INGREDIENTS

• 4 (9-inch) bamboo skewers
• 16 large shrimp (about 1 lb.); peeled and deveined, leaving tail shell intact
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary; chopped
• 1 Tbsp. lemon zest; grated
• 2 tsp. garlic; minced
• 1 tsp. coarse-cracked black pepper
• ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp. salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Soak bamboo skewers in water for ½ hour. Thread 4 shrimp onto each skewer, threading each shrimp through the tail and then through the head; arrange on a large plate. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, rosemary, lemon zest, garlic, black pepper, red pepper flakes and salt until combined; rub over shrimp. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, turning once.

For the Mango Salsa: Prepare according to directions. Let stand at room temperature while shrimp are marinating. (Mango salsa recipe down below.)

Prepare an outdoor grill or preheat a stovetop grill pan over medium-high heat. Grill shrimp 2½ to 3½ minutes per side until just cooked through (shrimp will be just barely opaque in the thickest part when cut with a knife). Place a lemon wedge on end of each skewer. Serve with salsa.

INGREDIENTS FOR MANGO SALSA

• 2 large, ripe red mangos
• 2 roma tomatoes
• 1 red pepper
• 1 small red onion
• 3 med. garlic cloves
• ¼ cup cilantro
• Juice of 1 lime
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• ¼ tsp. coarse, black pepper
• 2 Tbsp. sweet Thai chile sauce
• 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS FOR MANGO SALSA

Mangos have an oblong shape with a pit in the center, similar to an avocado. Slice the mango along the sides, separating flesh from pit. Take the mango halfs and cut the flesh lengthwise and crosswise to create ¼-inch square pieces, but don’t cut the peel. Finally, use your fingers or a pairing knife to remove the mango away from the peel and place in a small bowl. Dice tomatoes, red pepper, and onion into ¼-inch square pieces and add the mango. Mince garlic and add to the mango mixture. Add remaining ingredients and toss to mix thoroughly.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves; minced
• 5 large tomatoes; chopped
• 1 tspn. dried oregano
• 1 lb. Alaskan cod
• ½ lb. large shrimp; peeled & deveined salt to taste
• 1 Tbs. dried oregano

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook and stir the garlic in the oil until golden brown. Add the tomatoes and mix well until juicy. Stir in 1 tspn. oregano. Lie the cod and shrimp into the mixture, season with salt then cover and simmer for 3 minutes. Flip the cod and season again with salt and 1 Tbs. oregano. Re-cover and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove the cover and allow to cook until the juice evaporates slightly, 2 to 3 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

• 48 large prawns; peeled and deveined
• 4 limes; zested and juiced
• 4 green chili peppers; seeded and chopped
• 4 garlic cloves; crushed
• 1 two inch piece of fresh ginger root; chopped
• 1 medium onion; coarsely chopped skewers

METHOD

Place the prawns and lime zest in a large, non-metallic bowl. Place the lime juice, chili pepper, garlic, ginger and onion in a food processor or blender, and process until smooth. You may need to add a little oil to facilitate blending. Pour over the bowl of prawns, stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Preheat grill for medium-high heat. Thread prawns onto skewers, piercing each first through the tail, and then the head. Brush grill grate with oil. Cook prawns for 5 minutes, turning once, or until lightly opaque in the center.

Christmas is done and you just realized you invited everyone over for the big game on New Year’s. YIKES! Shrimp is always a good choice, but serving it the same old way with cocktail sauce gets kind of boring. We have Aqua Star shrimp on sale and the recipe below is another way to serve shrimp that doesn’t require heating. Happy New Year!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. Aqua Star shrimp
• Shrimp boil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon minced lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons finely minced parsley
• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ red onion, sliced thin
• 2 tablespoons capers

METHOD

Fill a large saucepan with water. Add 2 tablespoons of shrimp boil and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook shrimp until JUST done. Medium shrimp that are thawed only take a minute or two to cook.

Rinse shrimp under cold water, remove peels and drain well. Place shrimp in a mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients and toss well to coat. Best done 24 hours in advance. Serve cold.

Christmas dinner is easy, right? Well think about it: you’ve been planning for weeks and there are a thousand websites (ours included) that give you hundreds of great ideas for Christmas dinner but unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your particular family situation) many of us have Christmas house guests BEYOND CHRISTMAS! The question then becomes, “What do I serve them now that the big dinner is over and the leftovers are gone?” Here’s a great dish that is simple and utilizes several items that are on sale this week. Have a very merry post-Christmas dinner!

