Jalapeno Butter Shrimp

Jalapeno Butter Shrimp

As you can tell....I have a slight obsession with shrimp. I could seriously eat it everyday or at least every other day and if I could throw scallops in there, too...well then I'd be in true bliss! So if you see that I post a lot of shrimp recipes....well it's because of this slight obsession...so hopefully you, too have a slight obsession with shrimp, too but if you don't...most of these shrimp recipes can be substituted with chicken. You will just have to adjust your cooking time of course! This recipe is similar to a recipe I made a few months ago with a few changes...so if you like this recipe also try this recipe:

http://checkitoutavesta.blogspot.com/2008/09/cilantro-lime-pepper-shrimp-n-scallops.html

Tonight...I made Jalapeno Butter Shrimp. You get the jalapeno butter by pan frying the chopped jalapeno (and I added a little habanero to mine, too because I like really spicy food) in butter until the pepper almost gets crispy. It was so good that after all the shrimp was gone...I ate the rest of the jalapeno butter by dipping crusty bread in it. Oh my....let's just say it was quite "gasmic!"

Start off by dicing and removing the seeds from 2 jalapenos. I also added 1 habanero to mine.

Saute the peppers in 3 tablespoons butter.

I was lucky enough to get these huge U12s at a decent price at the market. You can use any size shrimp you'd like but a bigger shrimp is better. I've used 26/30s and it turns out great. Again...that number simply means how many shrimp come in a pound. The smaller the number...the larger the shrimp. I use between 1lb and 1 1/2 lbs of shrimp for this recipe.

Make sure your shrimp are peeled (I leave the tail on for looks and it makes it easier to grab them by the tail) and deveined. I like to butterfly them so the sauce gets deep into the shrimp. To butterfly a shrimp it simply means to almost slice open the shrimp so that it opens up like a butterfly or fan but is not completely split open.

Let your peppers fry in the butter. Make sure you turn your heat down once the butter is melted or you will burn your butter. Keep an eye on your pan and stir often. Once you add the shrimp to the pan, they are done when they turn pink.
Sprinkle the shrimp with some salt and pepper as they cook. You can also add a splash of white wine if you'd like. I was also serving these to my son so I left out the wine this time.

Arrange the shrimp on a platter and pour the jalapeno butter on top. Squeeze some fresh lemon or lime juice on top and you've got yourself one heck of a dish!
And don't forget to serve some bread with the shrimp so you can sop up the jalapeno butter. It's too good to waste!!! So sop it up baby...sop it up!

Pesto Surf n Turf Saute

After making that pesto, I definitely was in the mood for some sort of pesto pasta. I decided to make a surf n turf saute to serve with my creamy pesto pasta.

Making a surf n turf saute can save you money too because you only have to buy a couple Filet Mignon steaks rather than having to serve each person a whole expensive steak by themselves. This recipe feeds 6 and only uses two 6 oz Filet Mignons steaks. Plus, I love using pan drippings for the base of a lot of my sauces. It helps me save time and keeps the tastes all in one family.

Pesto Surf n Turf Saute

10-12 large uncooked shrimp, peeled & deveined

10-12 scallops, I used sea scallops though you can use bay scallops, just use double the amount

2- 6oz Filet Mignon cut up into 1 inch chunks (you can substitute sirloin or strip steak)

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons pesto

2 tablespoons olive oil

8-10 asparagus spears (you can substitute broccoli here)

salt & pepper to taste

Creamy Pesto Pasta Sauce:

Drippings from your Pesto Saute

2-3 cups half n half, heavy cream or milk

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

salt to taste

Here's why I thought of doing something surf n turf style....good Nebraska Filet Mignon in my fridge.

The pesto will be the base for the saute and then I'll use the pan drippings that will have the pesto in it for the base of my pasta sauce.

Asparagus will be sauteed with the meat for flavor, color and because we've gotta have some veggies in our meal!

Chop up the asparagus into small pieces.

I used a grill pan. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in your pan and then throw all the meat & asparagus in the pan and saute. Sprinkle the meat and asparagus with salt and pepper and add 2 tablespoons of the pesto with an additional 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Saute for about 4-5 minutes, or just until the seafood is done. You will have some "sauce" in the pan. You'll want to separate the sauce and put it in a small saucepan.

The shrimp is done right when it turns pink and the scallops are opaque and both are slightly firm. Do not overcook the shrimp and scallops. Your Filet will be cooked about medium to medium well if you cook it with your seafood. If you like your meat to be medium-rare or rare, you can saute it separately and add it to the mixture after your seafood is cooked.

This is the pan drippings that I used as the base for the pasta sauce..I had a few pieces of asparagus that fell into the saucepan...that's ok...it'll just add flavor to the pasta sauce. If you don't have a lot of pan drippings, remove your meat & asparagus from the pan and put the pan back on the stove. Heat the pan up and add about a cup of water and using a wooden spoon, try to get as much of the spices and drippings that are stuck on the pan off to create a nice base for your pasta sauce.

You add 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 cups of half and half or heavy cream to the drippings and heat to right before it boils. Turn the heat off and add 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, mix well. If the sauce is not thick enough, put back on the heat for another minute or two...but the sauce will thicken as it sits so don't thicken it too much. Taste to make sure it has enough salt for your liking. I added a pinch of salt to my sauce.

