We are serious shrimp people. Actually, we are serious seafood people. We LOOOOOOOVE being in the water. I won’t point her out but one of my sisters even has webbed toes. Lol j/k.  Last night I made the infamous Linguine with Shrimp Scampi that is a fav to a few people around here. However, I stored a few for the people who have been asking me for the recipe for the coconut shrimp I posted pics of on Facebook a couple months ago. (See, I try to look out )

Well, I won’t keep you. (That’s what my aunt says AFTER keeping you on the phone for about 2 hours o_O)  This is super easy, super quick and super tasty! Get to it!  

Recipe slightly adapted from Simply Recipes

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon chili-garlic hot sauce (optional)
• 1 pound tail-on shrimp, shelled but leave tail on*
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons coconut milk (or regular milk)
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup Japanese panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
• Oil, for frying (I used vegetable)

 *  I prefer at least the U15, flash frozen wild Jumbo shrimp (pictured). “U15” means that there are less than 15 shrimp in a pound. The larger the number the more shrimp you get in a single pound. (Popcorn shrimp would be about 41 to 50 per pound).

Directions

1 In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce and the chili-garlic hot sauce (optional). Set aside.

2 With a paring knife, slice down deep at the middle of the back of the shrimp, but do not cut all the way through. Discard the black vein/tract.

3 Set three shallow bowls side by side. Place flour in the first bowl; whisk the egg and coconut milk in the second; and combine the panko and coconut flakes in the third.

4 Lightly season shrimp with salt and pepper.

5 Heat 2 inches of oil in a sauté pan over moderate heat until thermometer registers 350°F.

6 As the oil is heating, bread the shrimp by dipping the shrimp on both sides in the flour and shaking excess off. Next dip in the egg/coconut milk mixture and then in the panko/coconut flakes, patting to ensure the coating sticks well.

7 Fry the shrimp in small batches for 2-3 minutes until golden brown on both sides. Serve with Sweet Chili Mayo for dipping.

Serves 4.

This weekend was a really exciting one. My mother, 3 of my sisters and their children came up from Miami to visit for my husband’s bday on Saturday. For some odd reason, he wanted to show the kids a good time for HIS birthday. Anyway, I was very excited to cook for them and just HAD to prepare something special WHILE still sticking to the plan to continue to be adventurous in the kitchen. They are pretty critical so I was a little apprehensive. In the end, I decided to so with something old and something new; Bananas Foster French Toast (made with fresh croissants) and Cook’s Magazine’s- Southern Shrimp and Grits. I’ve made a shrimp and grits recipe before and it was good but this one was FANTASTIC. The other one (pictured in an earlier post) had awesome flavor that was combined with the shrimp before it topped the grits. In the current recipe, there was flavor ALL OVA THE PLACE!!! It was fantastic, simple, and the presentation was phenomenal!! I was so proud that my experimentation worked out because they are used to my mother’s fabulous cooking and I was very nervous.

SOUTHERN SHRIMP AND GRITS

RECIPE NOTES:

1-Do not sub instant grits here. 2-You MUST have an ovensafe skillet. (Don’t worry about buying anything fancy, make sure everything is metal (handles, enforcements, etc.) and that there is no rubber. The one I have is Wolfgang Puck (a gift from mom and dad that they tried to take back this weekend, lol. ) that I’ve had forever. 3-You can substitute smoked cheddar or smoked gouda for the extra-sharp cheddar.

2 tbs unsalted butter
1 onion, minced ( about 1 cup)
1 tea salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tes minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
3 1/2 c water
1/2 c heavy cream
1 cup old-fashioned grits
6 oz extra sharp white cheddar, shredded (about 1 1/2 c)
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 scallions, thinly sliced (+ 1 to add for garnish just before serving)
1/4 tea pepper (again, I like the large pepper flakes for appearance)
1 1/2 pound extra large shrimp (21 to 25 ct) *

Adjust oven rach to middle position and heat to 450 degrees. (When you can, please buy an oven thermometer. You’ll be more pleased with the outcome of your oven dishes and recipes won’t seem so off, lol. More than likely, the actual temperature of the oven is 25-50 degrees lower than the oven may report, $4.50)

Melt butter in a 12 in ovensafe skillet over med heat. Add onion and salt and cook until softened, 5 to 7 mins. Stir in garlic and chipolte and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Stir in water and cream and bring to boil. Slowly whisk in grits. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring freq., until grits are thick and creamy, about 15 mins. Off the heat, whisk in cheddar, eggs, scallions, and pepper. Lay the shrimp on their sides in a pinwheel formation over the grits and then press on them lightly to submerge about halfway. Bake the casserole untl the top is browned, the grits are hot and the shrimp are cooked through, about 15 mins. Let cool 15 mins before serving.

*Try to leave the tail meat on the shrimp (the fan part at the end) to give it lenght. I takes a little more time when cleanin gb/c if you’re like me, you just snatch that part off and keep it moving. Also, when placing the shrimp, stretch them out to get the pinwheel effect. It was definitely a crowd pleaser.

(Recipe courtesy of Food Network.com)

Level: Easy, 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil ( I quasi-covered the bottom of the skillet with the EVOO)
• 1 medium white onion, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 pound andouille or spicy Italian spicy sausage, cut in chunks
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 to 3 bay leaves
• 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on
• Pinch cayenne pepper, adjust to personal preference
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 4 tbsp butter (if using precooked sausage for liquid to make roux)

 Directions:

Place a deep skillet over medium heat and coat with the olive oil.

Add the onion and garlic; saute for 2 minutes to soften.

Add the sausage and cook, stirring, until there is a fair amount of fat in the pan and the sausage is brown. ****

Sprinkle in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to create a roux.

Slowly pour in the chicken stock and continue to stir to avoid lumps.

Toss in the bay leaves.

When the liquid comes to a simmer, add the shrimp.

Poach the shrimp in the stock for 2 to 3 minutes, until they are firm and pink and the gravy is smooth and thick.

Add the cayenne pepper, Tabasco and lemon juice.

Season with salt and pepper; stir in the parsley and green onion.

Spoon the grits into a serving bowl.

Add the shrimp mixture and mix well.

Serve immediately over grits.

Garnish with red pepper.

**** Zina’s note: Because the sausage was precooked (Dairy aisle at Publix), it didn’t render much fat so I added a little more EVOO and 2 Tbsp of butter to add some liquid to the pan before adding the flour.