Recipe of the Month: Butter Beans and Shrimp

I saw this recipe pop up on Facebook and thought it looked like some real "comfort food"!  It was at a really cool site, boudreauxsrbackyard.com  I cooked it, it was outstanding!

Butter Beans and Shrimp

Ingredients:

2   tbsp oil

2   tbsp flour

1    lb large lima beans, cleaned and soaked (I used frozen, follow directions)

2    lb shrimp, peeled and deveined (save tails to make shrimp stock)

1    onion, chopped

2    stalks celery, chopped

4    cloves garlic

2    chilis (optional)(you won't taste 'em cooked), chopped

2     quarts of water (make shrimp stock out of tails)

1     cup cream

2    tbsp vegetable base

1/2   bunch of green onions, chopped

1    tbsp parsley, chopped

2    tbsp shrimp dust (I tried three stores and couldn't find this, hence the shrimp stock)

2    tbsp Creole seasoning (there was enough salt in my seasoning that I didn't need to add any)

      White Rice

      Sausage

Directions:

1.   Wash beans and soak them overnight

2.   Heat oil over med. heat and whisk flour, cook until light brown in color

3.   Add in trinity, garlic, chili's, stir and cook until soft

4.    Add in beans and water (shrimp stock)

5.   Stir in Creole seasonings, vegetable base and shrimp powder

6.   Simmer for 3-4 hours until beans are tinder. Add liquid as needed( I cooked the frozen beans          for about 30 minutes. The package called for about 25)

7.   Add in heavy cream and simmer 20 minutes

      It was about along here that I cooked my rice

8.   Add in shrimp, green onions and parsley and cook 15 more minutes

      It was about here that I cooked the sausage

9.    Serve over rice with a side of sausage

Recipe of The Month: Crispy Shrimp Cakes

 We vacationed in the western North Carolina mountains last week but had to go into a town to purchase some new waders - my old pair were leaking! After picking up the new waders we ran across a restaurant that let us eat outside with Jasper (now, the Mountain Dog) and on their menu was "Crispy Shrimp Cakes" and I have to admit, they were the best thing we ate the whole week. When we returned I emailed them and asked for the recipe but I never heard  back. Their menu gave a few ingredients so I went on-line and "googled" it and WAH-LA, here was a recipe that had all the right ingredients! This one was found on Delish.com..

Crispy Shrimp Cakes with Lemony Tartar Sauce

Ingredients

Shrimp Cakes:

• 2 cup panko breadcrumbs (I had a 8oz can on reserve)
• 1 lb fresh peeled, deveined, chopped shrimp
• 1/2 cup light mayonaise
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 2 tsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard (I'd double this the next tip I make it)
• 1/4 tsp cayenned pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup canola oil

Lemony Tartar Sauce:

• 3/4 cup jarred tartar sauce
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp grated lemon zest

Directions:

1) Place 1 1/2 cups of the breadcrumbs on a flat plate 

2) In a large bowl mix shrimp, mayonnaise, eggs, bell pepper, green onions, garlic paste, mustard, cayenned pepper, salt and 1/2 cup of the breadcrumbs until thoroughly mixed. Us a 1/3 cup measure to scoop the shrimp mixture (mixture will be wet -don't worry!). Turn out cup of mixture on to plate of breadcrumbs; coat completely with your hands. Transfer with a metal spatula to a baking sheet lined with wax paper, then flatten cakes slightly to a 3 1/2-inch circumference. Continue making 7 more cakes. Refrigerate for 1- hour. They'll firm up!

3) To make lemony tartar sauce, in a medium bowl, combine all ingredients, stirring to blend.

4) In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Add 4 cakes and cook, about 4 minutes per side, until crisp and browned. Transfer to a plate; loosely cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and 4 cakes. Serve shrimp cakes with lemony tartar sauce. 

Recipe of the Month: Cheddar Bay Pepper Jack Shrimp Balls

Cheddar Bay Pepper Jack Shrimp Balls

 I first saw this recipe on H&S Shrimp Company's  Facebook site - it looked really good, and I followed their link to Palmetto Cheese's site where they also have the recipe. I've cooked them twice and have "tweaked" the recipe a bit, and added some notes. We LOVE the Palmetto Cheese products, especially the Cheddar/Jalapeno version -have been eating it for years. 

1)   11.6oz Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuit Mix  (I always find this at Walmart)

1)   11 oz Pepper Jack Palmetto Cheese (you can NEVER find this in our area. I ended up using an 8ox package of shredded Pepper Jack cheese in one batch, and the Palmetto Cheddar/Jalapeno pimento cheese in the 2nd batch. Hate to say it, but I liked the shredded cheese version better - the "balls" didn't fall apart so readily)

2)    pounds Shrimp, peeled, de-veined, chopped (the original recipe called for just one pound. I thought two would be better. I tossed them lightly in Konriko seasoning)

1)  Old Bay seasoning for garnish

1)   A bit of water, about a 1/4 cup

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a bowl, mix together biscuit mix, cheese, and chopped shrimp. (here I added a bit of water at a time until I got a gooey "biscuit" consistency.)

Form into 1-2" balls and place on a greased baking sheeet

Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees (I ended up putting them back in for another 3-5 minutes, watched them closely, until they became a nice golden brown)

Following the Red Lobster mix instructions, I melted some butter and mixed their seasoning packet in, and brushed the hot Shrimp Balls as they came out, then lightly sprinkled  Old Bay as a garnish.

Served with Remoulade Sauce