Southwestern Shrimp in a Lettuce Cup

Having a bag of large frozen shrimp in our freezer, we wanted to find a way to use them as we love shrimp.  We've grilled them, sauteed them, used them in pasta dishes, but not in a lettuce cup.  This recipe is very easy and if you don't like to devein shrimp I'm sure you could use already cooked ones.  This can turn out quite acidic so taste as you go when mixing the marinade and corn salsa to keep a balance.

Southwestern Shrimp in a Lettuce Cup

Adapted from this recipe

Marinade

• 1 1/2 tbsp minced red onion
• 1/2 tsp finely chopped garlic
• 1 tbsp Tequila
• 1 tsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning
• 1/8 tsp paprika
• 16 shrimp, shelled, deveined, tails removed

Corn relish

• 2 ears corn (or 1 cup canned or frozen and thawed)
• Vegetable-oil cooking spray
• 1 Roma tomatoes, diced small
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 1 small green onion, chopped
• Dash of fresh Lime juice

Lettuce cups

• 2 heads of Butter Lettuce
• 1 tsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 green onion, chopped
• Quinoa (prepared as directed on box)

Combine marinade ingredients with 1/4 cup water. Add shrimp; refrigerate 2 hours. To make relish, cut corn kernels off cob. Lightly spray a sturdy skillet with cooking spray and heat over high heat.  Stir-fry corn until golden brown, moving it constantly. Pour corn into a bowl and add remaining relish ingredients; season with salt. Remove shrimp and reserve marinade. Lightly spray the same skillet with cooking spray and heat on high until very hot. Toss in a few shrimp at a time and cook until just opaque (2-4min per side, flipping once); remove shrimp. Pour marinade into pan, bring to boil and boil for 2 minutes; lower heat and simmer until thick.

Rinse each piece of lettuce.  Add a teaspoon of the quinoa and then the corn relish, place a few shrimp on top and drizzle on a teaspoon of the marinade sauce.  Sprinkle with cilantro and green onion.

In the true spirit of TwoCooksOneKitchen, this is a great two person recipe.  Preparing and cooking the shrimp and marinade is a good task for one while cooking the corn and making the relish is a good task for the other.  And guys, you might want to volunteer to do the shrimp deveining and prep.

Enjoy!

-Dan

Shrimp Orzo...A Great Summer Sidedish

Fresh vegetables are one of the best things about the summertime.  Red bell peppers are no exception and since they are full of vitamins we have been trying to include them more in our cooking.  We found this simple orzo receipe that combines red peppers, orzo and shrimp. 

Prep work is fairly easy, the shrimp are thawed under room temperature running water.  Once done you'll need to devein them and clean them.  The red peppers just need to have the seeds removed and chopped into whatever size you want. 

Shrimp Orzo with Sauteed Vegetables

• 8 ounces orzo (about 1 1/3 cups)
• 14 oz can Chicken Broth
• Extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 medium zucchini or summer squash cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 red or yellow bell pepper, quartered
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined
• 2 heirloom tomatoes cut into bite size
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves plus sprigs for garnish
• 1 8-ounce ball fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Preparation

Cook orzo in large pot of boiling chicken broth and water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Rinse with cold water; drain well. Transfer to large bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon oil.

In a large skillet bring 3 tbs of butter to a low simmer.  Add shrimp and cook till done, about 8 min.  Remove and put aside.  Add red pepper, zucchini and cook till tender but firm.  Not mush. 

Place shrimp in bowl with orzo, add zucchini and bell pepper.  Add tomatoes, sliced basil, and mozzarella; toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover; chill.

Garnish with basil sprigs and serve cold or at room temperature.

- Dan

Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini and Pasta

A perfect summer meal, in my opinion.  Nothing is worse than having to use the oven and multiple burners when its 95 degrees outside and the air conditioning is working hard to keep the apartment cool.  This recipe is incredibly simple, it only uses two burners, is quick, and the only real cooking technique you need to know is how to devein and clean shrimp.  If you don't know how to devein shrimp, you can use precooked, but it won't taste as good as the shrimp will be too chewy since you want to sautee them in butter.  There is a short video here on how to devein shrimp, definitely worth learning how to do this if you love to eat shrimp.

Recipe: Summer Shrimp Scampi
Serves 2 - 1 lb of fresh shelled and deveined shrimp
- 2 Tbs butter
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 2 Tbs lemon juice
- 1 Tbs fresh Parsley
- 1 medium Zucchini, chopped and quartered
- 1 medium Red Pepper, chopped and quartered
- 1/2 cup halved red grape Tomatoes
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Fresh Parmesan Cheese
- Half box of linguini pasta, cooked

Devein and clean the shrimp, saute in butter for about 3-5 min stiring frequently.  Add garlic, white wine and lemon juice, saute further until sauce reduces about 3 min.  Set aside in a large bowl.  Add oil to pan and set to medium low heat.  Add zucchini and peppers, saute for about 4-5 min stiring frequently.  Add tomatoes, and parsley to pan and continue to saute for another 2 min.  Combine cooked vegetables in large bowl with shrimp and pasta, stir to combine.  Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and enjoy.

All in all a very healthy and easy recipe.  If you don't have shrimp, or want to try something different, Scallops can be substitued.

- Dan