|
 As
Bubba Gump said, there are limitless ways to prepare shrimp.
You can boil it, fry it, grill it, steam it, broil it, or
sauté it. You can make gumbo, ettoufe, soups, salads,
stir-frys, fried rice, chowders, scampi, shrimp tacos, paella,
spring rolls, and the list goes on...
From a limitless list, we have selected
20 of our favorite shrimp recipes with a variety of preparations.
But first, a few words about shrimp, the most versatile and
arguably the most universally loved shell fish.
Buying shrimp: Shrimp is sold in many forms,
raw in the shells and headless, raw with heads, raw and peeled
with the tails intact, cooked and live. In many parts of the
country, shrimp is sold in grocery stores pre-frozen. Pre-frozen
shrimp are usually imported and can suffer soft shells when
they thaw on the grocery shelves. Whenever possible it is
always preferable to buy local, fresh shrimp.
Fresh shrimp is firm with a fairly hard
shell. As a rule of thumb, the softer the shells, the older
the shrimp. If you’ve ever had the opportunity to buy
shrimp right off a shrimp boat, you will have found that the
shrimp were a little difficult to peel and the shells were
quite hard. Shrimp this fresh have an incredible flavor with
absolutely no ‘fishy’ taste.
 Some
people prefer to buy shrimp with the heads on. This type of
shrimp can be found in fish markets and often in Asian markets.
The shrimp can be grilled with the heads on and snapped off
as they are eaten. The heads can also be removed prior to
cooking and used to flavor sauces or soups.
 Buying
raw shrimp with the shells has many advantages. It is usually
fresher, it yields more than pre-cooked shrimp because shrimp
lose some of their weight when they are cooked and there are
great uses for the shells. If you are not cooking your shrimp
in the shells, peel them and freeze the shells. Next time
you want to make a poaching liquid, simply use the shells
instead of fish parts. This makes a great tasting poaching
liquid that is quick, easy and on-hand.
Shrimp is delicious with the simplest of
preparations. One of the easiest is to sauté in a little
olive oil, add a little garlic, a dash of white wine, a squeeze
of lemon, salt and pepper and you have a fabulous meal great
alone or over rice or pasta.
Our top 20 picks for out-of-this-world
shrimp are:
1. Shrimp
& Mango Salad with Orange Dressing
2. Coconut
Shrimp
3. Crab
& Shrimp Risotto
4. Crab
& Shrimp Macaroni & Cheese
5. Cream
of Shrimp Soup
6. Shrimp
in Mustard Sauce on Polenta Rounds
7. Lemon-Ginger
Marinated Shrimp
8. Noodle
Salad w/ Shrimp
9. Shrimp
& Fish Tacos
10. Shrimp
Remoulade
11. Shrimp
Stuffed Eggs
12. Spanish
Paella
13. Vietnamese
Fried Spring Rolls
14. Shrimp
& Pork Fried Rice
15. Shrimp
Enchiladas w/ Sausage & Orange Sauce
16. BBQ
Bacon Wrapped Shrimp
17. Ginger
Shrimp
18. Grilled
Spicy Shrimp
19. Baked
Pasta w/Shrimp, Tomatoes & Feta
20. Avocado,
Shrimp & Mango Tostadas
- Glutenfreeda
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