Thrifty Good Food

Think Shrimp“Shrimp boats is a-coming, their sails are in sight”, the voice of Jo Stafford runs down memory lane for me this time of the year.

The tune and second line of the song “Shrimp boats is a-coming, there’s dancing tonight” has such a wishful spring feel one could almost believe that daylight savings time and the spring equinox may actually liberate us from the igloo like walls of snow.

I have not actually seen a shrimp boat under sail, though some years ago we saw a line-up of them in a bayou near New Orleans. Unfortunately, Maine shrimp boats have been idle these last couple of years in order to allow the stocks to recover in our waters. Still, this time of year always makes me think of shrimp on the menu as a harbinger of spring. Many of us fondly remember just a few years ago, when those delicious tiny Maine shrimp were available from buckets by those who caught them.

After the hearty meals of winter, with slow cooker delicious recipes and thick soups to chase away the chill, the texture of shrimp in easily prepared dishes wakes up our taste buds to a new season. The feeling of the dishes is lighter and fits in beautifully with the notion of shedding a few of those pounds accumulated during our winter hibernation.

The current methods of preserving the freshness of cooked shrimp available in stores makes many of the preparations much simpler. Peeling and deveining even a pound of medium shrimp can be a real chore, but a necessary one when the cooked product was tough from excessive heat.

The presently available product can go in any dish and withstand even a minute of heat without becoming tough. However, it is still necessary to remove tip of the tail shell, unless you are serving them in a shrimp cocktail appetizer.

The versatility of shrimp makes them a delightful partner in dishes from breakfast to lunch and dinner. An elegant shrimp-Benedict with crossed asparagus spears on top, flanked by some fruit, could wake up anyone’s palate. For lunch there are endless possibilities with shrimp tacos or shrimp filling in pita bread.

Tangy shrimp tacosIn a bowl place ¼ cup sundried tomatoes and soak in hot water for 5 minutes, drain and finely chop. Blend 2 Tblsp. lime juice with ½ tsp. soy sauce and a shake or two of Tabasco. Toss 1 lbs. medium cooked shrimp, tail tips removed, with the lime juice and sun dried tomatoes. Marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes. Peel and thinly slice an avocado. Warm 8 six-inch corn tortillas and assemble each placing one or two slices of avocado in the center, cover with 1/8 of the shrimp mixture, sprinkle with a bit of chopped scallion and a few quartered grape tomatoes and serve.

Variations on this recipe could use prepared guacamole or with pita bread even with sundried tomato humus. A more substantial and warm shrimp dish for dinner could be another meal made with flour tortillas.

Shrimp fajitas ólè!Assemble the cut vegetables before starting the recipe: 1 thinly sliced onion, ½ seeded red and green peppers each cut up in 1 inch chunks, 2 oz. sliced mushrooms, 2 large tomatoes cut in ½ inch wedges, 1 large chopped garlic clove. Have on hand also either dried or bottled fajita sauce. Marinate 1 lb. large cooked shrimp, tail tips removed, for 10 minutes in 2 Tblsp. lime juice, ¼ tsp. salt, scant ¼ tsp cayenne, ¼ tsp. marjoram. You can use cleaned uncooked shrimp for this recipe, but the cooking time for shrimp at the end should be increased.

When ready to cook, heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil to shimmering and quickly sautè the onion, peppers and mushrooms for 5 minutes, add in the garlic for 1 minute more and then the tomatoes. Sprinkle with the taco mix and add water according to directions. Continue to cook for a few minutes until the liquid is somewhat reduced and stir in the shrimp. Cook for 1 additional minute with cooked shrimp and three minutes for fresh shrimp. Serve on warmed 10 inch flour tortillas with light sour cream for garnish.

“Shrimp boats is a-coming, there is dancing tonight.”(Paul Mason Howard/Paul Weston – 1951).

(I. Winicov Harrington lives in Waldoboro and is the author of “How to Eat Healthy and Well for Less than $5 a Day: the Smart-Frugal Food Plan.” For more information visit www.winicov-harrington.com)