Sorry for my prolonged absence! There’s this little thing – my Master’s thesis – that I’m frantically trying to finish. Between that (my day job) and wedding planning (my night job), one could say I’ve been busy. Gourmet, home-cooked meals are the farthest thing from my mind right now, and although I’m dying to test some recipes from my newly purchased bread cookbooks, I just don’t have the time.
What I do have time for are quick, easy meals. These days, I’m sporting a pescetarian (fish and veggies only) diet during the week, and saving poultry and red meat for the weekends. It’s part of my active goal to be healthier, and eating less meat and more veggies can’t hurt, right? I’m hoping I can make this change permanent, because I really love how I feel when I go for that “roasted veggies wrap” at the coffee shop instead of a sandwich with “turkey and chipotle cheddar.”
No, I do not plan on becoming a full-on vegetarian. There’s just no way I could turn down a good piece of seared foie gras, or beef short ribs that fall apart like butter, or (gasp!) pork belly/lamb belly/boar belly/anything-belly. I love these things too much. Thus, my “weekday pescetarianism.”
What? It’s totally a thing.
I love shrimp cocktail. Until recently, I’d never made it at home, but it’s remarkably easy. The most time consuming step is peeling the shrimp after they’ve cooked. If you’ve got 20 minutes, you can make this appetizer.
What you’ll need:
Directions
Mix all of the cocktail sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
BTW, this is fresh horseradish:
Yum. I always used to avoid this condiment at our Passover seder, but now I can’t get enough.
In a large pot, combine 6 quarts of water with Old Bay, lemon, granulated garlic, minced garlic, chili powder, cayenne, and salt. Bring to a boil, then add the shrimp.
When the water returns to a boil, the shrimp should be bright pink and have floated to the top. They’re done!
Immediately drain and place the shrimp into an ice bath to cool for a few minutes.
Peel the shrimp, but leave the tails on.
Serve with cocktail sauce.
Perfect! (Please pretend you don’t see my dog’s cage/toys in the background. He owns the kitchen.)
P.S. Do not be surprised if I make and bring this to every dinner party I’m invited to from here on out.
Shrimp Cocktail
*Recipe adapted from Simply Recipes.
Yields: 1 lb shrimp
Time: 20 minutes (plus time for water to boil and cocktail sauce to rest)
Ingredients
For sauce:
- ½ cup Heinz chili sauce
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1 ½ – 2 tablespoons fresh grated horseradish root
- 1 dash Worcestershire sauce
- Juice of ½ lemon, fresh
- ½ clove garlic, minced
- 1-2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
For shrimp:
- 2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 lb extra large tail-on shrimp, raw (do NOT use frozen shrimp — they come out tasting like rubber)
Instructions
- Mix all of the cocktail sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- In a large pot, combine 6 quarts of water with Old Bay, lemon, granulated garlic, minced garlic, chili powder, cayenne, and salt. Bring to a boil, then add the shrimp.
- When the water returns to a boil, the shrimp should be bright pink and have floated to the top. They’re done!
- Immediately drain and place the shrimp into an ice bath to cool for a few minutes.
- Peel the shrimp, but leave the tails on. Serve with cocktail sauce.
glad your back, LOVE LOVE shrimp cocktail!! thanks for sharing
sweetlife