The Romantic Shrimp: Part II

A few years ago a young girl and her boyfriend were having a discussion on food. The question was, "If you could be any kind of food, what would you be?" The boy said hamburger. It's versatile, delicious and it's very masculine (plus it's cheap and affordable). The girl was about to say something when her boyfriend said, "And you'd be shrimp." Curious, the girl asked her boyfriend why he chose shrimp and his response was, "because you're expensive." 


As much as the girl wanted to be angry at her boyfriend, she knew she couldn't because what he said had some truth in it. She did, after all, have an eye for elegance and beauty, of expensive, but tasteful food.... shoes, fashion and all the things delightful and magnificent. 

Truth is, any food that contains crustaceans (lobster, crabs and shrimp) are usually more expensive on any restaurant menu and deemed to be of higher quality. This is especially true as you go further inland (for obvious reasons as seafood is plentiful during prime harvest seasons along the coast). Many inland countries and states hardly serve fresh lobsters, crabs and shrimp for these main reasons.

Whenever my fiance and I had something to celebrate (i.e. Valentine's Day, anniversary, birthday, etc), our choice of restaurant would always be Red Lobster (we are limited in seafood restaurants in Minnesota, sadly), but I always saw it as a treat that my fiance would treat me to a seafood dinner, including shrimp. I took advantage of the date, ordering the most expensive and most delicious meal on the menu. Afterwards, I would flower him with love and thank yous (because a full, happy stomach always makes for a happy girl :)

Whether you are going out tonight or spending Valentine's Day inside, perhaps a light dinner will help you with shrimp (even if you have to spend a little more money) will please your partner and give you that great end to the perfect romantic dinner that only comes once a year :) In fact, although we are not going out tonight, my fiance and I and his parents are having home cooked shrimp cocktails and stuffed crabs! Hmm hmm!

Happy Valentine's Day! May your love for your loved ones extend onto your love for shrimp like ours have :)

The Romantic Shrimp: Part I

I seriously love Valentine's Day. I don't know what it is about the day, but there is something about receiving love notes that brings a smile to my face!

On the eve of le jour d'amour, I wanted to share with you one of the most romantic experiences I've had, and yes - it involves shrimp!

Upon getting back together with my boyfriend after a 2 year hiatus, we decided to take a romantic getaway to the Hawaiian island of Kauai. It was September, the weather was flawless and Kauai is the perfect destination to remove yourself from everyday life.

Towards the end of our vacation we decided to have a special dinner at sunset on Poipu beach. Being foodies, we splurged on treating ourselves to food at The Beach House Restuarant . Food in Kauai is expensive, but this meal was honestly worth it.

I decided to order the the macadamia nut crusted ono (a Hawaiian white fish) that was topped with two large shrimp. The shrimp was out of this world! Perfectly cooked, and an exceptional pair to the mild Ono.

I regret not taking more pictures of our outdoor pacific ocean view, but I was so immersed in this dish( and of course staring into my boyfriend's eyes), can you blame me?

Shrimp is the perfect food for a lovely and memorable evening. Many "dinner for two" recipes have shrimp as the main component.Is there a favorite shrimp recipe that you cook for your significant other?

xoxo, J

Shrimp - a natural medicine?

Today I am feeling under the weather. I have serious fatigue, a running nose and a horrid cough. I left work early and on my ride home all I could think about was my couch and a big bowl of soup.

Typically when you are ill a good go to meal is Chicken Noodle Soup, right? Well, who's to say you can't substitute chicken with shrimp? Of course the soup has to be something easy - I'm thinking under 30 min easy. I want to sit on my couch, remember!?

Easy Shrimp Pho

Picture taken from choisoftware.com

16 oz chicken stock

2 star anise (optional)

1/2 t. cardamom

2 T fish sauce

1 t. minced ginger or ginger powder

2 cloves garlic

salt and pepper

8 oz rice noodles

8 oz. shrimp

 Add in ingredients:

cilantro

jalepeno

baby bok choy

bean sprouts

carrots

scallions or white onions, chopped

Bring chicken stock and spices to a boil and simmer for about 10 min. Strain out spices (if needed). Add shrimp and cook until they turn opaque.

In a large bowl, add desired add ins - whatever you feel like! Pour hot broth over ingredients  and enjoy!

For extra spice (and to clear your sinuses!) add some chili paste to taste.

If you are a lazy person and feel too sick to make this for yourself (like me), find your nearest pho restaurant and give this dish a try!

Celebrating Super Bowl XLVI with shrimp

So, I'm the first to admit, I'm not much of a football fan. I'm not saying I don't like it (and yes, I have a favorite team I follow on occasion), but you're not going to find me glued to the T.V. betting on games on Thursday, Sunday and Monday nights.... nor will I be throwing popcorn at the T.V. when my Packers lose because at the last minute, they threw an interception. In fact, I usually turn off the T.V. when I know my team is going to lose. I can't stand the suspense. BUT! That doesn't mean I will turn down an invitation to a Super Bowl party, especially one that promises good food, good friends and a stellar half-time show (and let's not forget the anticipation of hilarious and brilliantly collaborated commercials). Love it!

