Garlic Shrimp

This is a recipe for Spanish style garlic shrimp that my mom got while we were living in Spain back in the 80s. It's very fast to make, and incredibly decadent and fabulous. I almost didn't make it tonight because I was tired and didn't feel much like cooking, but now I'm SO glad that I did. You should have seen us eating this, oohing and ahhing and making other yummy noises like Bill Murray in What About Bob?

Be sure to serve this with lots of crusty French bread for sopping up the delicious sauce!



Garlic Shrimp

½ c olive oil
1/8 lb (1/2 stick) butter
1 head garlic
1 Tbsp crushed red pepper
5 lbs cooked, peeled shrimp
½ c cooking sherry or white wine

In a frying pan, melt the butter and olive oil together. When the butter has melted, add coarsely diced, peeled garlic and cook until garlic becomes soft. Add red pepper and shrimp; coat with garlic sauce. Stir until shrimp are warm. Add sherry or wine and simmer for 1 minute.

Seafood Gumbo

Shrimp stock:
1 ½ lbs jumbo shrimp, with heads and shells
1 blue crab
1 onion, halved
2 bay leaves
5 sprigs fresh thyme
¼ tsp cayenne
2 Tbsp Old Bay seasoning
2 lemons, halved and squeezed

Gumbo:
½ c butter
½ c flour
2 yellow onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 pound okra, cut into ¼-inch slices
1 tsp salt
½ tsp cayenne
½ tsp Old Bay seasoning
1 15-ounce can chopped tomatoes, drained
3 bay leaves
3 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves stripped from the stem
2 quarts shrimp stock
1 ½ lbs peeled shrimp (reserved from stock)
3 c cooked long-grain white rice
chopped flat-leaf parsley and green onions, for garnish

To make the shrimp stock: Peel the shrimp and toss the heads and shells into a large stock pot; refrigerate the peeled shrimp until ready to cook in the gumbo. Add the crab, onion, bay leaves, thyme, cayenne, Old Bay, and lemons to the pot. Cover with 2 ½ quarts of cold water. Allow the liquid to slowly come to a boil, then lower the heat. Gently simmer for 45 minutes, uncovered, skimming any foam that rises to the top. Strain the stock into a heatproof container or another pot to remove the chunky solids; at this point you should have about 2 quarts of broth. Cool until needed.

To make the gumbo: Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a Dutch oven. Just as the foam subsides, add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk to prevent lumps. Cook the roux until it’s the color of walnut, about 15 minutes. Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic and okra. Season with salt, cayenne and Old Bay. Mix in the tomatoes, bay leaves and thyme. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the vegetables are soft. Pour in the cooled shrimp stock and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the gumbo is dark and thick. Add the shrimp and cook another 15 minutes; adjust seasonings as necessary. Serve atop rice in bowls, and sprinkle with parsley and green onions.

Crab Rangoon

2 sprays cooking spray
2 tsp olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 medium scallions, minced
2 Tbsp snow peas, chopped
6 oz canned crabmeat, drained
4 oz light cream cheese
2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
24 items wonton wrappers, half of a 12 oz package

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

Heat oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, scallions and snow peas and sauté until just tender, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in crabmeat, cream cheese and soy sauce with a wooden spoon; mix gently to combine.

Place wonton wrappers on a flat surface. Drop crab mixture by teaspoonfuls onto the center of each wrapper. Dip a finger into water and use it to moisten edges of wrapper; fold over one corner of wrapper to make a triangle and press sides together to seal. Create decorative lines along the edges of the wontons by pressing the tines of a fork along the bottom edge of each wonton.

Transfer filled wontons to prepared baking sheet and coat with cooking spray. Bake until wontons are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Spicy Lemon Shrimp with Basil Mayonnaise

1 Tbsp lemon zest
3 Tbsp lemon juice
¾ tsp crushed red pepper
½ tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb uncooked peeled deveined large shrimp (22 to 25 per pound), thawed
½ c loosely packed fresh basil leaves
½ c mayonnaise

Set oven to broil. Mix lemon zest, lemon juice, red pepper, salt, garlic and 1 Tbsp of the oil in a medium glass bowl. Add shrimp; toss to coat. Spread shrimp in ungreased jelly roll pan. Broil with tops 2 to 3 inches from heat, for 3 to 5 minutes or until shrimp are pink and firm.

