Yesterday was my annual worst day of the year. It comes every year sometime between February 1st and April 15th, I’m never exactly sure when it will happen. It is the day that I have to sit down and do my taxes. Now I don’t mind paying my fair share of taxes. We all have to support all these wonderful government programs that in spite of all our grumbling, do actually help to make our lives a little bit better. It’s just that actually filling out a tax return is such a convoluted mess that it totally and completely frustrates me and eventually ruins my mood for the remainder of the day.
However, something kinda cool and groovy happened yesterday during all this turmoil. I started thinking about some shrimp I had grilled up as part of a Mexican soup and what I could do to make them even better. So sometime between figuring out how much interest I had collected on my savings account and figuring out how much interest I had paid on my mortgage, I came up with this recipe. Ms Cocktail and I promptly made this last evening and it was every bit as good as my imagination told me it was. Enjoy.
Mexican Grilled Shrimp with Garlic Lime Rice
Serves 4
1 lb fresh medium shrimp (Author’s note: Try and use U.S. harvested (wild or farmed) shrimp. While this is a topic worthy of a blog all by itself, suffice it to say that all shrimping practices are not created equal.)
1 Tbs Kosher salt (approx.)
1 Tbs ancho chile powder (approx.)
extra virgin olive oil
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes (The author speaks: I like to use fresh tomatoes when I can but winter tomatoes have a decided lack of flavor. Substitute 1 large or two medium tomatoes if using fresh.)
1/2 of a small onion, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 cup short grain rice
2 cups chicken stock (He certainly has a lot to say today: Home made stock is better than store bought. In fact, I have a pot simmering on my stove as we speak. See how to make it here.)
1/2 small onion, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 Tbs butter
the juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
To prepare the shrimp: Shell and devein the shrimp. skewer the shrimp, making sure to pierce each one twice, once through the head and then again through the tail. If using bamboo skewers, make sure to soak them for at least 30 minutes in water before skewering. Coat or spray the shrimp with the extra virgin olive oil then sprinkle the kosher salt on. Liberally dust each side of the shrimp with the ancho chile powder.
To prepare the rice: Melt the butter in the pan you are going to prepare the rice in. Over medium-low heat, sweat the onions and garlic for about 5 minutes, just enough to soften them up but not enough to brown them, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook for about two minutes. Add the chicken stock and lime juice and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed by the rice, about 20 minutes.
To prepare the sauce: Heat the 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add the deiced onion and garlic and cook until the onion begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and the 1 Tbs of parsley. reduce heat to low and let simmer until needed.
Bringing it all together: Heat the grill with high heat and brush it down (perform a burn off). Over direct high heat, grill the shrimp about two minutes per side. Place about 1/3 cup of the cooked rice on a plate, pile nine or so shrimp on the rice, pour enough sauce over the shrimp to coat and top with chopped fresh parsley.
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