Shrimp – Kara Cooks and Eats

Shrimp tacos with kohlrabi slaw

Since I’m pretty much always in the mood for tacos, I used this as an excuse to find a creative way to use my kohlrabi. Kohlrabi is in the cabbage family so I thought it would make a perfect slaw for some seafood tacos. For me, pickled cabbage is a very important component of fish tacos.

I made the slaw, crema, and taco seasoning ahead of time, which made the shrimp cooking and dinner prep pretty quick and easy. And the results definitely satisfied my taco craving!

Shrimp tacos with kohlrabi slaw and lime crema
Serves: 4

Shrimp prep

Ingredients
For the kohlrabi slaw
2 bulbs kohlrabi, peeled and shredded (about 2 1/2 cups)

2 Tablespoons distilled white vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

For the lime crema
1/4 cup sour cream
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice

For the shrimp
1 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined, and with tails removed
1 Tablespoon canola oil, divided
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 Tablespoon taco seasoning

Shrimp tacos

1 garlic scape or 1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

Corn tortillas

Avocado, sliced

Directions
1. In a medium bowl, mix together the ingredients for the kohlrabi slaw and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the lime crema and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the shrimp, taco seasoning, 1/2 Tablespoon canola oil, and lime juice. In a large saucepan, heat the other 1/2 Tablespoon canola oil over medium heat. Add garlic and jalepeno and cook, stirring frequently 2-3 minutes, until softened. Add shrimp and cook until they are pink and opaque, 4-5 minutes.

4. Warm tortillas. To each tortilla, layer shrimp, kohlrabi slaw, sliced avocado, and drizzle with lime crema. Enjoy!

Thai shrimp soup

Hello March, it is nice to see you! It was also nice to enjoy this warm, flavorful Thai-style soup last week, which helped me get through the end of February. I am ready for spring, so wasn’t sad to say good-bye to February. Though now I kind of hope we get enough snow to break all the records…at least then we would be truly justified in saying that this was “the worst winter evah.”

As I embarked on making this recipe, I should have paid a little more attention to the quantities *before* I got started. I am a leftover-lover but this recipe made so much! I decided to share some with a friend because I wasn’t sure how well coconut milk would freeze. Next time, I will probably just halve the recipe…or perhaps another friend will get lucky with a free meal.

I found that I needed (wanted) to add quite a bit of salt to coax out the flavors, perhaps because I used low-sodium broth. If using low-sodium broth, I’d probably add 1/2 teaspoon of salt at the time of adding the coconut milk and the broth, and then to taste. I would also have added some heat in the form of diced jalapeno or red pepper flakes. Lemongrass would be a nice addition as well.

Step 1: cook shrimp

Thai shrimp soup
Serves: 6
Source: Damn Delicious via Pinterest

Ingredients
1 Tablespoon butter
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 Tablespoons red curry paste

Big pot o’ steamy soup

2 cans unsweetened light coconut milk
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or stock
2 packages ramen noodles, spice packet discarded
Juice of 1 lime
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions
1. In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until pink, about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally; set aside.

Big bowl o’ soup

2. Add garlic, onion, and bell pepper to the pot. Cook until tender, about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in curry paste until well combined, about 1 minute. Gradually stir in coconut milk and vegetable stock, and cook, whisking constantly until incorporated, about 1-2 minutes.

3. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 8-10 minutes.

4. Stir in shrimp, ramen, and lime juice, and cook an additional 3-4 minutes or until noodles are cooked.

5. Top with cilantro for serving and enjoy!

Olive oil baked shrimp

Ingredient prep, part 1

I saw this recipe in People magazine (apparently from the July 9, 2012 issue), which I get through my magazine swap with Kendrin…she gets my Boston’s and I get her People’s.

I was drawn to the simplicity and the very short cooking time. It’s a one-pan meal, as I used the same saute pan for prepping ingredients as I did for cooking. This was truly fast, easy, and super delicious.

