So Many Dishes

I’m always looking for new shrimp recipes. To me, it’s the most versatile seafood. One of the best things about it is that freezing doesn’t affect its quality. There’s a huge difference between fresh and frozen fish, but shrimp tolerate freezing well. Sprouts Market often has two-pound bags of jumbo frozen shrimp on sale, so there’s usually a bag in our freezer.

I posted last week about the new cookbook from The Mediterranean Dish, called Simply Dinner. I tried two recipes from the book this past weekend. The tomato and cucumber salad I made on Saturday was good, a variation of Greek horiatiki. The easy shrimp skillet I cooked last night was fantastic!

This is a dish that looks as good as it tastes, too. With lots of colorful vegetables, it’s really healthy, too. The ladolemono sauce brings it all together. To my mind, ladolemono is a vinaigrette: lemon juice, oregano, garlic, and plenty of good quality olive oil whisked to an emulsion. I admit to being an olive oil snob. I like more robust, flavorful oils. Right now I’m using olive oil from the University of California at Davis olive oil research center. You can buy it through the university bookstore, and it’s so good. Hmm, I may need to write a post on olive oils.

Once everything is prepped—shrimp peeled and deveined, veggies sliced, and the ladolemono made—this dish goes together very quickly. The original recipe says to serve with cooked grains of choice. We decided to serve it with orzo, and that turned out to be an excellent choice.

Shrimp, zucchini, and bell pepper skillet

• Extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 small red onion, halved lengthwise and sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced into 1/4-inch strips
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound large shrimp, thawed if frozen, peeled and deveined
• Greek ladolemono sauce (recipe follows)

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Once the oil shimmers, add the zucchini, onion, bell pepper, cumin, paprika, and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, tossing occasionally, until the vegetables softened and charred in some spots, about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes and garlic and cook for another 3 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant and the tomatoes have softened a bit. Transfer the vegetables to a large plate.

Pat the shrimp dry and season with a big pinch of salt and pepper. If the skillet is a bit dry, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and then cook the shrimp over medium-high heat, watching for them to start turning from translucent to light pink, about 2 minutes. You don’t want the shrimp fully cooked.

Pour half of the sauce over the shrimp and add the vegetables back to the skillet. Cook for one minute longer, or until the shrimp turns solidly pink. Turn heat off.

Taste and adjust the seasoning as you like, and serve over your favorite cooked grains. Serve the remaining sauce alongside for anyone who likes their shrimp extra saucy. Serves 4.

Greek ladolemono sauce

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 large garlic clove, minced

Kosher salt and black pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

In a medium bowl, combine the lemon juice, oregano, and garlic, then season with a big pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. Slowly drizzle in some of the olive oil until the mixture is emulsified. (I used a little more than 1/2 cup; the original recipe says about 3/4 cup). Taste and adjust the seasoning. Any leftover sauce can be refrigerated up to two weeks.

Happy eating!