Shrimp Salad Sliders

The unofficial start of summer -- Memorial Day -- is almost here and with it comes weekends of barbecues and picnics with family and friends. If you're looking for something a little different from the traditional hamburgers and grilled foods, try these shrimp salad sliders. You can mix them ahead of time, then portion onto buttered and toasted buns when you're ready to serve. I was inspired to try these after seeing Philly Food Girl make them on her Instagram page. She doesn't give quantities, so I had to come up with the recipe for you. You cook the shrimp first, let them cool, then mix all the ingredients together.  

Serve on toasted potato rolls (if you can't find potato rolls, regular rolls will do just fine.)

Top with some shredded celery leaves for freshness and extra texture. 

It's hard to eat just one, so make sure you're prepared with extras. We figured on two per person.

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Shrimp Salad Sliders

(Makes enough for four sliders)

To cook the shrimp:

3/4 lb. shrimp, deveined, cooked and cooled

1/2 lemon, squeezed and dropped whole into the boiling water

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

Put some water to a boil in a medium pot -- enough to cover the shrimp. Add the lemon juice, the lemon, salt and Old Bay seasoning to the pot. Let it come to a rapid boil, then add the shrimp. Cook for five minutes or less, until just cooked through. Drain, cool and chop into coarse pieces.

For the dressing:

3/4 cup minced celery, plus celery leaves

juice of 1/2 of a lemon plus the grated rind of 1/2 lemon

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

salt, pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

buttered and grilled small potato rolls, if they're available where you live

Mix all the dressing ingredients together well, keeping aside some of the chopped celery leaves. Then add the cooled and chopped shrimp. Place in refrigerator and let flavors blend for at least a half hour before serving on buttered, grilled potato rolls, if you can find them where you live. Otherwise, use  buttered and grilled hot dog rolls.

Coconut Shrimp

 

Having just returned from a dreamy vacation in Hawaii where I ate coconut shrimp a couple of times, I wanted to keep the tropical spirit going a little longer. We may not have swaying palm trees in New Jersey, but we do have great beaches and delicious shrimp, so I recreated the dish at home to bring back some memories from our wonderful trip to our 50th state.

But before I get to the shrimp, just a few thoughts about Hawaii - a state I last visited nearly 25 years ago. I revisited one of the places that holds sad memories for Americans -- the solemn memorial at Pearl Harbor, where so many lost their lives, propelling the U.S. to enter World War II in 1941.

While on Oahu, my husband and I also hiked up the extinct volcano at Diamond Head and got a fabulous view of Honolulu. This photo of Diamond Head's crater was taken from the plane as we were departing.

The island of Maui was next on our itinerary, where one could get used to waking up to this view of swaying palm trees and the Pacific Ocean every morning.

And seeing a huge humpback whale breaching right before our eyes was a huge highlight of the trip.

We spent the last six nights on Kauai, known as the Garden Isle, for its lush growth and dramatic beauty. You have to look no further to see that drama than at Waimea Canyon, known as the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific."

There were lots of other fun adventures too, and plenty of good food and drinks, including an unnamed number of mai tais.

But back to those shrimp. They're quite easy to make, and I have to say, they tasted every bit as delicious as those I ate in Hawaii. I started out with good quality, large, fresh shrimp, wild caught in the U.S. My husband helped with the deveining and butterflying. It's simple to do. Just take a sharp knife and make a slit down the back, but don't slice all the way through. Remove the black vein (the intestinal tract), then rinse the shrimp, and press flat on a paper towel to dry. Continue with the rest of the shrimp and you're ready for the coating.

To coat them, you mix an equal part coconut and panko bread crumbs. First dredge the shrimp in flour, then in beaten egg, and finally the coconut and panko mixture.

Place some oil in a frypan -- just enough to submerge the bottom of the shrimp -- and bring to a sizzle. Then fry the shrimp on one side till golden.

Flip them after a couple of minutes and cook until golden and crunchy on the other side. It doesn't take long.

