Spanish rice
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 pinch salt and pepper
1 cup heavy cream
10 each shrimp, large, 16-20 count, peeled and de-veined

Preparation:

Combine the first 10 ingredients in a bowl and blend. Allow to rest for an hour at room temperature.

Begin the Spanish Rice (recipe below) This will take a total of 45 minutes.

Combine the white wine, vinegar, salt and pepper in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce by half. Then add the heavy cream and reduce again by half. Once the sauce has thickened, add the shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes, until shrimp are pink and done. Add the room temperature veggies to the pan and cook to heat through.

Serve over Spanish Rice. Good with a margarita!

Spanish Rice and Gazpacho Shrimp

A must with southwestern dishes of all kinds. This recipe is simple to make and holds up well in the refrigerator for leftovers.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons yellow onions, chopped
1 cup rice, white, long grain
1/2 cup tomato juice
1 cup water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
3 dashes bottled hot pepper sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 pinch black pepper
1 Roma tomato, chopped
2 tablespoons red bell peppers, chopped
2 tablespoons green bell peppers, chopped

Preparation:

In a saucepan that has a tight fitting cover, melt the butter and sauté the onions until soft. Add the rice and stir to coat the rice with butter, then add the tomato juice, water, bouillon cubes, pepper sauce, chili powder and black pepper. Stir to dissolve the bouillon cubes and bring to a boil. Once the liquid reaches a boil, reduce heat to its lowest setting, cover and go away for 25 minutes. Do not stir, do not look under the lid, do not worry !!

Once your timer goes off, remove the pan from the heat, lift the lid off quickly and throw in the tomatoes, and chopped peppers and put the lid back on . Do not stir, do not taste, do not worry !! Allow the rice to steam in the pan for 20 more minutes.

Now... If you didn't cheat and if you didn't worry, your Spanish rice should be perfect. Stir in the tomatoes and peppers and serve with a smile. If you did cheat...Well, Shame on you!