I had a shrimp recipe from Cooks Illustrated that sounded interesting tucked away to try: pan seared shrimp tossed with a nice sauteed spice mixture. Although the flavor is not overtly Asian, a side of fried rice loaded with veg made a perfect side. The shrimp were savory but not spicy hot. It got a big thumbs up all around the table.
One word of advice is to have all ingredients measured, chopped & ready before you begin cooking, because the dish is done before you know it. The technique of starting the shrimp in a cold cast iron skillet and finishing them off-heat worked and they were perfectly cooked.
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Serves 4
3/4 pound extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled, deveined, and tails removed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 garlic clove, minced
9/16 teaspoon sugar, divided
1/16 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped
1/2 tablespoon lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
1 1/2 tablespoons dry-roasted peanuts, chopped coarse
Toss shrimp and ½ teaspoon salt together in bowl; set aside for 15 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, grind coriander seeds and peppercorns using spice grinder or mortar and pestle until coarsely ground. Transfer to small bowl. Add paprika, garlic, 1 teaspoon sugar, pepper flakes, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and stir until combined.
Pat shrimp dry with paper towels. Add 1 tablespoon oil and remaining ⅛ teaspoon sugar to bowl with shrimp and toss to coat. Add shrimp to cold 12-inch nonstick or well-seasoned carbon-steel skillet in single layer and cook over high heat until undersides of shrimp are spotty brown and edges turn pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Working quickly, use tongs to flip each shrimp; let stand until second side is opaque, about 2 minutes. Transfer shrimp to platter.
Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to now-empty skillet. Add spice mixture and cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Off heat, return shrimp to skillet. Add cilantro and lime juice and toss to combine. Transfer to platter; sprinkle with peanuts; and serve, passing lime wedges separately.
Notes:
Shrimp are so small that it's hard to brown them before they overcook. We started by briefly salting them so that they retained moisture even as they were seared over high heat. Sprinkling sugar on the shrimp (patted dry after salting) and waiting to add the sugar until just before searing them boosted browning and underscored the shrimp's sweetness. To cook them, we arranged the shrimp in a single layer in a cold skillet (nonstick or carbon-steel to ensure that the flavorful browning would stick to the shrimp, not the pan) so that they made even contact with the surface. They heated up gradually with the skillet, so they didn't buckle and thus browned uniformly; slower searing also created a wider window for ensuring that they didn't overcook. Once the shrimp were spotty brown and pink at the edges on the first side, we removed them from the heat and quickly turned each one, letting residual heat gently cook them the rest of the way. A flavorful spice mixture for seasoning the shrimp came together in the same pan used to cook them.
Source: https://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/13320-pan-seared-shrimp-with-peanuts-black-pepper-and-lime
3/4 pound extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled, deveined, and tails removed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 garlic clove, minced
9/16 teaspoon sugar, divided
1/16 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, chopped
1/2 tablespoon lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
1 1/2 tablespoons dry-roasted peanuts, chopped coarse
Toss shrimp and ½ teaspoon salt together in bowl; set aside for 15 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, grind coriander seeds and peppercorns using spice grinder or mortar and pestle until coarsely ground. Transfer to small bowl. Add paprika, garlic, 1 teaspoon sugar, pepper flakes, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and stir until combined.
Pat shrimp dry with paper towels. Add 1 tablespoon oil and remaining ⅛ teaspoon sugar to bowl with shrimp and toss to coat. Add shrimp to cold 12-inch nonstick or well-seasoned carbon-steel skillet in single layer and cook over high heat until undersides of shrimp are spotty brown and edges turn pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove skillet from heat. Working quickly, use tongs to flip each shrimp; let stand until second side is opaque, about 2 minutes. Transfer shrimp to platter.
Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to now-empty skillet. Add spice mixture and cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Off heat, return shrimp to skillet. Add cilantro and lime juice and toss to combine. Transfer to platter; sprinkle with peanuts; and serve, passing lime wedges separately.
Notes:
Shrimp are so small that it's hard to brown them before they overcook. We started by briefly salting them so that they retained moisture even as they were seared over high heat. Sprinkling sugar on the shrimp (patted dry after salting) and waiting to add the sugar until just before searing them boosted browning and underscored the shrimp's sweetness. To cook them, we arranged the shrimp in a single layer in a cold skillet (nonstick or carbon-steel to ensure that the flavorful browning would stick to the shrimp, not the pan) so that they made even contact with the surface. They heated up gradually with the skillet, so they didn't buckle and thus browned uniformly; slower searing also created a wider window for ensuring that they didn't overcook. Once the shrimp were spotty brown and pink at the edges on the first side, we removed them from the heat and quickly turned each one, letting residual heat gently cook them the rest of the way. A flavorful spice mixture for seasoning the shrimp came together in the same pan used to cook them.
Source: https://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/13320-pan-seared-shrimp-with-peanuts-black-pepper-and-lime
Interesting that this recipe popped up since I just tried it for the first time a little while ago. Only thing I would add is don’t overdo the peanuts (I had figured if some are good, more are better).
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