May 2nd 10

Spicy Shrimp Stir Fry

So I made some stir fry to top my delicious lK Lo-Carb RICE, and it was so good that I just had to share!

First, I covered the bottom of a heavy-bottomed skillet with olive oil.  While that was warming up, I chopped 3 cloves of garlic, pre-sliced mushrooms (prepped-for-me veggies are a huge time-saver!), and peppers (I had orange ones on hand).  I put them all together in a pan, and sautéed, uncovered, on medium-high heat till they were still crisp, but a little cooked.  Just Fyi, this is called Crisp-Tender, and it’s a term that means a state of a cooked food, usually referencing vegetables, where it’s cooked to give color and change it’s original texture, but still has some resistance when you bite it, or stick a fork in it.  Make sense?  Good.  Now, moving on, class :- )

While that was cooking down, I took my 1/2 pound of medium-sized shrimp, took the shells and tails off, and rinsed.

TIP:  When you buy seafood, a great place to “house” it until it’s ready to go in the pan, is right in the sink, on top of the butcher-type paper it came in.  This of course depends on your grocery store, but at my store, fresh seafood comes in a plastic produce-type bag, then wrapped in brown butcher paper.  I simply remove the brown paper, put it in the sink (usually the price sticker/outside of the packaging is sink-side down), then rest my rinsed seafood there until it’s ready to go in the pan.  It doesn’t necessarily DO anything, I just find it’s out-of-the-way and frees up counterspace, as well as keeps me from having to dirty (and consequently have to disinfect) another dish or cutting board.   

Once the shrimp were on the brown paper, I made them “Spicy Shrimp” by doing what I do best with regards to seafood: coated it with Old Bay! (I love that stuff!) Season well, and let them hang in the sink for a while.

Next, I took 1/4 cup lite soy sauce mixed with 1/2 c water, and brought that to a simmer.  When that was done, I stuffed all the quick-cook stuff on top (for me this was a bag of frozen brocoli, 1/2 pound of pea pods and the shrimp) and packed a cover down on top of it so the stuff on top would steam.

I steamed ’till all was fully cooked, and enjoyed!  You know it’s done when the shrimp are pink and curled (But not too curled! Overcooked seafood is rubbery, and just nasty!), and the peapods and broccoli were bright green.  Here’s what mine looked like:

This is wonderful the next day as leftovers!!  Also, you can put some cooked chicken or beef atop this, or leave out the meat for a nice vegetarian option.

Related posts:

1. Lobster, Shrimp, and Scallop Scampi
2. Hallie's Coconut Shrimp with Pineapple Sauce
3. Garlic Butter Steak and Shrimp
4. Sunny Sundried Tomato Pesto
5. Thai Corn Cakes with Shrimp and Cilantro Mayo