One of my favorite movies is Forrest Gump and one of my favorite characters is Private Benjamin Buford ‘Bubba’ Blue, Forrest’s best friend when he went to war in Vietnam. Bubba: “Anyway, like I was sayin’, shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey’s uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that’s about it.”
There is so many things can be done with shrimp. Shrimp is one of my favorite seafoods! Seasoned just right it is so good! Let’s get to it.
Spicy Grilled Shrimp Platter 
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 2 tablespoons kosher (coarse) salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 30 uncooked deveined peeled shrimp (1 1/4 lb of 26-30 count size), thawed if frozen, tail shells removed
- 1/3 cup seafood cocktail sauce
- 1/3 cup refrigerated honey mustard dressing
- 1/3 cup spicy hot peanut sauce (from 7-oz bottle)
- In 2-quart saucepan, heat 1 cup of the water to boiling. Add salt, sugar, red pepper flakes, garlic and paprika; stir to dissolve salt.
- Remove from heat. Add remaining 3 cups cold water. Place shrimp in large resealable food-storage plastic bag. Pour brine mixture over shrimp. Seal bag, pushing out air. Place bag in dish or plastic container. Refrigerate 1 hour.
- Heat the broiler to medium. Remove shrimp from brine mixture; discard brine. On each of 6 (12-inch) metal skewers, thread shrimp, leaving 1/4-inch space between each.
- Cook on medium heat 5 to 6 minutes, turning once, until shrimp are pink.
- In 3 separate small bowls, place cocktail sauce, dressing and peanut sauce. Arrange bowls on platter; add shrimp to platter.
Shrimp and Tomato Martinis
Looking for an elegant hors d’oeuvre or first course? This gussied-up shrimp cocktail gets high marks for flavor and presentation, making you the hostess with the most tastiest dish. 
Ingredients
For the Red Wine Vinaigrette:
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
For the Tomato Relish:
- 3 medium tomatoes, seeded, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons small capers, drained
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
For the Shrimp:
- 24 medium cooked shrimp (thawed if frozen), peeled, deveined (tail shells removed)
- 8 fresh basil leaves, sliced
- In small bowl, beat vinaigrette ingredients with whisk until smooth.
- In medium bowl, mix tomato relish ingredients.
- To serve, divide tomato relish evenly among 8 martini glasses. Top each with 3 shrimp. Spoon about 1 tablespoon vinaigrette over each. Garnish with sliced basil leaves.
If you don’t have martini glasses, use large wine glasses or lowball glasses.
These are two great recipes that will have your taste buds dancing. Dinner just got a little fancier. 🙂
Kwegyirba Croffie is a freelance Associate Producer at News 12 Connecticut and a Special Events/Event Planning and Social Media Intern at College Lifestyles (TM). She is a Quinnipiac University alumni and a member of Alpha Delta Pi. She enjoy cupcakes, Forever 21 ,giraffes, peacock feathers, orchids, lillies and anything Disney.
before, don’t let the smell fool you. It blends with the other flavors and really adds to this dish
TwentyOne No Gluten 