Chile Lime Shrimp! Or, I don’t clean trout. That’s why I got married.
Chile Lime Shrimp
I like seafood any time of the year, but I especially like shell fish in the summer. Shrimp pairs so well with so many summer items including fresh veggies, corn and, of course, grilling.
I’m not good in hot weather, so as has been my custom, I head to the hills when the temperature hits the 90’s. Unless, I have a wedding to photograph…which I did a few weeks ago…and it was over 100 degrees. It was stinking hot, but, it was a lovely wedding. Yes!Chef! acted as my sherpa but he is not nearly as bothered by the heat as I am.
June Weddings
The day after the wedding, I headed up to the mountains (Lake Tahoe) to cool off a bit. My part time neighbor had arrived from Colorado to spend the summer in LT. He goes fishing almost every day in one of the smaller lakes near Lake Tahoe. A few days ago, he knocked on my door and said, “Get your camera!”
I did and he pulled his latest catch out of the back of his car.
My neighbor and his fish
And! He gave us three fish.
Trout for us!
Now, I’m going to admit a little embarrassment in regards to these beauties. You will note that they are not cleaned. They are literally fresh out of the lake and driven straight to my house. Yes!Chef! was not here because he was dealing with his day job at our house (about 1 hour away). I sent him the above picture of the pan of trout and we began a texting conversation that is rather typical…for us:
Me: Look what Ralph brought us. They are not cleaned. What do I do with them?
Y!C!: Nice, they will last a couple of days, wrap in plastic and stick in the fridge.
Me: Even if they are not cleaned?
Y!C!: Are they gutted?
Me: No.
Me (again): Do not even tell me I have to gut them.
Y!C!: Then you will have to pull the guts out.
Me: No! I! Don’t!
Y!C! Cut them down the belly line on the bottom and pull it out.
Me: No! I will not do that. I will drive home tonight and leave them at the house.
Y!C! That’s silly. It’s not nasty
Me: Then you come up here and do it.
Me (again): This is one of the reasons I got married
Y!C! You would not make it in Alaska
Yes!Chef! likes to watch all those “living off the land in crazy cold with terrifying man-eating creatures and that’s why we love it here” Alaska television shows.
Yes!Chef! dreams of living in Alaska. I do not share that dream. I remind him of what Ian Malcom said in the movie, The Lost World: “Yes, ooo, ahh, it always starts out that way, and then comes all the running and screaming.”
At any rate, I packed the trout in ice and drove home for Yes!Chef! to clean and cook the trout. They were good and watching him cleaning the fish I heartily disagree with his assessment that “it is not nasty.”
The next day, I drove back up to the mountains. And, no, I will not learn to clean the fish. That’s why I got married.
Now, I did clean the shrimp for the above dish. But their heads had already been removed, so all I had to do was remove the shells and the intestines. They are teeny, tiny intestines and so it’s not the same as the trout. Even if it is, I’m not cleaning the dang trout. That’s why I got married.
Lavender: breathe deeply and relax
And here’s some lovely lavender with a side of Lupine so that we will not have to think about cleaning trout anymore. We can concentrate on a very easy and tasty shrimp dish, that you will love.
Shrimp ready to be eaten
Here’s the recipe adapted from Skinny Taste.
Chile Lime Shrimp
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
- 1 pound large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1-2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped fine
- 1 jalapeno pepper, membrane and seeds removed, and finely chopped
- juice from 1 medium lime
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Directions
- Place shrimp in a bowl and toss with cumin, salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet (or non-stick if you don’t have a cast iron skillet, but you really should invest in the cast iron) over medium-high heat.
- Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to the pan. When the oil is heated, add half of the shrimp. Cook them on one side for about 2 minutes. Then, turn the shrimp over and cook until opaque throughout, about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate.
- Add the other tablespoon of oil, if necessary, and the rest of the shrimp to the pan and cook, as above. Remove the shrimp to the plate.
- Reduce heat to medium. Place the jalapeño in the pan and cook until it begins to become limp. Add garlic and stir around until the garlic is fragrant. Be careful not to burn. Remove pan from heat.
- Return the shrimp to the skillet, mix well so that the garlic and jalapeño are evenly incorporated.
- Squeeze the lime juice over all the shrimp. Add the cilantro, toss well, and serve.
You can serve this over rice or noodles or by itself with a side of cooked fresh green beans. I also served with avocado slices, which added a creamy texture to the dish. This would also make a good appetizer.
Enjoy this dish on a hot summer day! Or, even when it’s not so hot.
And now I will head to the beach and not think about cleaning trout anymore.
A summer day at the beach (Lake Tahoe)