Place basil and remaining 2 Tbsp oil in a food processor. Cover and process until chopped. Add mayonnaise; cover and process until smooth. Serve shrimp with mayonnaise.

Hot Crab Dip

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 can crab meat, drained
¾ c mayonnaise
2 Tbsp finely diced onion
1 tsp horseradish

Preheat oven to 340. Mix all ingredients together well. Place in shallow casserole dish. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes or until heated through.

Serve with crackers for dipping.

Fresh Rice Paper Rolls

Rice paper spring roll wrappers
1 pkg cellophane noodles
Bibb lettuce
Shredded carrots
Fresh cilantro sprigs
Fresh basil leaves
Cucumber matchsticks
Cooked, peeled shrimp (tails off), chilled

Bring a pot of water to a boil; remove from heat. Add cellophane noodles and let them set about 5 minutes to soften. Remove from water, drain on paper towels, and set aside.

Bring a kettle of water to a boil. I like to keep the water simmering and top it off each time I take from it, so I have more hot water whenever I need it.

Pour boiling water into a wide, shallow bowl. Soak the rice paper wraps into it. Give them about 10 seconds total, so they are soft but not falling apart. Remove from water and lay on the counter in front of you. Place a leaf of lettuce, some shredded carrots, a few sprigs of cilantro, some basil leaves, and cucumber matchsticks on the half of the wrap closest to you. Begin rolling, folding in the edges after the second turn. Before the last turn, place 2 shrimp side by side on the remaining wrap, and then continue rolling. This way you can see the shrimp through the wrap when you're done.

Continue rolling as above, using any or all ingredients you wish.

To serve, cut the rolls in half crosswise on an angle, and arrange on a serving plate. Serve with dipping sauce, such as sweet chili sauce or peanut sauce.

Note: To make this recipe vegan, omit shrimp.

Shrimp Cocktail Dip

1 8-oz package cream cheese
½ - 1 c cocktail sauce
1 c cooked baby shrimp, rinsed and drained

Place the cream cheese on a small, attractive serving plate. Pour the cocktail sauce over the top and sprinkle with baby shrimp. Serve with crackers.

Lumpia Shanghai

1 lb ground pork, browned and drained
2 c cooked baby shrimp, chopped
2 c cabbage, chopped
1 carrot, grated
1 can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
4 green onions, sliced
2 eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 pkg lumpia wrappers
Vegetable oil for frying
Sweet & sour sauce for dipping
Bananas (optional)

Combine pork, shrimp, cabbage, carrot, water chestnuts and green onions. Stir in eggs and soy sauce. Separate lumpia wrappers and fill each with about 2 Tbsp filling, wrapping tightly. Dip your fingers in water and moisten the edge to seal.

Fry in hot oil, turning as necessary, until browned and crispy. Remove to a cooling rack placed over a paper towel-lined cookie sheet to drain. Serve hot with sweet & sour sauce for dipping.

Banana Lumpia
If desired, you can use the leftover wrappers to make banana lumpia for dessert. Peel bananas, cut in half lengthwise, then in half crosswise, making 4 spears per banana. Roll 1 banana spear in a lumpia wrapper, and fry until browned and crispy. These are great as is, or dipped in honey.

Shrimp and Fettucine with Creamy Pesto Sauce

1 (16 ounce) package linguine pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
1 1/2 cups grated Romano cheese
1 cup prepared basil pesto
1 pound cooked shrimp, peeled and de-veined, tails off
20 mushrooms, chopped
3 Roma (plum) tomato, diced

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until tender and translucent. Stir in garlic and butter, and saute until garlic is soft and fragrant, about 1 minute. Disolve flour in milk (I just put mine in a tupperware container and shook it up really good), then stir in. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add cheese, and stir until melted. Stir in pesto. Add shrimp, mushrooms and tomatoes. Cook 4 minutes, or until heated through. Toss with pasta until evenly coated.