( Chef’s hat denotes sale item)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb. dry angel hair pasta
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• ¾ cup clam juice
• ¾ cup dry, white wine
• 2 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half
• 2 lb. large shrimp, cooked, peeled, and deveined
• 2 teaspoons Kosher or sea salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups sour cream
• Chives for garnish

METHOD

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large saucepan and cook pasta until al dente. Drain, rinse, and toss with vegetable oil to prevent sticking. Set aside. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic and sauté, stirring frequently, until onions are soft. Add pasta, clam juice and wine, bring liquid to a boil and reduce by half. Add tomatoes, shrimp, salt, and pepper and cook for just a couple of minutes or until shrimp and tomatoes are heated through. Add sour cream and toss or stir until the sour cream is completely incorporated and liquids come back to a simmer. Pour into a large serving platter and garnish with chives.

In This Menu:

• Chicken Gumbo
• James’ Shrimp Creole
• Banana Pudding Cake

I, like most people, love Cajun food. My only trip to New Orleans really opened my eyes to the complexities of Cajun cooking as well as the myriad of subtle differences from other similar cuisines. My dad and I made the shrimp Creole, one of our favorite dishes, a million times which was inspired originally by a recipe called “Major Hollander’s Shrimp Creole”. I no longer know what cookbook it came out of or who Major Hollander was. I have recreated the dish from memory and I doubt it is exactly the same, but it certainly is tasty! The main thing I remembered about the original recipe is that it called for the zest and juice of one whole lemon. The lemon zest gives this version the signature taste I have come to love.

I want to thank Chef William Mauk from New Orleans for first making me true Gumbo and showing me how to make the best, dark, roux. I hope you like it. AAAIIIIEEEEEE!!!

INGREDIENTS

• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 large chicken (young hen preferred), cut into pieces
• 1 pound andouille or smoked sausage, cut into ½” pieces
• ½ cup flour
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning, or to taste
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• ½ cup fresh chopped parsley
• Filé powder to taste
• ½ bunch scallions (green onions), tops only, chopped

PREPARATION

Season the chicken with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning and brown thoroughly on both sides. Make sure that the fat is cooked out of the skin on the chicken and that it is crispy. Remove chicken to baking dish and place in oven at 350° for 30 minutes. While chicken is cooking, brown the sausage then remove from pan and set aside. Pour all excess fat but 2 tablespoons from skillet into a small, heavy bottomed, saucepan. Set skillet aside.

Add the flour to the oil, blending with a whisk. Cook the flour in the oil over medium to high heat (depending on your roux-making skill), stirring constantly, until the roux is almost the color of coffee or milk chocolate for a Cajun-style roux. If you want to save time, or prefer a more New Orleans-style roux, cook it to a medium, peanut-butter color, over lower heat if you’re nervous about burning it.

Add the vegetables to skillet and cook over medium heat, scraping bottom of skillet as vegetables cook to get all of the brown bits of flavor off pan. Remove chicken, let cool, and cut the meat off of the chicken into ½ inch pieces. Add the chicken along with the sausage to the pan.

Add the stock, seasonings, and parsley to pan. Bring to a boil, add the roux, then cook for about one hour, skimming fat off the top as needed.

Serve over rice in large shallow bowls. Top with chopped green onions. Accompany with a good beer and lots of hot, crispy French bread.

YIELD: About 12 appetizer-sized servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup diced green bell peppers
• ½ cup diced onions (reserve ends and skins)
• ½ cup diced celery (reserve ends, hearts, leaves)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning*
• 1 (14-ounce) can tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 8 oz. shrimp stock
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• Zest of one lemon
• Juice of one lemon
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• Salt and pepper
• 1½ pounds peeled and deveined shrimp (reserve shells)
• Green onions, for garnish

*Available in our spice aisle

PREPARATION

Place shrimp shells and reserved vegetable peelings on a cookie sheet and bake in a 400° oven until light brown. Place shells and veggies in a medium sauce pan, add 2 teaspoon Kosher salt and 4 cups of water to pan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes. Pour stock into another saucepan through a fine, metal strainer. Place stock back on high heat, bring to a boil and continue to boil until the stock is reduced by 2/3.

In fry pan, heat olive oil. Add peppers, onions and celery and garlic. Cook until softened. Add Cajun spice and sauté until caramelized. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, shrimp stock, hot sauce, lemon zest, lemon juice, and white sugar.

Cook for 3 hours. Add shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes. Serve over rice. Top with chopped green onions.

I decided to do an easy dessert for you since cooking in this heat can be tiring! I created this recipe very recently and originally did it with a homemade custard and cake from scratch. I don’t think that using the pre-made mixes will hurt the integrity of the dish much. If you would rather use from scratch products, feel free!

INGREDIENTS

• 3 bananas
• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 box vanilla pudding mix
• Whipped cream
• Mint for garnish

PREPARATION

Slice bananas into ¼ inch slices. Prepare cake per package directions. Bake, let cool, and cut into pieces. Prepare pudding according to package directions and set aside. In several large ramekins or wine glasses layer the dessert in this order:

1. Pudding
2. Bananas
3. Cake
4. Whipped Cream
5. Bananas

The last and top layer should be whipped cream with banana slices around edge. Top with mint for garnish. Chill and serve.