Two-Pepper Shrimp

Sense of Home Kitchen

The weather has warmed and I am once again riding my bicycle.  I ride to work when the weather permits and I have written about the benefits here, the "Ode to Bicycles" poem by Pablo Neruda here, and how I like to stop at the farmer's market on the way home here.  Yes, I am thrilled to be riding bike to work again.  Friday evening my husband and I went for a 6 mile ride, winter was long, cold, and snowy, but I think (hope) spring is here to stay.  We even hung our clothes on the line on Saturday, the first time this spring, 6 weeks later than last year.  That is one of the things I like about writing, I can look back and see what I was doing this time last year.

Last year I had started preserving asparagus already and just shy of a year ago I went foraging for asparagus for the first time.  Spring came late this year, but the plants will catch up and we will be in full-swing before I know it, I had better be prepared, find that pickled asparagus recipe and make sure I have canning lids on hand.

With the arrival of warmer temperatures we are cooking some lighter dishes (not completely as you will see in upcoming recipes) and eating more salads.  This recipe is light and has just enough spice with the crushed red pepper and black pepper to provide lots of flavor.  I used precooked shrimp because living in the middle of the country sometimes means you take what you can get.  Because it was precooked and only takes 2 minutes to heat through I did not add the shrimp until the sauce was made and warming then I added them to the sauce and heated it all together.  The shrimp is served on a bed of romaine lettuce and cucumbers that have been soaked briefly in rice vinegar.  The leftover shrimp and sauce I served the next night on Thai rice noodles, which was wonderful too.

Two-Pepper Shrimp

~From the Sense of Home Kitchen adapted from Bon Appétit, April 1996~

Serves 4

The Shrimp

1 pound of uncooked large shrimp, peeled deveined

4 tablespoons dry white wine

2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

The Vegetable

8 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 cups cold water

5 cups shredded romaine lettuce

1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

The Sauce

1/2 cup bottled clam juice

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon sugar

4 teaspoons olive oil

1 pound onions, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons of reserved juice from canned whole tomatoes

1/2 cup canned whole tomatoes

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon dried parsley

Mix shrimp, 2 tablespoons wine, ginger, black pepper and crushed red pepper in a large bowl.  Cover and chill 30 minutes.  Remove the shrimp, reserving the marinade.

Pour 7 tablespoons rice vinegar into another large bowl.  Add 2 cups of cold water to the bowl, then shredded lettuce and cucumbers.  Let stand 5 minutes.  Drain.

Whisk clam juice, remaining 2 tablespoons wine and remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar in a medium-sized bowl to blend.  Add cornstarch, salt and sugar; whisk until cornstarch dissolves.  Whisk in reserved shrimp marinade.  Set aside.

Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add shrimp and sauté until just cooked through, about 2 minutes.  Using slotted spoon transfer shrimp to plate.  Or if you are like me and using precooked shrimp, just wait until later to warm the shrimp in the sauce right before eating.  Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add 2 tablespoons juice from the canned tomatoes and stir 1 minute.  Add tomatoes and garlic and stir 30 seconds.  Re-whisk the clam juice mixture to blend.  Add to skillet and boil until sauce thickens, about 1 minute.  Add shrimp and parsley and toss to coat.  Heat shrimp through about 2 minutes, careful not to overcook, shrimp should form a letter C when cooked, not an O.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Remove from heat.

Divide lettuce and cucumbers between four plates.  Spoon shrimp mixture and sauce over and serve.

Sense of Home Kitchen / Recipes / Fish and Seafood