We love shrimp – any way you serve it. I bought some cooked shrimp by mistake from the freezer section. I thought it was raw. So what to do besides shrimp cocktails? This dish was so easy and came out delicious!

Marinating the Shrimp

I wasn’t sure how cooked shrimp would absorb the flavors, but it came out perfect!

Place the shrimp in a bowl and top with all the spices.

Stir in the olive oil, making sure each piece is well coated. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.

If you are using raw shrimp, only marinate for an hour.

Making the Easy Spicy Shrimp

Heat the ghee and 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium high heat. You can substitute European butter for the ghee. It has a much lower water content, or make your own clarified butter ^[1].

Add the green onions and cook just until they are starting to get soft. Push to the side.

Place the shrimp in the hot skillet

and cook until it’s hot, about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice.

Mix it all together and serve over hot orzo or rice.

© Copyright 2024 The Lazy Gastronome

Leave me a comment – I’d love to hear your thoughts!

The second country we’re visiting is France. What do they eat in France for Christmas? One thing that is pretty prevalent is the seafood course – and that usually means scallops!

Christmas Food Traditions in France

Christmas dinner is eaten either late on Christmas Eve, or at lunch time on Christmas day.

It often starts with appetizers and champagne. Foie gras is one popular appetizer, but very much for the wealthy.

The next course would be seafood and more champagne. Chilled oysters find their way on most tables, as do the plentiful scallops. Smoked salmon and chilled prawns are also popular.

The main course is often capon or turkey. Wild game, like pheasant or wild boar are also main course options. And champagne – champagne with every course!

The main course is followed by a cheese platter and green salad.

Finally, dessert. It wouldn’t be France without dessert!! The dessert most often served is one we’re familiar with – Bûche de Noël, the chocolate yule log! Along with the log, there would be chocolate truffles. And more champagne –

Today we celebrate the scallops. They are a spendy option, but there is nothing so delicious as the sweetness of a sea scallop.

Making the Coquilles St. Jacques

There are steps to making this dish, but it really is simple. The scallops will be cooked very last, but they do need some time to sit on paper towels to remove as much water as possible. The plan is to sear the scallops, not steam or boil them. If they aren’t completely dry, the water will in them will release in the pan and they won’t sear.

Lay the scallops on paper towels or coffee filters and let them sit about 15 minutes. Flip them over and place them on new, dry towels. Let them sit another 15 minutes.

Lay the gratin dishes on a cookie sheet and place them in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Make the topping first. Place the bread, parsley, grated gruyère and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a food processor.

Process until everything is crumbly and incorporated together. Set aside.

Next, the sauce. Keep in mind the sauce will seem a little watery, but it’s going to soak up some of the topping and will get thick and delicious in the end.

Melt 1/4 cup of the butter in a medium saucepan.

Stir in the shallot, mushrooms and garlic. Gently cook until the mushrooms are soft and golden, and the shallot is translucent.

Stir in the wine and continue to stir until everything starts to thicken.

Remove from the pan and set it aside.

Now melt the remaining butter in the pan.

Stir in the flour and cook gently until it’s a golden brown and getting thick.

Using a whisk, stir in the clam juice and the cream. Keep whisking until it while you add the oregano. Whisk until it starts to thicken a little.

Now stir in the shallot mixture and cook on low until the sauce has thickened. Again, it is supposed to be a loose sauce. Set it aside.

The scallops. Place a heavy skillet on the stove and heat it on high. When the skillet is hot, carefully add the remaining olive oil.

When it is hot – like 350 to 400 degrees hot – gently lay the scallops into the oil. Sear them for about 1 to 2 minutes, then turn them and sear the other side. They need to have a beautiful, brown crust.

Now to assemble.

Take the gratin dishes out of the oven and turn the oven to broil.

Place 5 scallops in each dish.

Top them with 1/2 of the sauce, then 1/2 of the topping.

Broil them for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the top is bubbling and brown.

Let them cool just a little, then serve them.

© Copyright 2023 The Lazy Gastronome

 

Joyeux Noël – Merry Christmas

Leave me a comment – I’d love to hear your thoughts!

This month each week will bring two posts that share Christmas foods from different parts of the world. It will go until the week after Christmas. It was fun to do the research and learn about these traditions and how they came to be. First on the list, Australia.

Australia is in the southern hemisphere, so a white Christmas doesn’t happen there. In fact, December is the start of summer time! So think of Christmas as a big 4th of July party on the Northern hemisphere! Some say that Santa takes a break when he gets to Australia. His reindeers rest and he uses Kangaroos! He even puts his beachwear on. But what do they eat?

Christmas Food Traditions in Australia

Since it’s summertime, barbecues are quite popular. If you live near a beach, that’s where you celebrate. The main meal is often eaten at lunchtime and there are a lot of cold foods, as well as some of the traditional Christmas foods.

Pavlov is the top, iconic dessert – meringues covered in cream and fruit. Lots of cherries and tomatoes are part of the meal. There are plenty of mimosas and beer (but NOT Fosters). BBQ is the way most food is prepared. But they don’t do shrimp on the barbie – prawns are what are eaten in Australia. They are either purchased pre-cooked and served cold, or cooked on a grill and always served with Thousand Island dressing.  Cold oysters, ham and turkey are often on the table too.

