Don’t Peel

I am a very fast eater.

I know it is bad. I know I should slow down, but my natural eating style is large bites and keep it moving until I am done. This style of eating could cause heartburn (not in me though) and the generation of excess weight as by the time your stomach can signal you are no longer hungry, you’ve overeaten. This is my issue.

There are some things that I do in cooking that I find aid my fast eating. One of those has to do with shrimp. I peel the shrimp before I cook them. Grilled…fried…boiled…it doesn’t matter. I like peeled shrimp in my dish so when I go to eat it, I don’t have to stop and peel each one.

Not only is this process bad for my waistline, it is bad for the shrimp. The shell helps the shrimp retain moisture during cooking and the removal may make it “rubbery”. Still, my nature takes over and shells the shrimp.

This time I fought it. After cleaning the shrimp, I refrained from pulling at that shell. I thought about it, but held back.

I’m glad I did. The shrimp tasted great and the process of stopping and using my hands in this dish really made me feel like I was sitting out on the bayou at a picnic table having a quick dinner.

This is such a beautiful looking dish with the read and pink from the shrimp and the bright yellow from the corn. I added some Cajun seasoning and hot sauce as a finisher.

Mostly fresh ingredients.

Throw it all in the pot.

Mouth-Watering!

Shrimp Boil

Prep Time: 0 hours 15 minutes | Cook Time: 0 hours 25 minutes | Makes: 4 servings | Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 2 lemons, halved, plus wedges for serving

• 1/2 cup Old Bay Seasoning

• 8 cloves garlic, smashed

• 1 large red onion, quartered

• 6 sprigs fresh thyme

• 1 pound baby red potatoes

• 4 ears corn, husked and snapped in half

• 1 1/4 pounds large shrimp, unpeeled

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• Hot sauce, for serving (optional)

Directions:

Fill a large pot with 4 quarts of water. Squeeze the lemon juice into the water and add the squeezed lemon halves. Add the Old Bay, garlic and onion. Tie the thyme sprigs together with kitchen twine and add to the pot. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook about 5 minutes.Add the potatoes to the pot and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. Add the corn and cook 5 more minutes.Meanwhile, slice along the back of each shrimp through the shells; remove the veins and rinse the shrimp. Add to the pot, cover and cook until the shrimp curl and are just opaque, 2 to 3 minutes.Transfer the shrimp and vegetables with a slotted spoon or skimmer to a large bowl. Add the butter and about 1 cup broth to the bowl and toss until the butter is melted. Transfer the shrimp and vegetables to a platter. Serve with the remaining broth, lemon wedges and hot sauce, if desired.

Per serving: Calories 379; Fat 10 g (Saturated 5 g); Cholesterol 225 mg; Sodium 735 mg; Carbohydrate 41 g; Fiber 9 g; Protein 30 g

Source:http://m.foodnetwork.com/recipes/recipe/463223