Serve with lemon or a sweet/sour chili sauce as we ate them in Hawaii. They'd make a great meatless meal for Good Friday or any day really, or as an appetizer that'll wow your friends and family.

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Coconut Shrimp

printable recipe here

1 lb. large shrimp

1 1/2 cups shredded coconut (I used sweetened coconut)

1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

1 cup flour

oil for frying (peanut, safflower or any non-flavored oil)

sweet chili sauce for dipping (optional - I purchased this)

Remove the shrimp shells but leave on the tail. Devein the shrimp and butterfly them, by making a slit through the backside, but not all the way through. Remove the dark vein (intestinal tract) and discard. Flatten the shrimp, give it a rinse and pat dry on a paper towel.

When all the shrimp are clean, mix the coconut and bread crumbs together. Have three separate bowls ready - one with the flour, one with the beaten egg and one with the panko/coconut mixture. Dredge the shrimp light in the flour, then dip into the beaten egg and then the panko/coconut mixture, making sure the shrimp is well coated.

Heat some oil and test with the end of a wooden spoon (or drop in a piece of bread) to make sure it is sizzling but not too hot. If it's too hot, it will burn the coating and not cook the shrimp all the way through. If it's not hot enough, the shrimp won't brown properly and will be greasy.

Drop the shrimp carefully into the oil and fry until golden on one side (it should take only a couple of minutes) then flip over to cook the other side.

Serve with lemon or a sweet/spicy chili sauce.

Shrimp and Corn Risotto

 

While fresh corn on the cob is bountiful in markets, this is a great way to enjoy it. This risotto is delicious with just the shrimp and fresh cherry tomatoes if you don't live where fresh corn is in season. Heck, you can even eliminate the cherry tomatoes and make it a strictly shrimp risotto. I prefer to use yellow corn, rather than white, since it adds a prettier contrast to the rice. But markets here in New Jersey seem to have decided everyone wants white corn, and it's unfortunately difficult to find the yellow, so I have to be content with white most of the time. I used shrimp from the Carolinas that were purchased fresh off a boat close to our summer home in New Jersey. I may be overly cautious, but I try to buy seafood only from U.S. waters, where quality control seems more likely than in far-off Asian seas. Season the shrimp first with salt, pepper and paprika, and sear them on high heat. Then set them aside on a plate. You don't need to thoroughly cook the shrimp, since they'll finish cooking at the end when you add them to the risotto.

 I used my own homemade broth to make the risotto, made with the shrimp shells and the cobs after the corn was stripped. This broth keeps well in the freezer too. It really adds tremendous flavor to the dish, but if you don't want to make it, get some clam juice or seafood broth from the store. Add some fresh thyme at the end, as well as a couple of tablespoons of butter, and you'll be lapping up every morsel on the plate.

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Shrimp and Corn Risotto

printable recipe here

1/2 pound shrimp

salt, pepper and paprika

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup arborio rice

3 cups broth (I used homemade broth made with corn cobs and shrimp shells)

1 shallot

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup white wine

about half a dozen cherry tomatoes, cut in half

2 ears of corn, stripped from the cob

fresh thyme to sprinkle in

1 tablespoons butter to stir in at the end

Season the shrimp with salt, pepper and paprika.

Sear the shrimp over high heat in a pan with some olive oil (about 2 tablespoons).

Do not need to cook the shrimp all the way through since they will cook further in the risotto.

Remove the shrimp from the pan.

Saute the minced shallot in a saucepan with the olive oil and butter until softened.

Do not let the shallots brown.

Add the raw rice and stir with the shallots, butter and olive oil over medium heat.

Add the white wine and stir.

Add a ladle ful of broth at a time, stirring all the while for the rice to absorb the liquid.

Keep adding liquid for another 15 minutes, until almost cooked.

Add the shrimp, the cherry tomatoes and the raw corn and stir.

Keep adding more liquid until the risotto is cooked and there is still a bit of liquid in the pan and movement to the risotto.

