So Many Dishes

One of my favorite quotes is from the Frugal Gourmet, Jeff Smith, who, during his show with recipes featuring garlic said, “if your lover doesn’t like garlic, get another lover.” (Yes, I know that Smith was accused of sexual abuse. He was never charged, but it ended his career. But I learned a lot from his show and cookbooks). It’s fortunate that Ken likes garlic, because I cook with it frequently, and last nights dinner had enough to definitely discourage any vampires from stopping by.

The garlic-seared shrimp with smoked paprika that I cooked is another Weight Watchers recipe, but you’d never know it by the taste. This was so tasty and so quick to prepare that I can’t figure out why it’s been years since the last time I made this.

I love the flavors of both garlic and smoked paprika. I actually only discovered the wonders of smoked paprika a few years ago. It’s a seasoning I don’t think my mother ever used, so I didn’t encounter the flavor as a kid, and somehow never had occasion to taste in until maybe 10 years ago. But since it was on my radar, I’ve used it regularly in my cooking. Garlic, on the other hand, is something I grew up with. I’m not as bad as my friend Ceil who, if a recipe calls for two cloves of garlic figures that 14 is probably an appropriate amount. But I put enough in the sauce for Ken to comment that anyone we encountered on our walk this morning would probably give us wide berth 😄

Prep was limited to cleaning the shrimp, plus chopping garlic and a little bit of cilantro. Since Ken is the designated peeler/deveiner when we have shrimp, my prep was quick. And before I go on, yes, you can substitute parsley for the cilantro. The original recipe calls for one tablespoon of each; by now you know that I’m on Team Cilantro. Once I turned the heat on, I don’t think it took 10 minutes until I was plating dinner. I had one moment of panic, however, when I realized that I didn’t have enough smoked paprika. So I quickly grabbed my sweet paprika to make up the difference. It ended up being 50-50 between the two paprikas, and Ken said to do it this way the next time.

Garlic-Seared Shrimp with Smoked Paprika

• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and patted dry
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika (see above)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley or a combination of the two
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

Toss shrimp in salt. Heat a skillet over medium high heat until very hot. Add one teaspoon olive oil and swirl to coat pan. Add half of the shrimp in a single layer. Cook about 10 seconds, then quickly flip the shrimp. Cook 10 seconds more. Immediately remove to a plate. Add one teaspoon olive oil and repeat with the remaining shrimp.

Reduce heat to medium; add remaining two teaspoons oil. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until light golden but not browned, about 1 minute. Stir in paprika; return shrimp to the pan.

Reduce heat slightly and cook until shrimp are just opaque in center, one to two minutes. Stir in cilantro and lemon juice. Serve shrimp with pan sauce spooned over the top. Garnish with additional cilantro, if desired.

The cookbook says that this serves 4, but only if those four people have the appetite of picky three-year-olds. Maybe if you were starting with a pound of shrimp that had already been peeled and deveined. Realistically, I’d say it serves two to three. To be honest, Ken and I polished off the shrimp without a problem, and I practically licked the pan, the sauce was so good. I served steamed broccoli on the side; I’d thought about doing something more interesting than just steaming it, but with the shrimp being so last minute, I figured steaming was just easier. And I’d picked up a loaf of fresh sourdough bread, which was perfect for sopping up the pan sauce. It felt like a special occasion, not a regular Thursday night.

Happy eating!