Creamy Shrimp Bowties - total time 40 minutes

We ate quite a bit of seafood last week while we were in the Seattle area... salmon, Dungeness crab, black cod, mussels, and more.  Almost got tired of it... almost... but when seafood is that fresh, you have to enjoy it while you can!  I mean, we saw the salmon swimming upstream.  We watched the fish get thrown around at Pike Place Fish Market.  And we walked down the spit of the Dungeness crab refuge.  You can't get fresher than that unless you caught it yourself!

Considering all the seafood, we didn't have my husband's favorite... shrimps!  This recipe is so easy and flavorful and is almost a one-pot meal.  And the fact that we're making the sauce from scratch and getting dinner on the table in 40 minutes makes it a perfect weeknight dinner!  The cream in the sauce adds the perfect richness, the wine adds some complexity, and cooking the shrimp in the sauce means you keep all of that shrimp flavor.  This is definitely one to keep in frequent rotation!

Shrimp Po Boys - total time 30 minutes

We spent a couple days in New Orleans with my husband's parents in October a couple years ago.  Those were some of the hottest days in October I have ever experienced.  Although I enjoyed the heat when I would normally be shivering in Ohio, I could only imagine what kind of heat the summer brought to New Orleans.  Probably something unbearable.

The first thing we did when we arrived (after we set our stuff down at the bed and breakfast we were staying at) we were in search for some of New Orleans famous creole food.  By the end of the weekend we had jambalaya, oysters, hurricanes, cajun everything, beignets, and more... but the first thing we had was crawfish po boys.  That cajun seasoning will wake up your senses!  Since I'm not sure I want to cook crawfish... and shrimp are much easier to get in the grocery store... here is my take on this traditional southern sandwich.

Pesto Shrimp Bowties - total time 30 minutes

This meal is super easy!  I had some pesto left over from the Chicken Pesto Shells, so I threw this quick pasta together after getting home late from work.  It was done faster then going out to get something from a drive thru (certainly faster than the long lines at Chipotle).

2 cups bowtie pasta
.75 lb raw shrimp, pealed and deveined
.5 cup fresh mozzarella
.5 cup pesto
1 cup broccoli
.5 cup tomato sauce

1.  Boil pasta for five minutes.  Cover shrimp with pesto and cook in pan over medium low heat until shrimp turn pink.
2.  Add broccoli and pasta to pan.  Cook for three minutes.  Add tomato sauce and mozzarella and cook until cheese melt completely.

Baked Shrimp Scami - total time 30 minutes

1 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined

3 tbsp white wine

3 tbsp olive oil

6 tbsp butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

.5 cup onions, minced

2 tbsp lemon juice

.5 cup panko bread crumbs

parsley, rosemary, salt, pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Peel and devein shrimp, put in mixing bowl with wine, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Set aside.

2. Melt butter a bit in the microwave.  Then add herbs, garlic, onions, lemon juice, and panko bread crumbs.

3. Lay shrimp in a casserole dish with the tail up.  Pour any remaining wine/olive oil mixture on top, then add the butter mixture and spread evenly over top.

4. Put in oven for 12 minutes, then enjoy!

Shrimp, Bowties, and Creamy Tomato Sauce - total time 40 minutes

For an easy weeknight pasta dish with homemade creamy sauce, this recipe is a winner!

1 pound of pasta

1 pound shrimp

4 cloves garlic, minced

12 oz can of tomatoes, chopped

1 cup white wine

.5 cup cream

.5 cup parm, shredded

basil, parsley, red pepper flakes

salt & pepper

1.  Prepare pasta according to directions.  Cook shrimp in pan with garlic, salt, and pepper.  Set pasta and shrimp aside.

2.  Add tomatoes, basil, parsley, and red pepper flakes to pan.  Bring to a simmer.  Add white wine and cream, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 8-10 minutes.  Gradually stir in parm, then shrimp and pasta.  Cook for a few more minutes, then serve!

