Shrimpilicious ... Quick and Tasty Sauteed Shrimp

It’s official. My youngest daughter is a shrimp fiend. FIEND, I tell you! Who knew that someone so petite could chow down on so many of the little crustaceans.

Our story begins right before lunchtime. I had some more shrimp in the fridge that were just begging to be cooked. My youngest was just begging to be fed something quick and tasty. Hmm ...what to do, what to do. (Picture me, fingers tapping my cheek, eyes shifting from the shrimp to the child and back again.)Do you remember the blackened seasoning I posted about recently? I thought it might taste good on the shrimp. It did. Now you’ll notice that nothing looks actually, um, blackened, in the photos. I opted to sauté the wee creatures instead of high-heat sear/blackening them. A little bit of butter, some white wine, some shrimp, some seasoning was all it took to give this creation life. (Hey that reminds me of the scene from Young Frankenstein when Gene Wilder cries out, “LIFE ... give my creation LIFE!” Did any of you see that show? Oh man, those old Mel Brooks shows where something else.)Anyway, where were we ... ah yes, I remember now.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Raw Shrimp – medium sized, I used about a lb or so.
Blackened Seasoning – A good tablespoon
Butter – About 3 tablespoons (come on, loose your fear of butter)
White Wine – About a ½ cup
Chopped fresh parsley
Chopped fresh chives

Shell, devein, and rinse your shrimp. Let’s talk about that for a second. While it is convenient to purchase already shelled shrimp, I’d discourage you from doing that unless you have no other option. Most shrimp, unless you live near the ocean, has been frozen first and the shells really help protect the flavor of the little guys. Removing the shells and the deveining process only take a few minutes, and believe me, you’ll love the difference in flavor.I shell, devein, and rinse my shrimp right in a colander in the sink. I also remove the entire shell including the tail piece as I don't like to see people sucking on tails and them putting said shells in a pile on their plate for me to dispose of anyway. Ewww. Plus, there's meat in "them thar" tails. Ahem. Let's move on, shall we. Pat the shrimpies dry. Sprinkle the seasoning right on the shrimp and toss to distribute the spices evenly.
In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the shrimp, keeping them in a single layer.As soon as they start to look opaque on the bottom, less than 2 minutes, turn them over. Let sauté another 2 minutes, taking care not to over cook the beasties. Remove the shrimp from the pan onto a platter. Return the pan to the burner and add the white wine, scraping up any bits on the bottom. Cook until reduced by half, stir in the parsley and chives. Pour the sauce over the shrimp. Garnish with additional parsley and chives if desired.This was really super. Of course, it would pair nicely on top of a crisp salad, or with rice or polenta or even savory style grits. The blackened seasoning worked really well with the shrimp, but the real beauty of this recipe is the cooking process. Truthfully, any type of seasoning would work well here ... salt and pepper ... garlic ... etc.Mmm ... here’s a quick bite for you!See my little fiend at work here? She looks like she's in some sort of shrimp trance. (If you look just over her shoulder, you can see my ripening tomatoes in the backyard. Please ignore the hose that needs put away. Thank you.) The quick cooking process provides you with marvelously textured shrimp. Nice and snappy, if you know what I mean.See how wonderful they are? I just love their curves! So, if you know of any shrimp fiends, or if you are the fiend, give this a try! Your tastebuds will thank you.