If you shake the pan, it will make an "onda" or wave.

Stir in the butter and serve.

Shrimp and Corn Salad

Corn is at its peak right now where I live so it was a perfect time to make this delicious salad, using shrimp caught wild in the U.S.  I tried duplicating this dish at home that I ate last week at a new restaurant in town and I think I got pretty close. The weather’s been a scorcher too, so something cold for dinner just felt right. The corn is scraped off the cobs and eaten raw, and I didn’t even have to cook the shrimp since my fish market sold it already cooked. Just toss everything together in a bowl with mayonnaise, lemon juice, some herbs and seasonings.

The recipe makes enough for four people with normal appetites (or two ravenous adults) so I had enough for myself and to take to a friend who’s been diagnosed with a serious health problem, and her partner.

If you’re in the Princeton, N.J., please do stop by the restaurant for either breakfast or lunch – The Blue Bears. Not only did I love my meal, but the restaurant’s mission also captured my heart – “to sell diverse, freshly made meals everyday and to provide sustainable and meaningful jobs for adults with intellectual and development disabilities.”

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Shrimp and Corn Salad

Author: Ciao Chow Linda

printable recipe here

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound boiled shrimp, chilled
• 2 ears of corn, raw and stripped of the kernels
• 2 scallions, sliced thinly
• 2 Tablespoons minced red onion
• 2 stalks of celery, minced
• grated rind of 1/2 lemon
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup minced parsley
• salt, pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Slice the shrimp in half lengthwise.
2. Place all ingredients, including shrimp in a large bowl and mix thoroughly until everything is combined.
3. Chill in refrigerator for at least an hour to help blend flavors.
4. Serve over lettuce.

3.5.3251

 

Fish and Corn Chowder

It all started with about six ounces of leftover salmon and 1/2 cup of cream. 

I'm not generally a fan of leftover fish, but as I was driving one day thinking about

what to serve for dinner, it occurred to me I had the basis for a creamy

chowder sitting in the fridge.

So before I made it home, I picked up six scallops and six large shrimp at the fish store -- and a couple of ears of corn at the local farm market.

I had two large cherry tomatoes and a green pepper at home, so that got thrown
into the pot too, along with some diced potatoes and herbs. 

The recipe is simple - Simmer the base ingredients for about 15 minutes, then add the fish in the last  few
minutes. The scallops and shrimp will need only about 4-5 minutes of cooking in the hot liquid, and since the salmon was already cooked, it willneed only a minute to heat.

I thickened the soup a bit by adding another potato that I boiled and mashed.
If you want to eliminate the cream entirely, you can replace it with water and another boiled and mashed potato. But there is no substitute for that silky feel you get when heavy cream is used.

Leftover salmon never tasted so good.

The winner of the giveaway on my last blog post, a copy of Jamie Schler's new cookbook, "Orange Appeal," is Faith Bahadurian, chosen by a random number generator. Congratulations Faith.

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Fish and Corn Chowder

Printable Recipe Here

1 six-ounce piece of leftover salmon (or start with a fresh, uncooked piece)

6 large raw shrimp

6 large scallops

2 ears of corn on the cob, scraped of the kernels

3 small potatoes, two of them diced

2 T. butter

1/4 cup minced onion

1/4 cup minced green pepper

1 large garlic clove

water

1/2 cup heavy cream

parsley

thyme

salt, pepper

Devein the shrimp and put the discarded shells into a pot of water (about two

cups), along with one small potato. Cover and cook until the potato is
easily pierced with a fork. Remove the potato and set aside, and discard
the shrimp shells, retaining the water.

Melt the butter in a large pan, then add the onion, green pepper and garlic
and cook until softened. Add the water from the discarded shrimp shells
(it will be less than two cups of water after simmering) and the two
diced  (and raw) potatoes. Let the potatoes cook until almost soft, then add the
corn and cream and simmer on low for a few minutes. Add the herbs and other seasonings,
then put in the shrimp and scallops and cook for about four or five
minutes until almost cooked through. Add the cooked salmon (or if using
raw salmon, add it when you add the other seafood). Let everything cook
together gently for a few minutes without a lid, then serve. 

