My minds been occupied lately and this site has taken a backseat. I sat and went through my cookbooks, through scattered magazine pages I’d pulled, even texts from friends, and came up with a list of recipes to try. This particular one had me excited, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed.
I made this on a pretty random Tuesday afternoon when Rich was taking the kids night skiing and I had leftovers in the fridge; this it to say I was making it just to taste, and to post here (which will help me when I need an app to go somewhere). Rich, that lucky boy, happened to walk in from work just as I was taking a few photos. He ate half the dish. At one point I said, “if you don’t stop soon you will eat an entire pound and a half of shrimp and three cups of rice”. He was literally groaning the whole time he ate.
It was just wildly flavorful. Like, punch in the mouth flavor. I really liked it over jasmine rice that was just under-salted as it gave it a nice balance, but this would be great served as an app with toothpicks. Probably just as good room temperature as hot, and there’s no need for a sauce. The original recipe called for peanuts but pistachios worked better for my husbands diet – you could try whichever you have on hand.
Pan-seared Shrimp with Pistachios, Lime, and Cilantro
1 1/2 lb. extra-large shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed
1 tsp. kosher salt, divided
2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/8 tsp. sugar, divided
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
4 tsp. olive oil, divided
1/2 c. fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 tbsp. lime juice, plus wedges to serve with
3 tbsp. roasted pistachios, finely chopped
Rice, to serve
- Toss shrimp and 1/2 tsp. salt together in a bowl, set aside for 15-30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix coriander, pepper, paprika, garlic, 1 tsp. of the sugar, pepper flakes, and remaining 1/2 tsp. salt and stir to combine.
- Pat shrimp dry with paper towels and add back to (dried) bowl. Add 1 tbsp. of the oil and the remaining 1/8 tsp. sugar to bowl and stir to coat.
- Add shrimp to COLD 12 inch nonstick skillet in an even layer and cook over high heat until undersides of shrimp is spotty brown and edges are pink. Remove heat, flip, and let stand until second side is opaque, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove to plate.
- Add remaining 1 tsp. oil to pan along with spices and cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Turn heat off and return shrimp to pan. Add lime juice and cilantro and toss to combine.
- Serve atop rice, sprinkled with chopped pistachios.
