Caviar and Codfish

When I was younger (okay, up until two years ago) I hated shrimp. I thought they looked like baby fetuses of the sea, and I just couldn’t eat a baby (though I did manage to eat my share of veal parmigiana.)

I realize now that shrimps in fact do not look like baby fetuses (that much), and that I really have no way of telling how old a shrimp is when I eat it, and that it’s quite possible the shrimp lived a long and fulfilled life before throwing himself into the net to avoid dementia in his twilight years.

Yes, I’m positive that’s how most shrimp are caught—so let’s eat!

Chipolte Shrimp

Though this shrimp doesn’t need cocktail sauce, I prefer it anyway—as long as you have a good one. Lou’s Cocktail sauce is far and away my favorite brand.

Time: 10 minutes (if your shrimps are already cleaned)

Equipment: A small bowl, a plate or pan, a skillet

• 1 pound of shrimp (Jumbo Gulf shrimp if you can get them), cleaned and deveined
• ¼ cup regular mayonnaise
• ¼ to ½ tsp. chili paste
• ½ tsp. chili powder
• ½ cup (or more) Panko breadcrumbs
• Olive oil

1. Place mayonnaise in a small bowl and mix in chili paste and chili powder. Taste test your chipolte mayonnaise and see if you need to add more paste or powder. Spread panko breadcrumbs in a baking sheet or on a large plate.
2. When the mayonnaise is perfect to your liking, dredge the shrimp in the mayonnaise and then the breadcrumbs. Add more breadcrumbs if needed.
3. Pour olive oil around your skillet on medium-high heat. Add in shrimps. Cook about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until their colory is a creamy pink.
4. Enjoy!

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 8th, 2007 at 10:46 am and is filed under First Course, Fish & Shellfish, Sides. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.