Eat Together, Make Life Delicious...

This salad is super easy to prepare. If you have a favorite store bought Asian dressing, you can substitute that for the dressing below. This will save you even more time! This recipe can also be prepared with scallops, chicken, lobster, fish, thinly sliced beef or pork. Simply keep those ingredients submerged under the liquid until they are opaque and cooked through. My kids like this with extra noodles and broccoli florets instead of carrots and my husbands prefers to include a pinch of red peppers flakes!

Tossed Shrimp Salad
Makes 4 servings

For the dressing:
1 heaping teaspoon Miso paste
1 tablespoon orange juice
½ tablespoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon minced roasted garlic
½ teaspoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce

For the shrimp salad:
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 cup canned baby corn, cut in half
1 large carrot, peeled, ends removed, and shredded
1 pinch salt
2 oz cellophane noodles
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, and deveined, and tails removed
4 handfuls fresh baby spinach
Sesame seeds

In a small bowl prepare the sauce. Combine the miso, orange juice, oyster sauce, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and 2 tablespoons of water and whisk until well combined.

In a large sauce pot or wok over medium heat, slick the bottom of the pan with sesame oil and add in the baby corn, carrots, and salt and cook until the carrots are tender or about 5 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium low. Add in the ½ cup water, cellophane noodles, shrimp, and the dressing and cook for 5 minutes. Try to get the shrimp and noodles under the liquid. Toss occasionally to help the noodles break apart.

When the shrimp is opaque and the noodles are soft, add in the fresh spinach and give it one more good toss. Turn off the heat. To serve, divide up the dish among 4 plates, sprinkle it with sesame seeds and serve.

Labels: Easy Recipes, Family Meal, salad, seafood, shrimp

This method of grilling shrimp–in their shells on high heat–works well: the shrimp cook fast and stay tender and juicy. Once you have mastered this technique, I suggest creating a variety of stuffings based on your favorite ingredients. This recipe is especially handy for casual gatherings where easy preparation is very important. At the table, make sure to include: napkins, as picking the shells off to get to the tender shrimp can get a little messy but oh so fun; and little bowls, for the discarded shells.

Grilled Buttery Herb-Stuffed Shrimp
Makes 4 servings

For the Stuffing:
½ cup finely chopped fresh basil
½ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 medium clove garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt pinch freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil or softened unsalted butter

For the Shrimp:
1 pound large shrimp, or about 21 shrimp per pound, the larger the better, deveined
and butterflied, but shells on (see note on technique below)
1 lemon cut into wedges

Heat a well-seasoned grill to medium heat.

In a medium bowl combine the basil, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil (or butter). Mix until a herb paste is created.

Stuff the herb paste between the shrimp shells and meat. Grill the shrimp for about 2 minutes per side, or until the meat turns opaque. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.

How to Butterfly a Shrimp…while leaving the shells on
The best way to bufferfly a shrimp while leaving its shell on is to use a pair of kitchen scissors. Start at the top and cut down the back to the tail almost the whole way through, leaving enough flesh so the shrimp is still connected. It’s far easier to cut through the shell with scissors than slicing through it with a knife. However, if you plan to use a knife, make sure it is sharp. Take care, as the shell can be slippery causing the knife to slide.

Some other stuffing ideas:
Mojito Stuffed Shrimp: Mint, lime zest, olive/butter and a douse of Rum
Sicilian Stuffed Shrimp: Sun dried tomatoes, garlic, olive/butter, and a splash of Red Wine
Mexican Stuffed Shrimp: Cumin-or Mexican seasoning, finely Diced tomatoes, Cilantro, and olive/butter
Hawaiian Stuffed Shrimp: mashed pineapples, curry, cilantro, and olive/butter
Southern Stuffed Shrimp: southern bbq sauce, drop of Tabasco sauce, olive/butter

Labels: Grilled Buttery Herb-Stuffed Shrimp, grilled seafood, shrimp