Shrimp 'N Grits

OK, I may not be a Southerner and I may not have grown up with grits in my veins, but grits and polenta are just about the same thing. There are slight differences, but both are made from stone-ground cornmeal - dried corn that's ground into smaller, coarser bits. 

According to a piece that ran on National Public Radio, Glen Roberts, founder of Anson Mills, says that Southern grits and Italian polenta are traditionally made from two very different types of corn, and there's a difference in the fineness of the grind and how many times it's milled.

Well, that may be true, but it gets complicated when you see so many different types of polenta for sale in Italy, from fine ground to coarse, and even polenta mixed with buckwheat, called polenta "taragna."

Adding to the confusion is the myriad variety of grits available here in the states.

My instinct (and Italian heritage) almost always leads me to reach for polenta instead of grits. But on a trip to Charlestown last year, I bought a bag of grits at a farmer's market, milled at Anson Mills.

What else to do with them, but make the ubiquitous shrimp and grits, found at myriad restaurants, diners and mom and pop cafes throughout the South. 

The grits would be delicious on their own, with just a dab of butter, but I gussied them up and "Italianized" them with some mascarpone and parmesan.

Warning - you won't be able to stop eating this. So save it as a splurge after a week of good behavior! 

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Shrimp 'N Grits

printable recipe here

1 cup grits

4 cups water

(Keep adding more as it gets drier)

1/4 cup cream

1/4 cup mascarpone cheese

1/3 cup parmesan

1 tsp salt

Mix the grits with the water over medium heat. I always use cold water and dump all the grits in at once. I find that helps keep out the lumps. Keep stirring and lower the heat somewhat - it may take 45 minutes to end up with really good, really creamy grits. If it looks like the mixture is getting too dense or too dry, add more water, a little at a time. Add the salt and keep stirring. After about 35-45 minutes, the grits will start to look creamier. To gild the lily, add the cream, mascarpone and parmesan.

18 medium Shrimp

3T Olive oil

Herbs, oregano, thyme, parsley

2 cloves garlic

Paprika

Red pepper flakes

Clean the shrimp and mix the olive oil with the herbs, garlic, paprika and red pepper flakes. Let the shrimp marinate for at least 15 minutes.

Grill the shrimp, but just until almost done. They'll cook a little longer with other ingredients. Remove the shrimp from the grill and set aside. (Use a grill pan or the broiler if you don't have an outdoor grill) 

1/4 cup green pepper, minced

1 T olive oil 

2 strips bacon

Sauté green pepper in oil until softened. Remove. Add bacon, cut in bits. Cook until crispy.

Add green pepper back in and after shrimp is grilled, add it to the peppers and bacon. Turn up heat to high. Add the white wine and let it reduce just a bit, then add 1 tablespoon of butter.

Pour shrimp mixture over grits and serve with a sprinkle of parsley or basil over all. 

Fillet of Sole Stuffed With Shrimp

It's Spring, it's Spring. Finally, it's Spring. OK, it's drizzly and grey and ugly this morning here in central N.J., but a girl can dream, can't she?

Daffodils, warmer weather and lighter dinner fare are a few of the things that come to mind when I think of Spring. Not to mention bathing suit season will be here before you know it. So with that horrid thought in mind, it's time for me to start thinking lighter dinner fare, in particular seafood. While I was cruising the fish department at the supermarket the other day, the sole looked particularly fresh. I bought three pieces that weighed slightly less than 3/4 pound, more than enough for the two of us, especially considering they were stuffed with a shrimp and bread filling.

This would make a good recipe for company too, since it could easily be assembled ahead of time and placed in the refrigerator until ready to bake in the oven. Just adjust the amounts of ingredients according to the number of guests.

