Seafood can be scary for some, undercook and it’s slimy, overcook and it’s rubbery; and this fine line turns people off. That said, shrimp is a favourite of mine, because it’s often very forgiving as far as seafood is concerned; and I promise that this is one of those easy shrimp recipes that you WILL turn to consistently!
Easy Shrimp Recipes 101
When cooking shrimp, there are some things you must consider…
FIRST shrimp is a quick cooking seafood- as most is- which is what makes easy shrimp recipes easy to throw together quickly; and how shrimp tells you it’s done is by turning from a gray and slightly see through to pink and completely opaque.
If you are chronically overcooking shrimp, you can use the carry-over cooking method, which is simply cooking your shrimp until you start to see some pink; once you see about 50% pink, wrap the shrimp in foil for 10 minutes and your shrimp will be perfectly cooked.
SECOND often shrimp is caught right after they eat, and you want to make VERY SURE that you clean the shrimp well (if you buy peeled and deveined shrimp this is done for you); because there is no quicker way to disrespect all manners of easy shrimp recipes and your dinner guests 😉
A Note on Spice
In my opinion the spice pairs well with shrimp in many easy shrimp recipes because it balances the subtlety rich sweetness of the shrimp with a kick of spice. But, as always, if you are spice averse either leave the chilies out of this recipe or take the seeds out to temper some of the kick.
This is a recipe that will come together in less than 30, because summer is here and who wants to spend hours in the kitchen?!
Spicy Lemongrass Shrimp with Basil and Cilantro
- 2 lbs raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch piece of ginger, minced
- 1 3 inch piece of lemongrass, minced
- 3 red chilies, sliced (seeds removed optional)
- ¼ cup cinnamon basil leaves
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
On medium high heat, heat the avocado oil in a cast iron pan. Add the minced garlic, ginger, lemongrass and chilies, and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook until about 70% of the shrimp are turning pink and opaque, about 5-7 minutes.
Remove from heat, stir in the fish sauce and soy; and garnish with cilantro and basil.
Serve all on it’s own, over greens or with rice and enjoy!