Mark Bittmans Famous Spicy Shrimp Food

SPICY GRILLED SHRIMP

Steps:

• Start a charcoal or gas grill, or heat the broiler. Make the fire as hot as it will get, and put the rack close to the heat source.
• Mince garlic with salt; mix with cayenne and paprika, then make into a paste with olive oil and lemon juice. Smear paste on shrimp. Grill or broil shrimp, 2 to 3 minutes a side, turning once. Serve immediately or at room temperature, with lemon wedges.

SHRIMP BURGERS

Steps:

• Start a charcoal or gas grill; fire should be moderately hot and rack about 4 inches from heat source.
• Combine garlic, chili, ginger and 1/3 of the shrimp in a food processor and purée, stopping machine to scrape down sides of container as necessary. Add remaining shrimp along with shallots, bell pepper, salt, pepper and cilantro, and pulse as many times as necessary to chop shrimp, but not too finely. Shape mixture into 4 patties. Chill for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Brush grill or patties lightly with oil and place them on grill. Cook undisturbed until a dark crust appears on bottom and they release fairly easily with a spatula, about 5 minutes. Turn and cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes on the other side. Serve on buns or not, as you like, with ketchup or lime juice as a condiment.

SPICY SHRIMP

Steps:

• Start a grill or preheat the broiler or oven. Make the fire as hot as it will get and put the rack close to the heat source.
• Mince the garlic with the salt; mix with the cayenne and paprika, then make into a paste with olive oil and lemon juice. Smear the paste on the shrimp. Grill, broil, or roast the shrimp, 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning them once. Serve immediately or at room temperature, with lemon wedges.
• Variation
• You can take this dish in a completely different direction by substituting curry powder for the paprika, peanut oil for the olive oil, and lime juice for the lemon juice.
• Shrimp
• Almost all shrimp are frozen before sale. So unless you're in a hurry, you might as well buy them frozen and defrost them yourself; this will guarantee you that they are defrosted just before you cook them, therefore retaining peak quality.
• There are no universal standards for shrimp size; large and medium don't mean much. Therefore, it pays to learn to judge shrimp size by the number per pound, as retailers do. Shrimp labeled 16/20, for example, contain sixteen to twenty per pound; those labeled U-20 require fewer (under) twenty to make a pound. Shrimp from fifteen to about thirty per pound usually give the best combination of flavor, ease (peeling tiny shrimp is a nuisance), and value (really big shrimp usually cost more than $15 a pound).
• On deveining: I don't. You can, if you like, but it's a thankless task, and there isn't one person in a hundred who could blind-taste the difference between shrimp that have and have not been deveined.

SPICY SHRIMP SALAD WITH MINT

Steps:

• Preheat broiler; adjust the rack, moving it as close to the heat source as possible. Place a large ovenproof skillet or thick-bottomed roasting pan on the stove over low heat.
• Combine the shrimp with garlic, salt, cayenne, paprika, half the olive oil and the 2 teaspoons of lemon juice; stir to blend. Turn heat under the skillet to high.
• When skillet smokes, toss in shrimp. Shake the pan once or twice to distribute them evenly, then immediately place skillet in the broiler.
• Mince about one-third of the mint, and set aside. Tear remaining leaves, and toss them with the arugula. Stir remaining olive oil and lemon juice together in a bowl.
• The shrimp are done when opaque, usually 3 to 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a plate; it is fine if they cool for a moment. Add shrimp juices to olive oil-lemon juice mixture, and stir. Dress the greens with this mixture, and toss; if the greens seem dry, add a little more olive oil or lemon juice, or both. Place greens on a platter, and arrange shrimp on top or around them; garnish shrimp with the remaining minced mint.

SHRIMP, MARK'S WAY

Steps:

• Put the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the garlic. Cook carefully, lowering the heat as necessary, until the garlic is just colored; add the spices and stir.
• Raise the heat to medium and add the shrimp; sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook gently, turning once or twice, until nicely coated with the spices and oil and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Serve the shrimp with the pan juices, garnishing with the parsley and lemon wedges.

MARK BITTMAN'S SHRIMP IN GREEN SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine garlic and oil in a small food processor and blend until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary. Add scallions and parsley and pulse until mixture is minced. Toss with shrimp, salt, pepper and chilies.
• Put shrimp in a large roasting pan. Add liquid and place pan in oven. Roast, stirring once, until mixture is bubbly and hot, and shrimp all pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve.