(Most) Kidding and goofing around aside, this is one of the best things that will ever pass across your lips. Yeah, it is a shrimp dish, but the Alfredo sauce is the star of the show.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoon corn oil
2 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic
Small chopped onion
1 pound shelled deveined shrimp
1 tablespoon dry parsley
2 sticks butter
1 pint lite cream (or half & half)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 lemon
12 oz. fresh pasta
1/2 pound grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Grab a large pot — like a four quart pot, or so — and make pasta water. As the water heats, get out a large pan. Over a low fire, melt the butter. Then, add the garlic and onion to the butter. Once the garlic and onion a tender, add the shrimp to the pan. Keep the shrimp moving by stirring often.

Now the fun begins…

In a medium pan, add butter over a low fire, melt more butter. Once the butter has melted, add the cream (or half & half) and stir. Let simmer.

When the shrimp starts turning pink, add the white wine and squeeze the lemon over shrimp. Toss and cook for 1 minute. Don’t overcook. Turn off flame and cover.

Add your pasta to the water that is boiling by now.

Add Parmesan to the melted butter and cream.

Stir often while pasta is cooking. Fresh pasta will not take more than three minutes to cook. Commercial pasta will take around 9 minutes. Check the box or wrapper for the exact time.

Add more Parmesan for a thicker sauce, less for thinner sauce.

Drain the pasta in colander.

Put the pasta back in large pot, add shrimp and sauce. Toss thoroughly. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle parsley over top.

Apply lips.

‘prawn’ to mean prawn…or shrimp.  What it boils down to is what really are the differences in them.

Technically, there is a difference. It’s mostly a biological difference. They are different species and they also have different gill structures. As far as we cooks are concerned, yes, there is a mild difference in taste.

Shrimp are saltwater dwellers found in warm waters as well as cold waters. A lot of the shrimp we eat is raised in a pond…also known as farm raised shrimp. Generally speaking,though, no matter where they are raised, the colder the water, the smaller the shrimp.

Shrimp are packaged and sold according to their size, most usually. You will see a numbering scheme on the bag that says something like "10-12" or "15-20", which indicates how many shrimp it will take to make a pound. There is also a ‘mini-shrimp’ that is most often used in salads. Takes about one of them to make up a pound.

Though both prawns and shrimp are crustaceans, the prawn more closely resembles a small lobster and has sweet, delicious meat. Here are some other things that are prawns that go by different names; langoustines — both French and Spanish — are prawns. As is the Caribbean lobsterette. There is also a little fella known as the Italian scampi that is a prawn. It has nothing to do with shrimp scampi, though.

While it is very common to substitute one for the other in most shrimp recipes, I still prefer to call them what they really are. Of course, you should feel free to do whatever you’d like, but my preference is to say what I mean as often as possible to avoid confusion.

If you are interested in the biological differences in the two creatures, there are a few, but the main difference is in their gill structure and the size of their legs.

They are both, however, decapod crustaceans. They are 10-legged and have their skeletons on the outside of their bodies (exoskeletons). Another thing they have in common is that they both [prefer to stay close to the bottom of the ocean.

Will they both work in a shrimp salad recipe, for instance? Or most other shrimp recipes? Sure. Unless YOU decide differently.

So, there you have a discussion of the difference between the two. Any facts you would like entered int he record? Feel free to comment below.

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Ingredients:

• 3 lbs Unpeeled Shrimp (heads off)
• 16 oz. Bottle Zesty Italian Dressing
• 2 Tablespoons Black Pepper
• 1 Teaspoon Crushed Garlic
• 1 Lemon
• 1 Cup Butter

Makin’ It:

1. Place clean unpeeled shrimp in a glass 9″ x 13″ baking dish.
2. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over shrimp.
3. Add garlic, black pepper and Italian Dressing.
4. Cut butter into small pieces and place on top of shrimp.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes stirring after 15 minutes.
6. Serve with French Bread and call me!

As I write this in order to get it on the web site as quickly as I can, I have not yet tasted it. But simply imagining the combination of ingredients and the cooking method makes me think that I will get the clean, fresh flavor of boiled shrimp from the lemon, garlic and Italian dressing. When the smoothness of the butter hits your palate, the black pepper will slide in to create the depth of flavor.

The the thing I like about simple recipes like this one is the inspiration they create and ideas they foster. Take this idea and run with it, if you’d like;

Several large prawns (unpeeled, heads off) in a sauce pan with the ingredients above, adding a pinch — tiny! — of cayenne pepper. Just enough to wake up the front of the palate. The black pepper base is going to do a tremendous job creating that warmth and depth of flavor at the back of the palate.

Being a fan of dry spice rubs, it wouldn’t take much to imagine this idea being transferred into an intense final output that dry rubs tend to produce. For instance, sear the shrimp — or boil the shrimp, for that matter — and let them cool in the refrigerator. When they are cold, put them on a plate. Add a couple of teaspoons of melted butter, the garlic, then a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, then a teaspoon of black pepper, etc…

Well, I’m outta here. Headed to the store to restock on shrimp and a baguette.

When I was a little kid, my family would occasionally make the trek from Vicksburg, Ms. to Jackson, Ms. — about 45 minutes — to go to Morrison’s Cafeteria after church. My little brother and I got to pick whatever we wanted. I always picked fried shrimp. Forty-plus years later, I still do, too often. Although shrimp and grits gets picked a little more often, these days.