Ingredient prep, part 2

I also like all things Top Chef-related, and this recipe is from Hung Huynh, the winner of the show’s third season. Thanks Hung! This season of the show (currently airing) takes place in Boston and it’s been fun to see the chefs cooking all over my city and the guest appearances, like Ming Tsai and Michael Schlow

Olive oil baked shrimp

Serves: 2-3

Source: adapted from People magazine

Ingredients

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 cloves garlic, chopped

Dinner is served!

1/4 cup chopped fresh tomatoes (I used two cocktail-sized tomatoes)

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 Tablespoons white wine

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon red pepper flakes

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Combine all ingredients in an oven-safe saute pan, and bake for 10 minutes.

Roasted shrimp and broccoli

Before I get started, I just have to take a moment to say YAY to my 150th post! It has been fun cooking and eating with you all! Also, feel free to chat with me on Twitter (@kbecker57) and Instagram (kbecker57).

This is another recipe via Pinterest (thanks Claire Blay-relli) which turned out pretty yummy, and got a seal of approval from my parents who were visiting last weekend.

I like to keep frozen (raw) shrimp in stock, but I did have to buy the broccoli (can’t believe I had to buy vegetables with all my CSA goods). The day before I planned to make this, I pulled the shrimp out of the freezer and let it defrost in the refrigerator, in its bag, in a colander, in a bowl. When I was ready to start cooking, I tried to pat the shrimp dry before tossing with the olive oil and lemon zest (step 3 below).

The original recipe suggested cooking the broccoli alone for 10 minutes, then cooking the shrimp with the broccoli for 10 minutes. I think the shrimp got a little overcooked, so I’d check on them around 8 minutes or so.

I was planning to use ground coriander and cumin, but I discovered that I had whole coriander seeds and whole cumin seeds in my spice rack. I had no idea! These spices gave it a really nice and interesting flavor. I would definitely make this again.

Roasted Shrimp & Broccoli

Broccoli ready for the oven

Source: adapted from the Amateur Gourmet (via Pinterest)

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 pounds fresh broccoli florets

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp whole coriander seeds (or 1/2 tsp ground)

1 tsp whole cumin seeds (or 1/2 tsp ground)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp chili powder

1 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 Tbsp lemon zest (from 1 lemon)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F.

Ready to eat!

2. On a large cookie sheet, toss together broccoli, 2 Tbsp olive oil, coriander, cumin, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and chili powder. Spread into a single layer and pop into the oven for 10 minutes.

3. While the broccoli is cooking, toss shrimp with 1 Tbsp olive oil, lemon zest, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper in a large bowl. When the broccoli’s been in the oven 12 minutes, add the shrimp to the broccoli and toss (carefully).

4. Roast another 8 minutes, tossing once halfway through, until the broccoli is “tender and golden around the edges.”

Pasta salad with shrimp

I found a summer squash recipe that I was excited to try, and I got a summer squash in my CSA…perfect timing! I made this for a fun Labor Day barbecue.

Mise en place

The recipe said that “the hot pasta will will the spinach and soften the squash”, which didn’t really happen. The squash was ok because I sliced it very thinly, but next time I would probably toss the spinach in the pan with the shrimp to properly wilt. I also tossed in some chopped tomatoes with the shrimp. I tossed in the olives last, and made sure to reserve some without olives for my olive-hating friends.

Pasta salad with shrimp
Source: Adapted from Everyday Food, July/August 2010
Serves: 4-6

Shrimp prep

Ingredients
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 pound short pasta, such as fusilli
1 medium yellow squash, thinly sliced crosswise
1/3 cup roughly chopped pitted Kalamata or Niçoise olives
4 lightly packed cups baby spinach (3 1/4 ounces)
1 tsp grated lemon zest
Juice from 1 lemon
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp paprika

Version sans olives

Directions
1. In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain pasta, transfer to a large bowl, and toss with squash, olives, lemon zest and juice, dill, mustard, and 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
2. In a medium bowl, toss shrimp with garlic and paprika. In a large skillet, heat 2 tsp oil over medium-high heat. Add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until opaque throughout, about 3 minutes. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Top pasta with shrimp.