Spicy Garlic Shrimp
As the warm weather approaches, our nights are now spent outside by the BBQ and the drink of choice is something that will cool and refresh us after a long day/week indoors. The other night I tried out a new recipe- half recipe, half self innovation. Inspired by something quick, easy, and able to feed a small dinner party, I created Spicy Garlic Shrimp. I love the fact that this is two dishes in one: spicy garlic shrimp served with a delicious, colorful dipping sauce for a French baguette.
Ingredients:
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp chili powder (or red pepper flakes)
1/4 cup minced flat-leaf parsley
2 pounds shelled and deveined medium shrimp
Crusty bread, for serving
Instructions:
In a very large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the garlic, chili powder/flakes and parsley and cook over moderately high heat for 10 seconds, stirring. Add the shrimp and cook over high heat, stirring once, until they are pink and curled, 3 to 4 minutes.
The chili powder gives the olive oil a beautiful rust color with green accents from the fresh parsley. To counter-balance the heat of the dish and the evening, I paired this with a chilled bottle of Louis Latour's Meursault 2009. The cool subtle taste of the chardonnay accented the dish, rather than overwhelming the palate. The citrus aroma of the wine was like adding a splash of lemon to the shrimp, enhancing its’ tender meat. With each sip, my mouth was excited and ready for the next sip of wine or shrimp.