Since I don’t have the time or the room to do everything, today I am offering grilled prawns (or in this case, shrimp. Prawns are hard to find here). They are similar, but prawns are usually larger and just a tad sweeter.

Grilling the Prawns

If you’re in Australia, you’d be firing up the charcoals. But I’m in the Pacific Northwest and it’s cold and wet. So I fired up my grill pan!

Simple is better when it comes to prawns (shrimp) in Australia.

You can do these two ways – skewered or just on the grill. If you are using a barbecue, I recommend the skewers. There’s less chance of them falling into the coals. I butterflied the shrimps from back to leg side first. You don’t have to do that, you can leave them whole.

Salt and pepper both sides of each piece.

If you are skewering, run the stick from tail to top, carefully getting it into the thickest part. I used rosemary sticks. You get some nice flavor from them.

If you are using a grill pan, drop some rosemary leaves directly on the griddle. The flavor will smoke into the meat creating a very subtle rosemary flavor.

Cook for just 2 or 3 minutes, turn and cook another 2 or 3 minutes.

Be careful not to over cook.

They should be golden.

You can serve them immediately, hot, or chill them and serve them cold.

Either way, you must include a bowl of Thousand Island dressing for dipping!

© Copyright 2023 The Lazy Gastronome

Merry Christmas!

Leave me a comment – I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Today is National Caviar day! I love caviar. One of my favorite snacks is garlic crackers (like triscuit or melba rounds) topped with brie cheese and a dollop of those salty little pearls.

Today I offer you a simple sauce that is flavored with this special roe and tops shrimp and scallops – and it’s delicious!

What is Caviar?

True caviar is sturgeon eggs.

Fish eggs are also known as roe – but not all roe is caviar. Caviar only comes from the many species of sturgeon . The U.S. harvested so much caviar that the fish were becoming endangered. To protect the population, harvesting eggs was banned in the early 1900s. Unfortunately, the population has never fully recovered.

This National day is intended to draw attention to the sturgeon and in preserving this species in the future.

This delightful food is truly a luxury item. The majority of caviar now comes from Russian and Iran and prices range from $30 to $50 per oz, to Caspian beluga at up to $20,000 per kg.

At our house we typically use black lumpfish roe (although I have had seruva and it’s amazing!). It isn’t true caviar, but works on a budget!

Making the dish – 

Start by seasoning the shrimp ^[14] and scallops with old bay. Sprinkle a pinch or two evenly over both sides of each piece of fish. Let is sit in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Heat the grill to high.

Mix together the citrus juices and oil with a whisk. Pour it over the shellfish and let it sit for about 10 minutes, while the grill heats up.

Place the shrimp on skewers, then the scallops on separate skewers. Lay the shrimp and citrus over indirect heat and the scallops over direct.

Do not close the lid – Let them cook for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, then turn and cook another 2 to 3 minutes.

Be careful not to over cook! And don’t turn the scallops too soon – they will fall off the skewer. (You can also cook them in a grill basket to prevent them falling off).

Remove from the grill and set on a plate.

Mix together the citrus juices and oil with a whisk. Pour it over the shellfish and let it sit while you make the sauce. Cover loosely with foil to keep it warm.

Make the sauce by whisking the mayonnaise, milk and lemon zest until it’s well blended. Just before serving, stir in the caviar (It will turn a little purple from the caviar).

Remove the fish from the skewers.

Serve the shellfish on a bed of rice and

top with the sauce. Garnish with some fresh thyme leaves and a few little spoons of more caviar – and enjoy!!

© Copyright 2023 The Lazy Gastronome

Leave me a comment – I’d love to hear your thoughts!

I love shrimp – and summer weather just seems to call for it. This recipe can be made on your grill outside, or on a grill pan in your house. Either way, add the tart and spicy ^[19] sauce and this grilled shrimp will party in your mouth!

Making the Marinade:

Start by mixing all the ingredients together with a whisk. They should be well blended.

Place the shrimp in the mix and make sure it is well coated. Cover and let sit at room temperature for about 15 to 20 minutes, then refrigerate for an hour our two. The butter will turn solid again, but that’s ok.

Grilling the shrimp and making the sauce:

Take the shrimp out of the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature.

Start with the sauce. The shrimp will cook really fast, so get everything done before you start them.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the garlic and gently sauté for a minute or two.

Add the remaining ingredients, including the marinade, and whisk while it is gently simmering. Continue to whisk until all the ingredients have blended.

Remove from the heat and set aside. The butter may separate, but again, that’s ok. Once it’s on the grilled shrimp and over the couscous, you won’t even notice it.

Now, on to the shrimp.

If you are using an outdoor grill, place the shrimp in a basket or on skewers. Heat the grill or grill pan to high, then reduce heat to medium high.

Place the shrimp on the hot grill and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side.

These grilled shrimps will be pink and tender. Be careful not to over cook!

Serve the shrimp on rice or couscous with the sauce over the top. Delicious!

© Copyright 2023 The Lazy Gastronome

Leave me a comment – I’d love to hear your thoughts!