Fillet of Sole stuffed with shrimp

3 sole fillets - total weight about 3/4 pound
3 large shrimp

1 stalk of celery, minced
1 shallot
1 T. butter
3 T. roasted red, yellow or green pepper, chopped
a splash of dry white wine
1/2 cup fresh white bread crumbs
salt, pepper
2 T. chopped parsley

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 T. butter
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
paprika


Pat dry the sole fillets and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place the butter in a pan and saute the shallot and celery until limp. Add the chopped pepper and shrimp and saute a few more minutes over medium heat. Add the splash of white wine and cook for another minute or so. Take the pan off the heat and add the bread crumbs, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix everything together. It should hold together loosely in a ball. To make the bread crumbs, I trimmed the crusts from three slices of stale Italian bread and put them in the food processor for a couple of minutes. You can use purchased bread crumbs if you prefer, but the texture will be different.
Place a handful of stuffing over the center of the fish fillet.



Roll up both ends over the stuffing.

Place the folded side down in a buttered casserole. Pour the 1/2 cup wine around the rolled-up fillets.
Melt the 1 T. butter in a saucepan and add the panko crumbs. Divide the panko mixture over the fish and sprinkle with paprika. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Sauteed Shrimp with Celery Root and Apple Puree

Pity the poor celery root. Also known as celeriac, it must be one of the ugliest vegetables ever. I mean who wants to even pick up that gnarly tuber with all those nubby, root-like things sprouting all over it, much less cook it and eat it?

Well, I took pity on the sad vegetable and gave it a home in my kitchen. And you should too, if you're interested in good food and new culinary adventures. It has a subtle celery flavor that pairs with nearly everything. I used only skim milk - no cream or butter in this recipe - yet it had a luscious, silky texture and was a perfect foil for the sauce oozing off the shrimp.

And for those of you avoiding carbs, this puree would be a great substitute for mashed potatoes or polenta, especially nestled beside pot roast or osso buco.

You may end up running for a Band-Aid if you're not careful when peeling the celery root. I found it safest to trim off the thickest, nubbiest parts with a medium-sized knife in one hand, rather than a vegetable peeler, pressing down on the top of the celery root as it lay on my cutting board, rather than picking it up and trying to trim it in my hand.

Sauteed Shrimp
(serves two)

8 large shrimp
1 shallot, minced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
salt, pepper to taste
4 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Saute the shallot and garlic in a skillet over medium heat with the olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter, just until softened. Add the shrimp, turning the heat a little higher, and quickly saute on both sides. You don't want to cook it all the way through just yet, just brown the outsides. Remove the shrimp from the skillet and add the cherry tomato halves to the pan. Cook for another minute or two until the tomato starts to soften. Place the shrimp back in the pan, add the wine and season with salt and pepper. Cook for another couple of minutes, until some of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce is reduced. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, and swirl around on medium heat until it looks like the sauce has emulsified, or thickened. Add the lemon juice and minced parsley, swirl again over the heat and serve over the celery root puree.

Celery Root and Apple Puree

(Adapted from "A New Way to Cook" by Sally Schneider)

1 celery root, peeled and cubed (about 1 lb. to 1 1/2 lbs.)
3 cups milk (I used skim)
3/4 tsp. freshly ground sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 Tablespoons white rice
1 apple, peeled, cored and cut into cubes
2 teaspoons unsalted butter (I omitted this)

Cook the celery root in a saucepan with the milk, (I used skim milk which works fine, but the original recipe called for 2 percent milk), salt, pepper and bring to a boil over moderate heat. Stir in the rice, lower the heat, partially cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the apples and simmer for 10 minutes longer, or until the celery root is very tender. (The milk will curdle, but the curds will be incorporated when the celery root is pureed.) Drain the mixture in a colander set over a bowl, but save the cooking liquid.

Puree the celery root in a food processor or blender until perfectly smooth, adding some of the cooking liquid if necessary. Scrape down sides until you have a fine puree. Add the butter if desired, but I left it out and it was delicious with just the drippings from the shrimp sauce. This puree is enough for four servings.