Crab Stuffed Shells - total time 50 minutes

Apparently you can stuff pretty much anything in a pasta shell and it will taste yummy!  This recipe is nice and creamy with delicious seafood inside.  

half a box of jumbo pasta shells

1 onion, chopped

12 ounces lump crab meat

12 ounces shrimp, chopped

1 egg

.5 cup mozzarella balls

.5 cup cream cheese

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 green onion, sliced

salt & pepper

To save time, I would definitely advise a jar of alfredo sauce.  However, I read through the original recipe too quick to realize some of the ingredients were for making alfredo from scratch (I think I was focused on why mayo was in the recipe, ick.)  If you want to make your own sauce, you'll need the following...

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp onion, diced

2 tbsp flour

2 cups milk

2 tbsp cream

.5 cup parm, shredded

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook pasta shells according to package.  Peel, devain, and cook the shrimp and chop to small chunks.

2.  In a medium bowl combine crab, chopped shrimp, chopped onion, 1 egg, 'squished' mozzarella, cream cheese, paprika, salt, and pepper.  Mix all ingredients together.

3.  Drain shells and allow to cool to be able to hold them.  Stuff each shell with a couple tablespoons of crab/shrimp mixture and place into a casserole dish.

Optional Step - Melt butter in medium pot, added diced onion and pepper, cook for a few minutes.  Add a little bit of flour at a time, stir, and combine.  Add milk while stirring.  Add cream for flavor.  Bring to a boil and set back to a simmer.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Add parm a little at a time while stirring.  Continue to simmer until sauce thickens.

4.  Pour sauce over shells.  Put in oven for 30 minutes.  Add green onions and serve!

Stuff those shells!

 

While homemade alfredo isn't hard to make, it is definitely not something I would normally do for a weeknight meal!

Two Quick Shrimp Meals

We eat a good amount of shrimp at our house.  Here are two ways for quick meals under 15 minutes of cooking (good for summer!)

Shrimp Tacos - season with some chili powder, salt & pepper and pick your own taco fillers

  

 Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp in Spinach Salad - tear prosciutto to smaller pieces to wrap around shrimp (no need for seasoning) 

(spinach picked fresh from my garden)

Southwestern Shrimp Bisque - total time 35 minutes

This super creamy soup can be lightened up using half milk and half cream.  Either way, it is pretty delicious!

1 chopped onion

1 tbsp olive oil

2 minced garlic cloves

1 tbsp flour

2 cups vegetable broth

1 tbsp chili pepper

1 tsp red pepper flakes

.5 cup cream

1 pound raw shrimp

.5 cup sour cream

.5 avocado

1. Add olive oil to pot, add chopped onion, saute three minutes.  Add minced garlic, saute three more minutes.  Add flour and stir until combined.

2. Add a small amount of broth and stir until the broth looks creamy.  Add remaining broth and spices and bring to a simmer for five minutes.

3. Add cream and shrimp, continue to simmer until shrimp are pink and cooked.  Add sour cream a little at a time, stir to combine.

4. Serve with avocado slices on top!

Seafood Enchiladas - total time one hour

This recipe would also be excellent as quesadillas.

1 pound shrimp

8 oz. white fish (I used orange roughy)

2 tablespoons of olive oil, divided

1.5 cups of chopped bell pepper

1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

.5 cup chopped onion

4 oz. cream cheese

8 oz. sour cream

2 tablespoons of flour

.25 teaspoon salt

.25 teaspoon of black pepper

.75 cup of milk

.25 shredded mozzarella

6-10 flour tortillas (depending on size)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray casserole dish with cooking spray.  Bake tortillas for five minutes.
2. Cook tail-on shrimp in pan.  Remove when shrimp is pink and de-tail.  Set aside.
3. Add tablespoon of oil to pan, cook fish three minutes each side.  Add to bowl with shrimp.
4. Add tablespoon of oil to pan, add peppers, onions, and red pepper flakes.  Cook for 8-10 minutes until tender.  Add garlic, cook one minute.  Remove and add to shrimp/fish bowl.
5. In separate bowl combine cream cheese, sour cream, flour, salt, and pepper.  Mix until smooth, gradually add milk.
6. Add 80% of creamy mixture to shrimp/fish/veggie bowl, stir.  Fill tortillas, roll, place seam side down.  Add shredded cheese and remaining creamy mixture on top.  Bake 35 minutes.