You can serve this with any kind of pasta. I used Rigatoni. You can mix your pasta with the sauce or you can drizzle the sauce on top like I did. The sauce is pretty rich so I prefer to drizzle the sauce on top of the pasta.

I liked scooping up the pasta sauce with these big shrimp. Yum.

This was so good. This is seriously a dinner you could make to impress your family or guests. This is fine dining at home!

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!

Mmmmm Prosciutto!

I must say...I do love salty, fatty meats...especially prosciutto! I use prosciutto a lot (kinda how I like throwing bacon into everything too). I especially love the flavor of prosciutto with seafood, like shrimp and scallops. I make these prosciutto-wrapped shrimp and scallops that always are a hit when I throw a party. They're really not hard to make, and a step above bacon-wrapped. I like to serve them with a pesto aioli (recipe follows).

Pesto Aioli:

10-12 fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup virgin olive oil

In a blender, pulse basil leaves, garlic, lemon juice and egg yolks (careful not to blend too much).
Then on low speed, slowly add the olive oil, until mixture emulsifies or thickens.
Refrigerate for 1 hour.

If you do not want to make aioli, you can just make a pesto mayo that works just as well. Instead, mix 1 cup of mayo with basil leaves, lemon juice and garlic and pulse in a food processor until blended. For this recipe I do not add salt or Parmesan cheese because the prosciutto is salty, but if you want to make this for a non-salty item or for a sandwich spread, adding salt & about 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese is needed for flavor.

Prosciutto-wrapped shrimp:

20 Large Uncooked Shrimp (13-15/lb or 16-20/lb) peeled & deveined

10 thin slices of prosciutto

2 tablespoons chopped fresh or dry basil

2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic or granulated garlic

1/4 cup melted sweet, unsalted butter

Lemon wedges for garnish

Coat the shrimp with the basil and garlic in a bowl (do not add any salt as the prosciutto is salty). Slice each piece of prosciutto in half lengthwise and wrap each shrimp with the prosciutto and lay them on a baking sheet (I lightly spray my baking sheet with cooking spray). I don't always use skewers, but if you have them on hand, you can use wooden toothpicks or skewers to keep the prosciutto in place (just make sure you soak the toothpicks or skewers in water for about 30 minutes before so they don't burn in the oven or on the grill). Once all your shrimp are wrapped, brush the tops with the melted butter. Broil the shrimp for about 2 mintues then flip over and broil another 2 minutes or until the shrimp are opaque and bright pink. These can be served warm or cold. They are yummy both ways.

Cocktail Shrimp Shooters

I love cocktail shrimp and everyone has it at parties and weddings...so here's a new way to serve it that will look amazing and control how much shrimp people eat! I also am giving you a recipe for a yummy cocktail sauce with a new kind of kick!

You can buy pre-cooked shrimp but it's always so much better if you have the time to cook your own (plus it's cheaper to buy uncooked shrimp). I prefer using 13-15 shrimp or 16-20 shrimp (this number tells you how many shrimp are in one pound, the lower the number, the bigger the shrimp) If you can't find these or they're way too expensive, use 21-25 or 26-30...but I wouldn't go much bigger for this recipe as each shrimp stands on his own in the shot glass. I also buy already peeled and deveined shrimp, there are chefs who say cooking shrimp in their shell is better, but I have not found that to be the case....do an experiment...it's so much easier to either buy the already peeled shrimp or to even peel and devein them before cooking (just remember to leave the tail on)! You can boil, broil or steam the shrimp, however you like....I like to steam them for this recipe.

Shrimp Cocktail

1-2 lbs peeled and deveined shrimp (depending on how much you want to make)

1 medium or large pot with a steam basket (you can use a colander if you don't have a steam basket)

Fill the pot about half way with water and begin bringing the water to a boil. Arrange the shrimp around the basket in a single layer. As the water starts to come to a boil, put the basket of shrimp on the pot, cover with a lid and turn the heat down. The shrimp are cooked as soon as they are opaque, firm and bright pink in color. Don't overcook! I arrange the cooked shrimp on a platter and throw ice on them as soon as they are done for a few minutes to stop the cooking process then refrigerate until ready to serve.

Estimated Cooking Time for Steamed Shrimp:

21-25 per pound steam in 5 1/2 to 6 minutes

16-20 shrimp per pound takes 6 1/2 to 7 minutes

8-12 per pound take 7 1/2 to 8 minutes.

Wasabi Cocktail Sauce:

1 cup chili sauce or ketchup if you don't have chili sauce

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tablespoon wasabi

2 teaspoons horseradish

1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt
In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

For the shooters, you can buy the plastic shot glasses or use really small cocktail or rocks glasses. Start by putting a spoonful of the cocktail sauce in the bottom of the glass, arrange the shrimp around the rim of each glass and garnish with sprigs of chives. You can also serve these at an intimate dinner party by using a martini glass and serving several shrimp around the rim of the glass as a starter to your meal. These are so pretty and a modern way of serving up an old favorite! Enjoy!