March 12th, 2012

Fastest Shrimp Bisque Ever, Recipe, Easy, I even made it Gluten Free!!

I love shrimp.  They are so versatile, and adapt so easily to so many recipes.  The majority of people love shrimp; even the ones that do no like fish.

This recipe is so easy and pretty fast.  I, actually, messed it up a bit and it still came out, getting rave reviews from my family.  That was a good thing since that’s what they were having for dinner last night.

Fastest Shrimp Bisque Ever

2 cups chicken broth (low sodium)  If you are making the recipe gluten free, read the ingredients on the broth.

2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning, usually found at grocery stores

12 ounces fresh or frozen medium size shrimp in shells, thawed.  I would add a couple more ounces of shrimp; you might have to buy the 24 ounce bag.

3 celery stalks, sliced thin

1 12 ounce can of evaporated milk

1 cup of milk

2 tablespoons all purpose flour ( I used a rice flour due to the gluten allergy in my household.)

3 anchovies, finely chopped (Don’t wrinkle your nose. They add a lot of flavor.)

Old Bay or seafood seasoning (optional)

In a 4 quart pot combine the chicken broth, the Old Bay, shrimp and Celery.  Cook, uncovered, over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until shrimp shells turn pink and shrimp are opaque.  Turn stove off.

Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon or tongs; set aside to cool.  Leave the celery in the pot.

In a medium bowl whisk together the evaporated milk, milk, flour, and anchovies.  Turn stove back on.  Add milk mixture to to the liquid in the pot.  Cook uncovered over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring here or there.  You want it to acquire a nice consistency; not too thick but creamy enough.  If you want it thicker, just dissolve more flour in a little bit of chicken broth and add to the pot.

Meanwhile, peel the shrimp.  Chop about half of them.  Add all of them to the pot.  Cook for another 2 minutes or until heated through.

Ladle into bowls; sprinkle with a little Old Bay.  Offer your guests or family a salad and make it a meal.

Note:  I bought a tube of Polenta, then sliced it and cooked it on a skillet in order to make croutons to top my bisque.  It is optional, but they all liked it.

Another Note:  I had run out of rice flour, so I used Pamela’s Gluten Free Baking & Pancake Mix.  It did the job.

Enjoy!!  Guess what?  This recipe can easily be doubled.

March 19th, 2011

Curry Mango Shrimp With Coconut Basmati Rice, Recipe, Easy, Great Combination of Flavors

The other day someone asked me on Facebook if I cooked.  I guess they see that I am reviewing restaurants; so the cook is off again.  Well, I do love to cook; experiment with new recipes.  I find it rewarding.  Too many times, too rewarding, and then back on the diet I go.

I bought the cookbook that is fairly new called Tastes of the Season.  The recipes are favorites from the Delray GreenMarket.  You can get the book by on-line at www.delraycra.org.  I am always buying cookbooks and I read them like novels.

The Curry Mango Shrimp recipe I made it my own by changing it a bit.  It was delicious, though.  Hope you try it and like it.

I love a good mango and I was lucky to get a ripe one at the store.

Curry Mango Shrimp With Coconut Basmati Rice

1 cup diced mango

juice of enough limes to make about 6 tablespoons

3/4 cup of orange juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 1/2 tablespoons grated ginger (More? Go ahead.)

1 teaspoon curry powder (if you think you want more, then you know what to do)

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined (you may use any size)

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup uncooked basmati rice

1/4 tsp. salt (optional)

1 cup coconut milk

6 tablespoons green onions, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

In a small bowl, make the marinade by mixing together the mango, lime juice, orange juice, olive oil, ginger and curry powder.

In a medium bowl, add the cleaned shrimp and half the mango marinade, cover and let it stand for about 20 minutes or so.

In the meantime, make the Coconut Basmati Rice by combining chicken broth, coconut milk, salt and rice in a medium saucepan.

Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.  Stir in green onion and cilantro.  Keep warm.

Heat large frying pan to a medium to high heat.  Then add the tablespoon of butter, melt.  Add the shrimp and mango mixture and cook for about 5 minutes or longer until the shrimp are nice and pink.

Then add the rest of the mango marinade.  Heat and serve over the rice.

I wanted to add more colore and decided on brussel sprouts.  The little ones that you can heat in the bag.  A little butter; very sweet.

This recipe serves 4.  Easily doubled.

This recipe is gluten free.

Talk to you later…enjoy…

P.S.  Remember that AboutMyBeaches is on Facebook.