Speaking of food, what better way to introduce shrimp to your friends and family than to have small easy to make shrimp appetizers during your party. I mean, yes, most people think that Super Bowl parties should consist of the wieners, chips and dips and other good junk, but some of us still like the classier (and more satisfying) dishes.

Here's an example of a simple shrimp dish idea to spice up your Super Bowl party and have your friends drooling (not only during the game, but after).

Bacon Wrapped Shrimp on skewers

Ingredients

    1 package of bacon

    1/2 teaspoon of salt

    1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

    3/4 medium-size shrimp, shelled and de-veined

    1 teaspoon of maple extract (optional, for flavoring)

    20 skewers (soaked in warm water for 15 - 20 minutes)

Directions

1. Heat broiler

2. Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat, lightly cooked and still flexible (3-4 minutes)

3. Mix salt, black pepper and maple extract in bowl, then add shrimp and mix. You can also add other seasoning to this depending on your taste. I like to add lime juice and Cajan seasoning to spice up my shrimp a little. 

4. Spread 1 strip of bacon on work surface and then top it with 1 shrimp. Wrap the bacon around the shrimp; secure with skewer. You can also take a brush or spoon and dribble the maple mixture on top of the skewers for a stronger flavor

5. Place skewers on a baking sheet and broil skewers for 10 minutes.

See a more detailed version of this recipe at Shrimp Skewers - Recipe.com

Other ideas include variations of Shrimp Cocktails. See Summer Shrimp Cocktail or Warm Shrimp Cocktail  

With that, have a blasting fun Super Bowl party and celebration. Since my team isn't playing in the Super Bowl this year, I'm going to be cheering for the the team with the highest score at half-time... so LET'S GO (winning team!). 

-S

What are shrimp?

What are shrimp and who had the brilliant idea that they may be delicious to eat? If I were swimming back in the 7th century would I have considered eating this?

 No. If I saw this  I would probably scream and swim as fast as possible to my boat and never return to the sea. Ok, I’m exaggerating, but the point I’m trying to make is whomever was brave enough to catch this little guy for food is one to thank.

 “Shrimp” comes from a middle eastern word meaning “pygmy” – or small . Shrimp was consumed in Asia dating as far back as the 7th century and was not harvested in  the US  until around the 17th century. Today, shrimp is considered one of the most valuable and most popular seafood options in the US. (Social fish farm)

There are hundreds of different species of shrimp in the world. (It would be time consuming for us, and most likely boring for you if we were to dissect every detail of every species - maybe if we write a book someday – more to come). However, there are five species that are most commonly harvested. In simplistic terms these species are: pink, white, brown, royal red and rock shrimp. In case you are interested, the anatomy of a shrimp is quite complex!

 Now that you have a basic understanding of what a shrimp is, we’re ready to explore and discover all the benefits and glory this little guy brings!

- J

How it all began....

Jenny and I met by chance at an all women's college. She became good friends with my roommate and I tagged along with them wherever they ventured, but as fate had it, we grew closer over time and would eventually find common grounds over food, art, fashion, dance (love stories) and just about every random thing you could imagine. We are opposites though. She was a Business major and very into fashion and I was a Biology major, a hippie at heart and into theater and art. Not to mention, we come from completely different backgrounds. Together though, we balanced each other out; we strengthened each other's weaknesses and complimented each other's strengths. 


The strength of our friendship really began in the kitchen (a college dorm communal kitchen at that), making pancakes on Saturday mornings and occasional dinners when I'd sit on the kitchen table with my textbooks and watch her meticulously make homemade pasta or shrimp scampi. Sometimes, when she had time, she'd sit and watch me whip up a dish of homemade Thai food and comment on how amazing the aroma was. Eventually, we'd moved to our own place, have planned dinner dates where we'd cook dinner and then watch our favorite T.V. show (which at the time was the weekly episodes of "The Hills"). 


Sometime during this time period, Jenny and I started discussing our dreams of retirement (or future business idea which would ultimately lead to retirement..., whichever came first) which included owning our own shrimping business, traveling the seas and eventually settling down to open up a shrimp restaurant along the coast of Florida. We began designing shrimp inspired napkins, pastries, table clothes and even what our shrimp boat would look like. With the combination of our talents, we've become very accustomed to creating shrimp inspired items on the spot. I even designed a shrimp dress for her at one point. So despite all the other things we had in common, it was our love and fond of SHRIMP that brought us closest together. We dream of attending the Shrimp Festival in Alabama and other Shrimp Festivals nationally and internationally, but because all dreams must start small, we will settle to simply blogging and sharing our love and knowledge of shrimp with other shrimp lovers around the world. 


Until then, take care and God bless. 


-S


Check back next time for THE HISTORY OF SHRIMP....