Not So Shrimpy Shrimp

My hubby wanted some kind of fish for dinner on Sunday night, so I took out jumbo shrimp.  There are alot of different ways to make shrimp, so it was something easy.  Shrimp is not the cheapest fish to buy, the price is always up.  But if I happen upon a sale, I buy it and store it in the freezer.  I usually buy cooked, shelled, deveined shrimp unless I am putting it on the grill, then I buy raw shrimp.

It was chilly outside on Sunday so I used cooked shrimp for this dish, because I was going to have to cook it inside.  I rummaged through the fridge, found a container full of fresh crab meat that I had to use and started pulling other ingredients out of the pantry.  I lined my ingredients up, and decided it would be crab stuffed butterflied shrimp with white wine butter sauce for dinner.  Amazing things happen in the kitchen when I let my creative juices flow. This shrimp was easy and didn't take a lot of time to prepare.  The hubby was oohing and ahhing all over the place when dinner was served, he was definitely a happy guy!

Just a few of my ingredients to make this awesome shrimp.

 Break the crab up with a fork, pick through it for any shells, and rinse the shrimp.

 Mix together mayo, breadcrumbs and old bay.

 Butterfly the shrimp, stand up on a baking sheet.

 Drop a teaspoon of the crab mixture on to each shrimp and bake.  I told you it was easy!

 The wine butter sauce for dipping, delicious!

 It was gone as soon as it hit the plate, yeah he devoured it, and repeatedly kept saying I love you, I love you, I love you......

Crab Stuffed Butterflied Shrimp with White Wine Butter Sauce

Ingredients

Olive Oil 

16-20 cooked jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2  lb of fresh crab meat, picked through for any shells

1/2 cup of mayonnaise

2 tablespoons seasoned breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon Old Bay Seafood Seasoning

For the Sauce

2 tablespoons butter

2 cloves of minced garlic

2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley

Juice of a whole lemon

1/2 cup dry white wine or cooking wine

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Use about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to coat a baking sheet so the shrimp do not stick to the pan.  Rinse the shrimp in a colander and make sure they are clean, no veins.  Taking a sharp knife go down the back of the shrimp, cutting it so you can open it, but do not cut all the way through.  Pull the shrimp open a little bit, and place them on the baking sheet cut side down with the tails up.

Add crab meat to a medium size bowl.  Add the mayo, breadcrumbs and Old Bay seasoning.  Mix until all is combined.  Drop 1 teaspoon of crab meat mixture to each flattened shrimp.  Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until crab meat is lightly browned.  You can also place under the broiler for a few minutes if you want it a little crispy, watch so they don't burn.

White Wine Butter Sauce: Melt butter in a small pan over medium high heat.  Add garlic and saute until fragrant.  Add the parsley and lemon juice.  Cook for 2 minutes, add the white wine.  Reduce heat to medium and cook for another 3 minutes.  Pour the sauce over the shrimp or serve on the side for dipping.

Quick Brother Devil Shrimp (Shrimp Fra Diavolo)

Was cooking dinner for just the hubby and me the other night, and wanted to make something fast and easy, so Shrimp Fra Diavolo was on the menu.  It's football season and the TV was on, so every woman knows what that means, dinner in front of the big screen.  I didn't mind though, I can bear watching football, although most of the plays I don't even understand.  So while I was busy getting our meal together the hubby was busy putting up TV tables, and setting our places.

I usually make my Fra Diavolo sauce from scratch, but this jarred version caught my eye at Giant, so I decided to give it a try.  It tastes exactly like the Shrimp Fra Diavolo at my local favorite Italian restaurant.  I have to say I was not disappointed in this jarred sauce at all.   Knowing this is on the shelf at the grocery store makes me wonder why I even make it from scratch. Recipe below.

Dinner was ready in about 30 minutes.  I added garlic bread, fresh grated Locatelli cheese, and a glass of red wine.

 Shrimp Fra Diavolo

1- 25 oz jar of Fra Diavolo Sauce
10 Jumbo sized frozen raw shrimp, thawed, shells on
1/2 lb linguine
Freshly grated Locatelli or Parmesan cheese


On high heat, start a pot of salted water on the stove and bring to a boil.  In another small pot, filled halfway with water, add the raw shrimp, and cook over medium-high heat until the shrimp are done, about 2-3 minutes or until they are pink. In the meantime, heat the jar of sauce in a medium size sauce pan over medium - low heat.

When the water for the pasta comes to a boil, add the pasta and stir.  Continue to cook to your likeness, I like mine al dente.  When the shrimp are done, drain, peel, set them aside.  When the pasta is done, drain and transfer to a serving bowl.  Combine the shrimp with the sauce, heat the shrimp through for a few minutes, then toss with the pasta. Top with grated cheese and serve.  Makes 2 servings.