Piri Piri Shrimp

This is a South African recipe that I have seen on FoodNetwork and several cookbooks.  It looked really good and so I thought I would try it.  There were several variations, so I took bits and pieces of each recipe to come up with this one.  It has a majority of my favorite ingredients (shrimp, garlic, lime and cilantro). Adjust the "heat" with the number of serrano chillies.  One makes it pretty mild.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.  It is simple to fix, just a little planning required to allow the shrimp to marinade.

Ingredients:

1 1/2lbs Raw shrimp (remove shells)
6 cloves garlic (minced)
2 tblsp Paprika
Juice of 2 medium size limes
1 tblsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tblsp flour
1-3 serrano chillies
1/3 cup olive oil plus 1 tblsp
1 handful of cilantro (roughly chopped)
Salt to taste

Remove shells from shrimp, pat dry and place shrimp in a glass or ceramic bowl.  Cut serrano chillies in half and with a small spoon remove the seeds and membrane (white stuff that keeps seeds intact.) Do not use your fingers to remove the seeds and membrane.  In a food processor, add the serrano chillies, garlic, paprika, lime juice, sugar and red wine vinegar.  Process until it creates a paste, add the olive oil minus the 1 tablespoon.  Continue to process for another minute.  Pour the marinade over the shrimp and let marinade for 1-2 hours or longer. 

In a skillet, heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Remove the shrimp from the marinade and toss with 1 tablespoon of flour.  Mix well.  When oil is heated, cook shrimp in batches until opaque and pink.  Transfer to a clean plate.  Continue cooking all the shrimp.  Sprinkle cooked shrimp with salt and toss with cilantro until mixed. Serve with white rice and enjoy!

Tomato, Onion and Chilli Salad

This refreshing salad is absolutely great with fried or grilled foods.  Serve this over rice with the Tandoori fish. Yummmmm..... Adjust the spiciness by increasing or decreasing the number of chillies.

Ingredients:
2 large tomatoes (chopped)
1 red onion (finely chopped)
1-2 green chillies (remove seeds and finely chopped)
1/2 lime
1tsp sugar
salt and pepper

In a non-metallic bowl, place all the igredients and mix well.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Taste and adjust with salt and pepper before serving.

Quick Fried Shrimp with Garlic

This is so good. Even my picky hockey player had two helpings.  If you love garlic this is the dish for you.  The spices really compliments the shrimp and you can make it spicy or mild.  Just play around with the amount of chili powder and cayenne.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coarsely chopped garlic (about 2 large heads)
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt (more to taste)
Juice of 1 lime
2 tblsp chili powder
1 tblsp paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne (more to taste)
2lbs medium-large shrimp (shelled and deveined)
3 tblsp cilantro (roughly chopped)
Slices of lime
Salt and pepper

In a small sauce pan add olive oil and garlic.  Using medium heat, cook until garlic is lightly brown.  Add chili powder, paprika and cayenne.  Continue stirring for another minute.  Add the lime juice and continue cooking for another 8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a separate bowl, season the shrimp with salt and pepper.  In a deep frying pan, add 3 tablespoon of the oil (make sure you do not include the garlic) from the sauce pan. Make sure pan is hot, add 4-5 pieces of shrimp.  Quick fry the shrimp in batches for about 3-4 minutes.  When shrimp is pink and opaque, transfer to a bowl.  Continue to add the oil from the sauce pan without the garlic while cooking the shrimp in batches until all the shrimp is done.  Strain the garlic from the sauce pan and add to the cooked shrimp.  Add the chopped cilantro to the shrimp. Toss shrimp, garlic and cilantro until it well mixed.  Season with salt and pepper if needed.  Serve with slices of lime and your favorite rice (i.e. Spanish, Cilantro lime etc.)

Mojito Chicken

Ingredients:
2 tblsp olive oil
1 small onion (minced)
4 cloves garlic ( minced)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 lb skinless boneless chicken breasts (cut up into bite size pieces)
3/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup rum
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
Salt and pepper

In a glass bowl, toss chicken breast pieces with 1/4 cup of lime juice, salt and pepper.  Let marinade for 30 minutes. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and sugar and cook for approximately 3 minutes, until oniond are soft, stirring constantly. Add chicken and saute up to 5 minutes until golden brown on all sides.

Add the rest of the lime juice and carefully, off the heat, add the rum. Return to the heat and add lime zest and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 3 minutes, until chicken is cooked through, about 12 to 15 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.  Serve chicken, garnished with mint, over rice with roasted asparagus on the side.

Cilantro Lime Rice

This goes great with any latin dishes. With a rice cooker, it practically cooks itself. I've made this without the wild rice and found it does not change the flavor. The wild rice adds a great texture. If you do not have a rice cooker, you can still make this on top of the stove.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetables oil
1 small onion (minced)
5 garlic cloves (minced)
3/4 long grain rice and wild rice mix
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 lime (juiced)
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan, add onion and garlic, stir constantly until translucent.  Add the rice and continue to stir (approximately 2 minutes). With a rice cooker: move the content of the pan to the rice cooker and add the broth. Turn the rice cooker on and and allow the rice to cook.

On the stove: add the broth and allow to boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover.  Simmer on low for approximately 15 minutes.

When rice is done, add the lime juice and cilantro; mix and fluff up the rice.  Add salt to taste. Serve with your favorite latin entrees.

Brazillian Fish Stew

This is incredibly easy and delicious. If you love foods cooked in coconut milk, cilantro and lime juice, then this is it! It combines different national influences into one incredible dish. My husband and I love this dish. Though the original recipe called for the basic - cod and haddock, I actually tried it with Mahi-mahi and it was great!!! I have also tried it with tilapia and it works as well. Since tilapia is not as firm as the other fishes, you will need to handle gently when preparing. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2lbs cod, haddock, mahi-mahi or tilapia

5 tbsp fresh squeeze lime juice

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion (minced)

1 green bell pepper (seeded and chopped)

4 garlic cloves (minced)

1 lb ripe tomates (chopped) or 1 (16oz) can of chopped tomatoes (drained)

1 cup fish stock (homemade or boullion) or bottled clam juice

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

1/3 cup cilantro (chopped)

salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl toss fish and lime juice together; set aside to marinate. In a skillet, on medium heat, add the oil until heated. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic. Stir often until onion has softened (approx. 5 minutes). Add the tomatoes, continue stirring until heated, then add stock and coconut milk. Simmer, then reduce the heat to med-low. Cover and allow to cook for another 10 minutes. Add the fish and the marinating lime juice and cilantro. Cook for another 5 minutes or until fish is opaque and firm. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over rice in a bowl to ensure you get the wonderful broth.

Note: you can change it up a bit and add shrimp to give it some variety. If you want to do a reduced fat version - reduce the coconut milk to 2/3 cup. You can add red pepper flakes to give it some "heat" as well.