Spicy Seared Shrimp

Every once in awhile my mom will enjoy a recipe enough to pass it along to me.  This was a recipe that she gave me years ago and I never made because at the time I didn't have turmeric in the kitchen.  And then I just forgot about it and shoved it into a cookbook as a bookmark.  The other day I was going through some of the cookbooks that I haven't used in awhile and this recipe fell out.  Seeing as it was probably lost in that cookbook for 1-2 years I figured it was past time that I finally made it.  My mom knows what I like and we have similar tastes so when she recommends a recipe I generally trust her.  In the past month she sent me a cornbread recipe and a salmon recipe, both of which I plan to try soon. 

We served this shrimp as shrimp tacos with corn tortillas with some thinly sliced avocado, but I think t would work just as well (if not better) served on a bed of yellow or basmati rice to soak up all of the marinade.  It didn't occur to me at the time to serve it that way, but I kind of wish I had.  It would have been delicious.  As it was, the shrimp made for some pretty tasty tacos.  It's not really a Mexican flavor profile, but I'm not sure that I found it to be an Indian or Middle Eastern flavor profile either (which is what the addition of turmeric suggests to me).  Actually, with the garlic, cilantro, lemon juice and turmeric I guess it is a fairly Indian flavor profile, but not so much that it really screams Indian cuisine.  Considering how easy this dish was to make and how quick it all came together I would be happy to make it again sometime.  And now that the recipe is on the blog I can't lose it again and forget to make it for years.

Recipe after the jump!

Spicy Seared Shrimp

INGREDIENTS:

juice of 1 lemon (about 2-3 tbsp)

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp canola or vegetable oil, separated

1 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 lb large shrimp without shells, cleaned and deveined

Combine lemon juice, garlic, 2 tbsp oil, cilantro, cayenne, turmeric and salt in a large nonreactive mixing bowl.  Stir to combine.  Add shrimp to marinade and toss to coat.  Let shrimp sit in marinade at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Heat a saute pan with a lid over medium heat.  Add 1 tbsp oil.  Add shrimp and marinade.  Toss shrimp in pan several times and cover with the lid.  Cook shrimp 2-3 minutes, until just opaque.  Remove from heat, toss shrimp and transfer shrimp and marinade to a platter.  

Serve.