SICILIAN SHRIMP

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

What is not to love about shrimp? Shrimp, in fact, is the favorite seafood of most Americans, outselling even tuna. The flavor and texture is similar to lobster, but shrimp is far more versatile, and less expensive. They cook quickly and easily. They are excellent boiled, broiled, grilled, barbecued, sauteed, and, of course, fried.

Because of its popularity, shrimp is big business. Most of it arrives at your store frozen. Even on the Gulf Coast, where I live, the shrimp down at the large corner grocery store arrives frozen. I would have to drive to a local seafood market or down to the docks myself to get fresh shrimp. While snobby about fresh fish, I do not have the same opinion about shrimp. Frozen is fine.

Note: Almost half the shrimp consumed world wide are farm-raised in Asia and Latin America. The organization, Seafood Watch, warns that we should not buy imported shrimp from Asia because their shrimping practices damage the environment. Asian shrimp are the Black Tiger, Tiger Prawn, White Shrimp, and Ebi. For more information, go to: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx

This recipe is one of my family’s favorites. You take simple ingredients, flour, shrimp, garlic, oregano, and lemon and toss them into a hot skillet. Five minutes later, you have an amazing meal.

Note: The convenience of frozen shrimp cannot be beat. Keep frozen peeled and deveined shrimp on hand for quick meals. Simply place frozen shrimp in a colander under cool running water for 5 minutes to thaw. Pat completely dry and cook. (If you cook them wet, they will steam instead of saute).

Frozen shrimp thaw in about 3-5 minutes under a shower of cool water

1/4 cup all purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp dried Greek or Mediterranean oregano
juice of 1 small lemon
1-2 Tbsp Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1. DO AHEAD: PREP SHRIMP Combine flour, salt and pepper in a sealable plastic bag. Set aside. If your shrimp are frozen, thaw them under running water, dry them, and then put into another sealable plastic bag and refrigerate until you are ready to cook.

2. SAUTE: Working in batches, toss the shrimp in the seasoned flour, lightly coating them and then shaking off the excess. In a large skillet, heat butter and olive oil over MEDIUM HIGH heat. When it is hot, add garlic and oregano and stir for 30 seconds. Add shrimp in batches if necessary so they do not touch while they cook. Sauté shrimp until pink on both sides, about 1-2 minutes per side. Remove from heat and sprinkle with chopped parsley + lemon juice. Serve warm with pasta, rice or with crusty bread and a salad.