Tasty Treats By Michi

I will never feel the need to eat fried shrimp again.  These shrimp are so crunchy and flavorful, you really do not miss the fried version one bit.   I think the broiler has a lot to do with it and I may start using the broiler more often for other "oven fried" dishes I make!  They are perfect with the usual cocktail sauce, but if you want something a little different than the norm, you should definitely try the chili-lime dipping sauce listed below, which was simply delectable.  

These are great as an appetizer for a party or also for dinner with some potato wedges and ketchup on the side.  I love appetizers for dinner! 

This recipe was inspired by Ellie Krieger, and she continues to surprise me with her amazing and healthy recipes.  However, her cooking time and directions were way off on this one.  I had to alter the cooking time greatly in order to keep the shrimp from burning to a crisp.  If you refer to the original recipe, I highly recommend that you use my recommended cooking time instead. Enjoy! 

Ingredients for Chili-Lime Dipping Sauce: 

• 1/3 cup of Nonfat Greek Yogurt (Oikos is my favorite)
• 2 tbsp of mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp of lime juice
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 lime, zested
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

 Ingredients for Shrimp:

• 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 4 egg whites, beaten 
• 3/4 cup Plain Panko Bread Crumbs
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined 
• 2 tbsp canola oil 
• Pam Cooking Spray

Directions: 

To make the dipping sauce, combine the yogurt, mayonnaise, lime juice, chili powder, lime zest, and salt.  Taste for flavorings and put in the refrigerator until ready to serve. 

To make the shrimp, begin by defrosting the shrimp (if bought frozen).  I find the easiest way to do this is by putting the frozen shrimp in a colander and tossing it with cold water until all the frost is off the shrimp and they are soft and ready to handle.  

Once the shrimp is ready, prepare your assembly line of breading.  First,  add the chili powder, salt and pepper to the flour in a medium sized  and stir well to combine.  Next, beat the egg whites in another bowl until fluffy.  Last, mix the bread crumbs, salt and pepper in a third bowl.  

Toss the shrimp in the bowl with the flour until coated lightly.  Dip each shrimp in the egg white mixture, letting the excess drip off, and then dip it in the breading. Making sure to pat the breading on the shrimp so it adheres well. 

Place each shrimp on wax paper and set aside. 

Coat a baking sheet with two tablespoons of canola oil and put under the broiler for 2 minutes until heated.  Remove the heated baking sheet and add the shrimp to the sheet in even rows.  Spray the shrimp lightly with canola oil spray and put it back in the broiler for 2 minutes or until crisp and golden brown.  Watch the broiler carefully to ensure that the shrimp does not burn.  After that, remove the sheet from the broiler, turn each shrimp over carefully, spray them again lightly with canola oil, and return the shrimp to the broiler for another 2 minutes or until crisp and golden brown.  Remember to watch the broiler carefully the entire time. 

That's it!  Serve the shrimp hot or at room temperature with the chili-lime dipping sauce or some cocktail sauce.  Stay tuned with blog updates on variations of this recipe, the flavoring options are endless! :)

WOW! This Giada recipe was absolutely delicious.  I stumbled upon it on The Food Network's website last week and bought all the ingredients to make it ASAP! While making it I became a little concerned that the end result may be a little to "lemony" tasting, but the flavoring was absolutely perfect.  This is definitely going into the regular rotation! 

Lemon Oil Ingredients: 

• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 
• 1 lemon, zested 

Pasta Ingredients: 

• 1 pound linguini pasta
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 shallots, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (I used three instead of the 2 in the original recipe)
• 16 ounces of frozen shrimp
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3 ounces of arugula (about 3 packed cups)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

For the lemon oil: 

Combine the olive oil and the lemon zest in a small bowl and reserve. 

For the pasta: 

*Tip - Prep all the ingredients before you begin cooking.  Dice the shallots, mince the garlic, zest the lemons, chop the parsley, etc. This will make the cooking process much less stressful when  you get started! 

Cook the pasta according to the package directions.  Make sure to salt the water! 

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the shallots and garlic and cook for about two minutes or until soft and fragrant.  Add the frozen shrimp and cook until pink, which should be about five minutes.  Stir the shrimp a little bit so that it thaws out quicker and breaks apart.  I found that putting the lid on the skillet sped up the cooking process of the shrimp.  

Once the shrimp is cooked, add the cooked linguini, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.  Toss well to combine.  Turn off the head and add the arugula.  Toss more so that the arugula is evenly distributed throughout the pasta.  

Using a mesh sieve, strain the lemon zest out of the reserved lemon olive oil and add the oil to the pasta.  Discard the zest.  Add the chopped parsley to the pasta and toss more to combine.  Serve immediately. 

Try this recipe, it's perfect!