Garlic Herb Shrimp Saute

Here in the South it's shrimp season pretty much all year long.  I'm ashamed to admit, though, that despite my years growing up here, shrimp and I never really had a chance to get  acquainted.

That is, until I met a certain Southern gentleman and he and I decided to get married and settle down.

I remember one summer visit with our families when the aforementioned Southern gentleman and I were just engaged.

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My then future mother-in-law invited me to help her put up a cooler full of wild-caught shrimp for the freezer.  She had picked up the shrimp fresh off the boat that morning and was just settling down outside to make quick work of them in her backyard.

I watched her effortlessly and methodically dehead, peel, and devein those shrimp one by one while I struggled with a meager few.  I was fascinated at how fast she was able to work through those pounds of shrimp.

My husband and I ended up serving shrimp and grits at our wedding reception in her backyard that fall.  Thinking back, it was kind of ironic seeing how my husband is not a big seafood fan.  But the truth is you can't have a Southern wedding without shrimp and grits on the menu somewhere.

Those shrimp and grits turned out to be a big hit with so many of our out-of-town friends.  We heard about it later, me feeling like I'd missed out since we never really had time to eat anything but a few crackers and cheese and a bite of cake.  Didn't seem to bother my husband though.

The good news is that despite his aversion to seafood, he does eat shrimp on occasion.  And while I can't work at quite the pace of my skilled mother-in-law, I can now prepare shrimp like just about any other Southern gal.  While I have yet to try my hand at my own shrimp and grits, I do enjoy an easy shrimp saute like this one every now and then.  In fact, this simple garlic herb shrimp saute comes together in about the same time it now takes me to peel and devein 1 1/2 pounds of shrimp.

I reckon that means I must be doing my sweet mother-in-law proud.

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Garlic Herb Shrimp Saute

by the Nourishing Herbalist

Ingredients

• 6 T. butter
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 3 large tomatoes, peeled
• 1 cup chopped green onions
• 1 1/2 lbs wild-caught shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 t. each of dried alfalfa, holy basil, dandelion, and nettle (or any combination you prefer)
• 3 T. freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 t. cayenne pepper
• 1 t. sea salt
• 1/2 t. freshly-ground black pepper

Instructions

1. In a saucepan, melt butter and cook garlic, jalapeno, bell pepper, and celery for 3-4 minutes or until just tender.2. Meanwhile, cut tomatoes in half, squeeze out excess juice, and crush the tomatoes in a food processor.3. Add crushed tomatoes and bay leaves to the pan and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes or until much of the liquid has evaporated.4. Toss in the shrimp and cook for another 5 minutes until shrimp turns pink.5. Add green onions and season with dried herbs, cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, and lemon juice.6. Remove bay leaves, serve over rice, and enjoy!

Details

Prep time: 7 mins Cook time: 18 mins Total time: 25 mins Yield: 5-6 servings