I don't know about you, but I have ruined a LOT of expensive shrimp over the years by not cooking it properly. I have been known to turn $20 dollars worth of beautiful raw shrimp into a bowl of shrimp that has the texture erasers!!  Very frustrating for sure!!

Well, not any more, my friends!! I have found the easiest, quickest, most fool proof and certainly most delicious way to cook RAW shrimp. Where has this recipe been all my life?? Am I the only one who didn't know this trick?

A QUICK 30 MINUTE BRINE
1 cup cold water
2 cups ice (I just used an ice cube tray full)
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup white sugar

Mix the brine ingredients well, then add 1 pound of large raw shrimp (roughly 25 shrimp to the pound) that have had the heads, shell and back vein removed (leave the tail on if you want).

Stir the shrimp GENTLY into the brine and make sure it reaches all of the shrimp evenly, then chill (shrimp in brine) in the fridge for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, drain the shrimp and RINSE WELL UNDER COLD RUNNING WATER.  Drain and BLOT DRY with paper towels. Keep shrimp cold while your broiler heats up.

Put a DRY (no grease) cookie sheet (with a rim) under the broiler (about 6" from the flame) and preheat it for FIVE FULL MINUTES.

While the pan is heating up, put 1 tablespoon olive oil in a bowl and add 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and 1/8 to 1/4 cayenne pepper (but no salt because the shrimp will still have a little salt from the brine on them). Stir until well mixed and then add the shrimp and GENTLY toss to coat all sides of the shrimp.

After the pan has pre-heated under the broiler for FIVE MINUTES, put the shrimp on it (they will sizzle). Quickly put the HOT pan full of shrimp under the broiler.

Broil (6" away from flame) for 2 minutes, then flip the shrimp over, and broil for 1 more minute.

Remove the shrimp from your broiler, AND TAKE THEM OFF OF THE HOT PAN IMMEDIATELY(or they will continue to cook and get rubbery). That's it!! Easy as pie.

Shrimp cooked with this method are extremely tender and flavorful. This is a great technique for ANY recipe that calls for pre-cooked shrimp.  It is also a GREAT method to cook shrimp for a big crowd!!

ENJOY !!

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October 29, 2021

We REALLY enjoy this comfort food casserole served with a big green salad. It is packed with tons of shrimp, rice and veggies in a creamy cheese sauce and topped with seasoned bread crumbs.

It is perfect for ANY family potluck or as an "add on" dish for a large holiday gathering.

You can put this together early in the day and bake it off at dinner time...it serves 8 hungry people.

1 1/2 cups UNcooked long grain rice
3 cups chicken broth 
1 tablespoon butter

In a large sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat and add the RAW rice. Stir and let the rice kernels toast in the butter for a couple minutes, then add 3 cups chicken broth. Stir, COVER and turn heat down super low and cook the rice for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Keep covered and set aside.

Next, saute the following together:

1/2 cup butter (*don't freak out, see note below)
3 celery stalks chopped small
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 green onions sliced thinly
1 red bell pepper seeded and chopped small 
2 cups of your favorite fresh veggies (broccoli? mushrooms?)

Saute, gently till tender, then take off the heat and set aside.

Next, peel, de-vein, wash and pat dry 1½ pounds of fresh shrimp (see note below about frozen shrimp). 

In a bowl, mix the following until smooth:

(2) cans cream of shrimp soup (undiluted)
1 cup milk
2 cups shredded colby-jack cheese
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Mix  the soup/milk/cheese/pepper until smooth, then gently stir in raw shrimp and cooked rice and cooked veggies.

Place mixture in greased 10 x 15 baking dish and sprinkle with bread crumbs (see bread crumb recipe below). Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

ENJOY !!!

NOTE: It might sound like 1/2 cup butter is a lot, but remember that this recipe serves 8 (1 tablespoon per serving) and 1/2 cup of butter is necessary for the right sauce consistency.

NOTE: Make sure you use Colby-Jack cheese.  Cheddar (only) is not a good choice here. Just make sure your choice of cheese is creamy when melted.

NOTE: If you can't find cream of shrimp soup, cream of celery soup would work well too.

NOTE: For the bread crumb topping, Just put a couple of tablespoons of butter in a fry pan along with 2 cups of bread crumbs (plus a 1/2 teaspoon of  kosher salt and a healthy pinch of black pepper and a pinch of cayenne pepper) and stir them until they get toasty brown, then sprinkle on the casserole before you bake it.

NOTE: If you are using fresh shrimp, ignore the following note, but if you are using frozen shrimp, it is extremely important that you thaw the shrimp in a colander overnight in the fridge (do not speed thaw in running water). It is unbelievable how  much water will drain out of the frozen shrimp and that water will make your casserole SOUPY and SOGGY IF YOU SKIP THIS STEP. Let the shrimp thaw overnight, then the next day, rinse them and pat them dry. I usually use medium size shrimp for this recipe.

Happy Holiday!!

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November 09, 2019