Shrimp scampi recipes are really popular. Lots of variations on the shrimp scampi theme, too. Only one way to find out which one is these best…make them all and give them a try. (Hey, nobody said that being an authority on shrimp scampi was gonna be easy!)

Seems like people never tire of a good shrimp salad recipe either. The fact that it is so simple — not to mention down right delicious — probably has a lot to do with that. (Ever heard of a shrimp salad sandwich? Dee-lish.)

Recipes for grilled shrimp, coconut shrimp, boiled shrimp…you name it. Our aim is to have your favorite shrimp recipes here in one place for you. We also look forward to any comments you would like to add.

Three friends have dropped by the site and added their own recipes. Many others have threatened to send their favorite recipes, but haven’t yet. Pat’s Asparagus and Shrimp Risotto recipe was probably the most surprising! Linda’s Shrimp In Black Pepper is something else new and wonderful to these taste buds. And, naturally, anything from Chef Jerry is always amazing. Same goes for his Tyler Florence-inspired Shrimp Bisque.

If you have a shrimp recipe you would like to share, please jump over to the Contact Us page and let it rip.

Shrimp recipes are among the most sought after recipes online. No real wonder why either. It is a massively popular ingredient in cuisines all around the world. Above and beyond all else, shrimp simply tastes great cooked in many different ways.

Other than being high in cholesterol, shrimp is largely good for you. The nutritional value of shrimp is excellent. It is low in Saturated Fat and is a good source of Niacin, Iron, Phosphorus and Zinc. It is also a very good source of Protein, Vitamin B12 and Selenium.

All of that said, shrimp still just tastes darn good. In the end, that’s why I like it.

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Ingredients

1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup celery, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 pound shrimp, cooked, peeled and deveined

Cook your shrimp in a medium saucepan. Bring a couple of cups of water to the boil. Add unpeeled shrimp and cook for about 5 minutes… or until the shrimp are pink.  Drain then allow shrimp to cool. Throw them in ice to speed things along and stop the cooking even faster.  After they have cooled, remove the shells and devein the shrimp.

After mixing the first four ingredients in a fairly decent sized bowl – give yourself room to work — add cooked, peeled and deveined shrimp. Toss to coat with the mixture. Put them in the fridge for about a half  an hour before you serve.

With this basic recipe, you now have at least three easy ways to go…

1. Make a bed of cool, crisp lettuce – you choose which kind, but our family likes romaine – on a cold plate.

2. Put the mixture on the greens and enjoy.

3. Shrimp Salad Sandwich? Don’t knock it. TRY it!  Just put the assembled salad on a nice croissant or a fresh sandwich roll. Now you have a portable shrimp salad! (Didn’t even know you needed one, did you?)

When tomatoes are in season, , stuff the mixture in a tomato that has recently left a garden near you.

Here are some more ideas for variations on the theme…

• Asian Shrimp Citrus Salad
• Shrimp Salad with Red Onion, Mango and Cilantro
• Shrimp and Macaroni Salad
• Pickled Shrimp Salad
• Thai Shrimp Salad
• Shrimp Curry Salad
• Shrimp Salad with Chow Mein Noodles

Try these shrimp dishes and let us know which you liked best. I would also be interested to hear about any variations and adjustments you made that were particularly satisfying.

Do you have a shrimp salad recipe that you think we should include on the site, just let us know.  Same with any other shrimp recipes! We want to be the best shrimp recipe resource you can find.

The Stuff:

• Large Shrimp – 1.5 – 2.0 pounds
• Clarified Butter – 1/3 to 1/2 cup
• Minced Garlic  — 4 table spoons
• Green Onions, thinly sliced – 5 or 6
• White Wine (Dry) — 1/4 cup
• Lemon Juice (fresh is best)  — 2 tablespoons
• Chopped Fresh Parsley — 2 tablespoons
• Add salt and pepper to taste

Makin’ It:

1. Peel and devein shrimp.
2. Rinse the shrimp and set them aside.
3. Heat the butter in a large skillet, medium heat.
4. Cook garlic 1 or 2 minutes or until softened but not browned.
5. Add shrimp, green onions, wine and lemon juice. Cook until shrimp are pink and firm, about 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Do not overcook.  (‘Poke’ shrimp with finger to feel firmness.)
6. Add chopped parsley and salt and pepper before it hits the table.

Other Thoughts:

I’m a big fan of lemon zest. Especially with fish and chicken dishes. I like to zest a lemon and toss it in the pan at the very end of this preparation. The flavor, aroma and freshness-boost it gives the recipe is perfect.

A Little History:

Scampo is Italian for Shrimp. Scampi is the plural of Scampo. Now that we have all of that squared away, on to something that you may actually find interesting.

This dish made its way into our country around the end of World War II. Between 1955 and 1960 it started finding its way to big city restaurant menus pretty regularly. As with everything else, there are several versions of several stories about how it was really made in The Old Country. Here are some variations on the theme that you may want to experiment with as you develop your preferences for making shrimp scampi in your kitchen…

Instead of using butter, use olive oil – not extra virgin, though. Some older Italian cooks shake their heads ‘no’ at the idea of adding garlic to shrimp scampi. I have seen some scampi recipes and preparation that call for nothing more than a medium – hot skillet with olive oil and lemon juice, there seems to be plenty of room for interpretation. And that is probably as it should be. Cooking is, after all, art.  So experiment. Have a little fun. You’ll be amazed at what you learn.

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