Garlicky sauteed shrimp

I keep reading about how we all should be eating more seafood.  That's fine with me - I love most fish and a few forms of shellfish, but in this house, the only things we all agree on are tuna and shrimp.  So, every six weeks or so, when I can get shrimp on sale for less than $6 a pound, I buy a pound and bring it home for Sunday dinner.

Today I discovered, quite by accident, that the shrimp they sell in the meat department at the grocery store I frequent is the same shrimp that you can buy quick-frozen in the freezer case.  Since they only had shrimp with heads on it in the meat case, and I didn't have the time or desire to mess around with that, I got a frozen bag and went with it.

The guy in the meat department told me to run it under cold water for five to ten minutes to thaw it.  The guy in the meat department obviously doesn't live in this town, or he'd know how expensive it would be to just let the water run for five or ten minutes!  So, instead, I put it in a big bowl and filled it up with cold water.  I put my pasta water on to boil and by the time it was hot, the shrimp was perfectly thawed. 

Garlicky Sauteed Shrimp

2 T. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup white wine (I used chardonnay)
juice from 1/4 large lemon
1 T. butter
salt and pepper to taste

In a large saute pan over low heat, warm the garlic in the olive oil for five minutes.

Turn the heat up to high, wait two minutes (or until the garlic starts sizzling), and add your shrimp, keeping them in a single layer if you can.  Let cook about two minutes, then add the wine and lemon juice.  Flip the shrimp over and cook an additional two to three minutes, or until cooked through. 

Remove the shrimp from the pan and add the butter, salt and pepper.  Continue cooking the sauce until it reduces by half.  Put the shrimp back in the pan, stirring quickly to coat with the sauce.  Serve immediately.  We like this with buttered parmesan noodles, crusty bread, and a green salad.

Grilled Salmon

Grilled Salmon:

1 salmon fillet
cooking spray
1 teaspoon season salt
1 teaspoon minced shallots
1/2 teaspoon minced chives
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons canola oil
2 teaspoons olive oil

(note: I have something called Fox Point Seasoning that I get from www.penzeys.com - I used that instead of the shallots and chives).


Mix seasonings and oil in a small container. Spray the skin side of the salmon liberally with cooking spray, and place (skin-side down) on a hot grill. Baste with about 1/3 of the seasoning mixture. Reduce heat to medium low. Cook until fish flakes easily, about 20 minutes, basting two more times with the seasoning mixture. Remove from the grill and place skin side up on a plate. Pull skin off (should pull off pretty easily except right around the edges), slice and serve.

Creamed Tuna

This is one of my favorite comfort food meals. When I was growing up, we ate this on many a "Fish Friday" during Lent! We didn't have the eggs in it, though - that was something that hubby's mom did so I started doing that when I started cooking for him. It's a good addition!

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 quart milk
2 cans tuna, packed in water
3 hardboiled eggs, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
salt and pepper to taste
Toast or biscuits

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Mix in flour and cook for a few minutes until it just starts to brown. Meanwhile, heat the milk in the microwave for 2 minutes (so it's not totally cold when it hits the pan). Add milk to the flour and butter mixture. Cook and stir until it bubbles and thickens. Add tuna, eggs, onions, and spices. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until it's heated through. Serve over toast or biscuits (I just posted the biscuit recipe).

Note: Lots of people put peas in this, and you can if you want. We're purists and don't want veggies in our tuna. If you were going to do this, I would use frozen or fresh peas, not canned. But, then again, I think canned peas are nasty and they're the main reason why I wouldn't touch a pea, unless I was standing in my garden, for the first 29 years or so of my life!