Shrimp 3 Ways

Shrimp aren't my favourite seafood, but I like them once in a while.  I usually buy a couple of packages of good quality frozen shrimp, and put them in the freezer for a day when I'm stuck for a dinner idea, or I have unexpected guests, and nee do whip up something fast, but still tasty.

As with all my posts, since they are mostly descriptive stories, not written out in "proper" recipe format, it's always a good idea to read the full post, to familiarize yourself with ingredients and steps required.  That tip goes for any recipe, even proper ones written with exact measurements.  I don't include exact measurements for most things, because I don't measure a lot.  Amounts depend on how many people you're cooking for, and also on your taste buds, when it comes to spices.  You can almost  always add more, but it's much harder to take some out.  Once you experiment, and figure out how much of what you like, you should make a note for next time.  Experimenting and creating recipes is loads of fun and the other main reason for me not posting exact amounts.

Here are three different recipes I've made and liked to make shrimp.  BTW, you always want to thaw your shrimp, to minimize the amount of water they will give off as they fry, because the more water, the longer they will be in the pan, and the harder they will become, because they shouldn't be overcooked.

1.  Shrimp Curry
Ingredients
-shrimp (defrosted, best way is to put them in a colander in a sink, so excess water drains out as they defrost; if you're short for time, you can speed up defrosting by running cold water over the frozen shrimp.  You can always use fresh shrimp.)
-tomato (s)
-chickpeas
-Basmati rice
-oil or butter
-onion
-garlic
-s&p
-cinnamon
-cumin
-curry
-fennel seeds
-cayenne pepper

Directions:
-Have Basmati rice cooking while you prep the rest.  Follow direction on package.  I like to put a folded paper towel over the rice and cover with lid when it's done, to absorb extra moisture


-Heat up oil or butter in pan, add spices, mix, add chopped onion, stir for a minute, add chopped garlic.
NOTE: sometimes instead of chopping garlic, I use a tiny grater, either way works, but if you're not great at chopping garlic finely, the grater might be a good option for you.  Garlic is so yummy and has so many health benefits, that chopping shouldn't be a deterrent for using fresh garlic.  Also, with practice comes experience, so just be patient, and in no time you'll be a pro.

-Dice tomato and add to pan, wait a couple of minutes until it softens.

-Add shrimp, let cook for a few minutes, white mixing the ingredients

-Add chickpeas, stir, cover pan with lid and simmer on low/med for about 5-10 minutes

-Serve with Basmati rice.

2. Fried Shrimp
Ingredients:
-shrimp
-garlic
-s&p
-butter
-Dijon mustard

Directions:
-Heat up butter, add chopped garlic, let simmer for 10 -20 seconds, you don't want the heat to be too high or the garlic to burn, which it does fairly quickly when it's the only ingredient in the pan, other than the fat.

-Add the Dijon, stir, add shrimp, let simmer for a few minutes.  Add s&p to taste.

-You can serve this will all kinds of sides or even just crusty bread as a light meal.


3. Shrimp Stir Fry
Ingredients:
-shrimp
-spoonful of peanut butter or peanut sauce
-frozen veggie medley, Asian type, or similar variety of fresh veg, ex. snow peas, baby corn, water chestnuts, sprouts, carrots, yellow beans, peppers, shiitake mushrooms, etc
-rice noodles
-oil, preferably sesame, it has a lovely flavour which goes so well with this sort of dish
-garlic
-paprika
-cayenne
-s&p
-peanuts or almonds (optional)

Directions:
-Heat up pan, add oil, add chopped garlic, then spices, then peanut butter or peanut sauce.  If you're finding the peanut butter too thick at this point, and you're using frozen vegetables, don't worry, the water from the veg will thin out the peanut butter.  If you're using fresh vegetables and are finding it too thick, just add some hot water, but not too much, you don't want the sauce to be too watery.  Again, it's always easier to just keep adding spoonfuls of water, then trying to thicken things up later on.

-Add vegetables, let simmer for a bit, if frozen, simmer until they are cooked.

-Prepare rice noodles according to package, and add to pan.   Let simmer for a few minutes.  Covering the pan with a lid will cook things quicker, but it will also create extra moisture, which if you find you have too much liquid, you can cook uncovered for a couple of minutes, and it will evaporate.

-If using nuts, chop into medium to fine pieces and sprinkle on top when serving.