Baked Shrimps with Ritz Crackers Crumbs

Here's another easy recipe for you. The original recipe calls for scallops, and since scallops are very pricey, I substituted shrimps. I keep a big pack of medium shrimps in my freezer so I have them handy when I need to stir-fry veggies with shrimps or cook Mung Beans with Shrimps instead of pork (Ginisang Monggo). This dish smells really good while baking in the oven, you can not resist to eat them right after baking. Everything really tastes and smells good with butter! We had this for lunch today and I partnered it with Couscous with Broccoli.

BAKED SHRIMPS WITH RITZ CRACKERS CRUMBS

INGREDIENTS
1 lb Shrimps, deveined and pat dry
6 tbsp butter, melted and divided
10 pcs Ritz Crackers
salt and pepper
1 tsp garlic powder

PROCEDURE:
1. Preheat oven to 375 deg. F
2. Put Ritz crackers in a ziplock bag and crush into crumbs, set aside.
3. Pour half of the butter on the shrimps and stir to coat.
4. Sprinkle the shrimp with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
5. Arrange the shrimps in a shallow buttered casserole.
6. Cover with Ritz crackers crumbs.
7. Pour rest of the butter over crumbs
8. Bake for 15 minutes.

Shrimps In Coconut Milk

When I got married and came to US, I didn't know how to cook and I ran the phone bills calling my family in the Philippines to ask for recipes. My older sister on the other hand has a talent for cooking and baking and she can make a great chef! Here's one dish I learned from her over the phone. My sister told me to just eyeball the ingredients because that's the way she cooks, but I measured just the same so I can do it again next time, LOL.

SHRIMPS IN COCONUT MILK

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb of Shrimp with shell or tail on;
1 can of Coconut Milk;
1 can of Tomato Sauce;
1 tbsp of minced garlic;
1 tbsp of canola oil;
1/2 tsp of hot pepper flakes;
1/4 tsp of salt for the sauce and
1/4 tsp of salt to season the shrimp.

DIRECTIONS:
1. Season the shrimp with salt and set aside;
2. In medium heat, saute the garlic in canola oil until brown but not burnt;
3. Add the coconut milk and stir constantly until reduced to half;
4. Add the tomato sauce, pepper flakes and salt; stir constantly until the consistency is thick. 5. Add the shrimp and mix with the sauce, cover and let simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Don't overcook the shrimp.

Shrimp Lasagna Rolls with Creamy Marinara

This is another recipe from my fave chef Giada de Laurentiis from her cookbook Everyday Pasta. Shrimps and pasta noodles are staples in my freezer and pantry so anytime I want to cook this dish, I have them ready. In this dish just don't overcook the lasagna noodles when boiling as they will finish cooking in the oven.

SHRIMP LASAGNA ROLLS

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb lasagna
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt and ground black pepper
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 (15-ounces) containers whole-milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
3 cups marinara sauce (store-bought or homemade)
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese (about 5 ounces)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 deg. F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain.

2. Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Season the shrimps with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and the garlic to the pan and saute until the shrimp are cooked, about 4 minutes, stirring often. Remove from the heat and let cool. Coarsely chop the cooled shrimp and place in a large bowl with 2 cups of the ricotta cheese (one container and about 1/3 of the other), the Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and the nutmeg. Stir to combine.

3. In another bowl, combine the marinara sauce with the remaining 1 cup of ricotta cheese and stir to combine.

4. To make the lasagna, cover the bottom of a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking dish with 1 cup of the marinara mixture. Lay 4 noodles flat on a dry work surface and cut in half (to make 8) Spread about 2 tablespoons of the shrimp mixture evenly over noodle. Roll up and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat twice more to make 24 lasagna mozzarella.

5. Bake until the lasagna rolls are heated through and the cheese is beginning to brown, about 25 minutes.

Yield:
Makes 6 servings

Food Friday - Fried Shrimps with Cashew

This recipe is from my Wok & Oriental cookbook and one of the favorite dishes I cook when I have tons of veggies in the fridge. It originally calls for orange bell pepper, leeks and broccoli florets veggies but whatever veggies you have in the fridge is really fine, the important ingredient here is the sauce. In this dish I threw in sugar snaps, mushrooms, yellow and red bell pepper, and onions.

FRIED SHRIMPS WITH CASHEW

INGREDIENTS
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp cornstarch
pinch of superfine sugar
1 lb raw jumbo shrimps
4 tbsps vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced
1/2 medium size yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 medium size red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup baby portabella mushrooms, quartered
4 ounces sugar snaps
3/4 cup unsalted cashew nuts
SAUCE
3/4 cup fish stock (I used chicken stock)
1 tbsp cornstarch
dash of chili sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine

DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix together the garlic, cornstarch, and sugar in a large bowl. Peel and devein the jumbo shrimps. Stir the shrimp into the cornstarch mixute to coat thoroughly.
2. Heat the oil in pre-heated wok and add the shrimp mixture. Stir fry over a high heat for 20-30 seconds, until the shrimps turn pink. Remove the shrimps from the wok with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels, and set aside.
3. Add the onions and mushrooms to the wok and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper and sugar snap and stir fry for another 2 minutes.
4. Mix together the ingredients for the sauce and add the mixture to the wok, together with the cashews. Return the shrimps to the wok and cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute to heat through completely. Transfer to a warm dish and serve immediately.

VARIATIONS:
This recipe also works well with chicken, pork or beef strips instead of shrimps. Use 8 ounces of meat instead of 1 lb of shrimps.