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Jumbo Shrimp in Lemon Herbed Oil

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Jumbo Shrimp in Lemon & Herbed Oil

Roberta Reynolds
This shrimp presentation is wonderful as an appetizer served with grilled bread, but also great tossed with orzo pasta for a cool summer salad. So colorful and inviting! Bathed in lemon juice and olive oil, the shrimp are in good company with bias sliced scallions and red, yellow, and orange bell peppers. The scent of fresh herbs perfumes the dish and makes it irresistible. You’ll see there are options here for either fresh or dried herbs – feel free to use what you have access to and go on ahead and use fresh and dried interchangeably if you like. Bottom line, keep in mind: 1 tablespoon fresh herbs is equal to 1 teaspoon dried herbs, which happens to be a 3:1 ratio. This recipe is adapted from The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook – a true classic.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Total Time 23 minutes
Servings 6 -8 Appetizer Servings

Ingredients
  

  • FOR THE SHRIMP
  • 1 pound jumbo shrimp shelled and deveined with tails left on (Pssst: you can even use Bay Shrimp if you want)
  • FOR THE DRESSING
  • 3 tablespoons fresh basil chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried basil)
  • 3 tablespoons fresh dill chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried dill)
  • 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary or to taste (rosemary can be quite strong) (or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary)
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh tarragon chopped (or 1 teaspoons dried tarragon)
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
  • 3 cloves fresh garlic minced
  • 2 Tablespoons spicy mustard
  • 5 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • FOR THE VEG
  • 2 – 3 scallions use both the green and white parts, sliced on the bias
  • 1 red bell pepper cored, seeded, and slivered or diced
  • 1 orange bell pepper cored, seeded, and slivered or diced
  • 1 yellow bell pepper cored, seeded, and slivered or diced
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • FOR THE SHRIMP
  • Fill a 4-quart or larger sauce pan ¾ full with water and bring to boil.
  • Add about 2 tablespoons salt and return to boil.
  • Add shrimp and cook until opaque in the center, about 2-3 minutes, depending on the size of the shrimp.
  • Remove shrimp from boiling water and immediately plunge into an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. When cooled, drain and refrigerate.
  • FOR THE DRESSING AND VEG
  • Combine all of the garlic, mustard, and lemon juice in a large bowl, blender or food processor. Drizzle in olive oil while processing or whisking by hand until slightly thickened.
  • Stir in the herbs
  • Stir in the slivered peppers and sliced scallions.
  • Gently toss in the shrimp.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • COOKS NOTES:
  • Delicious with grilled bread to soak up all the flavorful oil.
  • Also makes a great pasta salad when tossed with some orzo or other pasta of your choice and then cooled.

Have you ever heard people say that they lose their appetite and can’t eat when it’s hot outside? I am not one of them. But what to do when it’s so hot out that all you want to do is sit in front of a fan with a refreshing beverage? Thoughts immediately went to these big old shrimp, served nice and cold with some crisp peppers and a refreshing lemon and herb dressing.

I have been making this recipe for about a million years, and it has appeared at just about every catering job I’ve ever had because it’s easy, beautiful, and no fail – this is very important when you have run out of time and have had delusions of grandeur about estimating how much food you could prepare for a couple hundred people in a short amount of time.

This whole business comes together in three easy steps: #1 – Boil shrimp in salted water for 2-3 minutes; #2 – Make the marinade, which is quite easy and even though there are a ton of herbs in there, feel free to substitute dried for fresh, and #3 – Chop your veg and stir everything together. See? Told ya. Throw on an edible flower if you are feeling quite wild and full of yourself.

There is only one sort of tricky part to this recipe – be careful not to overcook the shrimp. They only take 2-3 minutes in boiling, salted water but keep your eyes on them and when they start to turn pink they are close to done I like to fish one out of the water and try it just to be sure. Once you’ve got that covered, I love to serve this with grilled bread that has been liberally laced with garlic butter. You can also toss everything with some orzo pasta and add some feta cheese for a refreshing, cold summer salad. Today, as you can see, we are going the grilled bread route.

Final warning: stand back when you bring it to the table – a stamped is guaranteed. It’s usually a good idea to serve this with a big spoon to avoid members of your party going in with the hand-scooping approach. This will not be looked on favorably by anybody who is next in line.

Happy summer! Hope you enjoy this one, and thanks so much for reading the blog today – we know how much is out there to take care of, and really appreciate the fact you’ve spent some time with me. xoxoxoxo

Hello. I’m Roberta Reynolds.

I’m so glad you dropped in! Welcome to Bird’s Nest Bakery and Café, a collection of ‘made from scratch’, seasonal recipes developed in my home kitchen. I’ve been obsessed with creating the easiest and most delicious recipes possible since I could reach the top of a stove.

I hope you’ll find this site a welcome and relaxing place where you can come for inspiration and ideas. Take a look, have fun, and feel free to modify these recipes to suit your particular palate. It would make me so happy if you would share these recipes with friends and family. After all, cooking and baking are meant to be shared with those we care about. That’s what’s so much fun about it!