Time for dinner! If you are sitting around the house tonight wondering what’s for dinner, look no further. I hope you like seafood because this dish is all about the deep blue sea. But in case you are not all that impressed with the main course, I have a good drink for you to sip on as well. Grab your apron because we are headed into the kitchen.
Sophisticated Lady
Let’s get this party started with a nice cold adult beverage. I am all about sipping on the latest fashion and this drink is new, even for me! The Sophisticated Lady is cucumber based drink with a pinch of salt. This will go great with the salt-crusted shrimp we will prepare later on. It includes two ounces of cranberry juice, one ounce of fresh squeezed lime juice, and one ounce of simple syrup. The booze on the other hand is up to you. I have tried this drink with both vodka and rum, and depending on your poison, it goes great with either.
Start by taking the four cucumber slices and muddling them in a shaker with a pinch of salt. Please salt to taste. Too much salt can ruin your evening though. Then add the cranberry juice, the lime juice (and please squeeze these limes yourself) and top it all off with the simple syrup. Add your booze and shake your little heart out.
Once you have finished shaking the cocktail, strain it and add a cucumber slice for decoration. Toss a fresh picked cranberry in there if you are hosting a party. It will impress all your guests with a personal touch.
Bottoms up!
Salt-Crusted Shrimp
I love seafood. If I could eat seafood all day everyday, I would. I like crabs, oysters, tuna, perch, and shrimp; if it comes from the sea, then baby it’s for me. Nothing beats freshly caught shrimp from the coast of Hawaii though. I did have some freshly caught shrimp from the Gulf Coast on Christmas Day. It came close!
Let’s start this off by taking 1½ cups of good quality mayonnaise. That doesn’t mean the store brand; this means good, expensive, and local mayonnaise if you can find it. Grab a single tablespoon of wasabi powder. Whisk that stuff together and refrigerate.
Moving on, let’s grab two lemons. Grind those suckers and save the zest. You would be surprised at how much flavor this pulls out of the shrimp. Then take a single cup of water, four pounds of course sea salt (yes, I understand that’s a lot of salt, but stay with me) and two pounds of jumbo (and I mean jumbo) shell-on shrimp. You will have to peel these before you eat them, which is why four pounds of salt is sufficient.
Grab that wasabi dip from the fridge and chow down. This is a good appetizer, or can be served as an entrée if you wish. One bite from these zesty, salty sea creatures and you will have a new appreciation for the deep blue sea.
Let me know if you try this dish. I am curious your reactions and if you enjoyed the recipe. Cheers!
