Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Cilantro-Lime & Pepper Shrimp n Scallops

Cilantro-Lime & Pepper Shrimp & Scallops

The Cast & Crew

I love seafood and especially love it with any sort of butter sauce. I decided to combine cilantro, lime and a blend of sweet and spicy peppers together with the butter and a bit of cream to make a delicious meal that cooked in just minutes.

Cilantro-Lime & Pepper Shrimp & Scallops:
8-10 uncooked large shrimp (peeled & deveined)
10-14 scallops (you can use bay or sea scallops, whichever you prefer or can get)
1 mini sweet pepper (use red, yellow or orange for color)
1 jalapeno pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro or 1 tablespoon cilantro paste
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons real butter
1/2 cup half n half
salt & pepper to taste

Start by slicing the peppers in half, remove the seeds and chop.


In a large pan, heat the olive oil and add the shrimp and scallops, season with salt and pepper and saute in the oil on medium-high heat.


Saute until the shrimp and scallops just start cooking. Add the peppers, cilantro and butter.

Mix together and saute for about 1 minute

Start separating the peppers from the seafood and continue to saute the peppers for about another 1-2 minutes.


The butter should start turning a golden brown.


This is good because that browned butter taste with the freshness of the cilantro and lime makes the sauce so good. As soon as the butter starts turning golden brown, mix the seafood back with the peppers and slowly start adding the half and half.


Turn the heat down and let simmer for about 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat, cut the lime in half and squeeze fresh lime juice all over the dish. Serve immediately.




See how the shrimp wraps itself around the chunks of pepper? This makes a perfect bite!


I always have these herb pastes in the fridge. They are handy when you want to make something last minute and don't have fresh herbs on hand. They make cilantro, dill, italian blend, hot pepper, lemongrass, etc. Of course I prefer fresh herbs, but sometimes it's just nice to have a back up, like I needed for this recipe!


9 comments:

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

I am a seafood lover and this looks heavenly!

avesta said...

Thanks Lisa. It really is delicious with the mix of sweet and spicy peppers! I think this sauce would be good on fish, too!

Ingrid_3Bs said...

Okay, now this really looks good and so easy! I love seafood!

BTW, those herb pastes are very handy especially for those of us who do not use the herbs up before they go bad.
~ingrid

avesta said...

Yes Ingrid I agree, they last forever! I think you'll love this recipe!

Ingrid_3Bs said...

okay, I'm gonna give this one a try....I printed out the recipe and showed it to the kids. The Twins are excited but my youngest doesn't like shrimps or scallops any suggestions? It's on the menu for Wednesday night, no football practice.

Thanks!
~ingrid

avesta said...

Ingrid, use chicken! I have made this with chicken and steak and it turned out great! Though if you like your steak medium or medium-rare, start cooking the chicken first then when it's half-way cooked, throw in the steak so it doesn't overcook, unless you like well-done, then you'll be fine.

Ingrid_3Bs said...

Thank you so much for responding. I'm gonna do the chicken and shrimp combo. I'm having camera issues right now but I'll let you know how it turns out.

Thanks again!
~ingrid

Ingrid_3Bs said...

Yay! I made this tonight for dinner. Honey hasn't come home yet (9:30) but I'm sure he'll love it,too. My children were very pleased. Babygirl ate the chicken, Devon ate the shrimp, and Jalen had both! Everyone was happy! I served it over angel hair pasta and with garlic bread. Oh, and I cut up a cucumber, drizzled it w/oil & red wine vinegar, sprinkled w/fresh ground salt & pepper!

Thank you so much for a terrific recipe!
~ingrid

avesta said...

So glad that you tried this Ingrid! Yea!!! :)