Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Shrimp Salad Lettuce Wraps

Shrimp Salad

What you'll need:
  • 1 lb. shrimp tails cooked in Crab Boil or Old Bay seasoning
  • 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 6 or 7 roma tomatoes, diced and seeded (I remove the insides so it doesn't make the dressing watery)
  • 3 tablespoons mayo
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • black pepper
  • cayenne pepper
  • salt to taste

How its done:
Boil shrimp in the shells until pink -- about 8 minutes. Cool and remove from shells. Cut into bite sized pieces. Set aside.

Combine the vegetables in a bowl. In a measuring cup, add the mayo and the lemon juice. Add the cayenne and black pepper.

Stir together to make a dressing (use more or less lemon juice, as you prefer). Add the shrimp to the bowl of vegetables.

Pour dressing over and toss to combine. Cover and put in fridge to chill. Wait as long as you can before digging in- it's best when it's cold.
 
We like to put the shrimp salad in a butter lettuce leaf & eat it as a lettuce wrap. SO GOOD! 

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Firey Thai Shrimp & Noodles

What You'll Need

Coconut Shrimp
  • 1LB Shrimp
  • 1/2 Cup Flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup ice water
  • 1/2 cup sweet shaved coconut
  • canola oil

How it's Done

Mix flour, powder, salt and cayenne in large bowl.
Add egg and water.  Mix into smooth batter.
Spread coconut onto plate.
Peel and devein shrimp leaving tails on.
Dip shrimp into batter then coconut.
 Heat up canola in deep sided sauté pan.(High)  Oil should be an inch deep plus.
Make sure oil is up to temp, 350* plus prior to cooking.
Fry a minute or two until golden.  Don’t cook too long, doesn't take much time. 

 What You'll Need
 
Thai Chili Sauce
  • 1/2 Cup Rice Vinegar
  • 1/2 Cup Sugar
  • 1/4 Cup Water
  • 3 Tbsp Fish Sauce
  • 2 Tbsp Sherry
  • 3 Cloves Minced Garlic
  • 3/4 Tbsp Crushed Red Pepper(Chili Flake)
  • 1.5 Tbsp Cornstarch Dissolved in Cold Water
How it's Done

 Place all ingredients in small sauce pan EXCEPT cornstarch mixture.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to MED and boil for 10min until reduced by about half.
Reduce heat to low and add cornstarch mixture.  Stir well and stir occasionally as sauce thickens...10 min+
Cornstarch thickens the sauce...make sure it is incorporated well.

What You'll Need

 Noodles
  • 1 Box Linguine
  • 1 Tbsp Crushed Red Pepper(Chili Flake)
  • 1/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
  • 1/2 Cup Sesame oil
  • 6 TBSP Honey
  • 6 TBSP Soy Sauce
  • Green Onion, Cilantro, Peanuts, Toasted Sesame Seeds (appropriately cut for garnish)
 
How it's Done

Boil and drain noodles, place in large bowl or tupperware.
Heat both oils in sauce pan over med heat and stir in crushed red pepper.  Heat for 5-10 min.
The crushed red pepper can make this very spicy.  A little pepper adds a lot.  1 TBSP is plenty.
Strain out red pepper, reserving oil in small bowl.
Add honey and soy to oil.  Whisk well.
Add sauce to noodles, covering all.  Refrigerate for hours or place in freezer, stirring occasionally if you need to serve quickly.  Don’t freeze it.