A quick and delicious dinner:  shrimps are great to keep on hand!

I always keep a bag of frozen shrimps/prawns in the freezer for those times when I just don’t know what to make for dinner.  They’re quick to thaw out and very fast to cook, and it doesn’t take much to make them into something special.  What more could you ask for in a food?  Oh, and they’re actually good for you!  Extra bonus points for that one!

This shrimp recipe is adapted from one I found years ago.  It’s very flexible, as the marinade can be made with whatever you have on hand (whatever goes with shrimps anyway….don’t start trying to throw nutella and strawberries in with them!). If you don’t have lemons, use limes; if you don’t have oregano, use thyme or herbes de Provence; if you don’t have the ingredients for the salsa, make only the shrimps!  The combination of shrimps and tomato salsa is a winner though.  I highly recommend making them both.  This shrimp dish is also very flexible for the course it’s served at.  You can plate it in small helpings to make an appetizer or first course, or eat it in larger quantities as a main course.  Dessert is a little weird, so maybe don’t try that one…..

I haven’t written a quantity for the shrimps as it depends on how big they are and what course you are making it for.  If they are large, count about 5 per person for a first course and 10 per person for a main.

This is a short post today as it’s the last day of school holidays and I’m running around trying to find the kids’ bags and pencil cases.  It’s amazing how a couple of months can addle your brain so much that you forget where you put everything away safely!

Travel Photo of the Week

I know that it almost looks fake, but I can assure you that the colours are real.  This was taken on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. I remember sitting on this beach and watching a Labrador dog that would stand in the water, intently staring into the sea, and then suddenly plunge his head under and come up chewing.  We chatted to his owner who told us that if he couldn’t find the dog at home, he knew that he would be down at the beach fishing.

This recipe has been adapted from one I found on the recipe site www.Epicurious.com years ago.

By Lisa Watson

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Marinated Shrimps With Tomato Salsa

A quick and delicious meal to make on a weeknight that takes less than 30 minutes!

Course Appetizer, entree, first course, Main Course

Cuisine Mediterranean

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 minutes minutes

Total Time 32 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• Large shrimps/prawns

For The Marinade:

• Lemon Juice From half a lemon
• 6 Tbsp Olive oil
• 1 tsp dried Oregano
• 1 clove crushed Garlic
• 1/2 tsp Chilli Powder
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp Coriander Powder

For The Salsa

• 3 - 4 Tomatoes
• 1 Avocado
• 1 small can corn or 1 fresh cob Corn
• 1 bunch Fresh corinader
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Lemon juice from 1/2 a lemon

Instructions

• Clean the fresh shrimps and deshell them, or thaw the frozen shrimps.

For the Marinade:

• Mix all the first ingredients in a bowl and add the shrimps then mix to make sure the shrimps are coated with the marinade.
• Cover the bowl with cling-film and place in the fridge for 20 - 30 minutes.
• Either cook the shrimps on a grill-plate on a bbq or sauté them in a frying pan for a few minutes, stirring often, until they become pink.
• While the shrimps are marinating, made the tomato and avocado salsa.

For The Salsa:

• Wash and chop the tomatoes into cubes.
• Chop the avocado.
• If using fresh corn on the cob, boil the corn in salted water for 7 -10 minutes, then cut off the kernels.
• Wash the fresh coriander and pick off the leaves.
• Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix them together gently. Leave some coriander leaves for decorating the shrimps.
• Tip the shrimps on top of the salsa and sprinkle with coriander leaves.  Serve immediately.