Lemongrass Shrimp

I love seafood, especially shellfish like clams, oysters (with champagne of course) and shrimp.

I wanted to share this easy shrimp recipe that I created on the spot at the Silver Lake Farmer's Market while visiting California.

It's easy but the presentation makes it look like you hired a little old Thai lady to cook for you. Seriously.

Ingredients:
1 lb of large shrimp
Small nub of ginger, about the size of a golf ball
1/2 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped very thin
1 lime
Olive oil
1 bunch of Lemongrass stalks, 2 tbs chopped small, the rest cleaned and reserved to the side



Prep:
Clean, de-shell and devein the shrimp, making sure the shrimps are left in their original form original. This is important, take your time and be detailed!

Cut up ginger into medium-thick slices

Take cilantro and roll into a ball then start to slice, then continue to chop the pieces until they are as small as you can get them

Place ginger and cilantro to a small bowl, squeeze lime juice over ingredients and toss with a spoon, then add enough olive oil to create a sauce just thin enough to cover all of the shrimp enough. Cilantro should float in the oil.

Now, here is where the fancy presentation comes in.



Clean the long lemongrass stalks and chop off the rough ends. Then cut it in half short ways then slice in half long ways as evenly as possible.

Slowly peel out the stalks inside, preserving the ones that feel very strong, be careful not to bend them.

Take a shrimp and a small pairing knife (steak knife will also do) and insert a small cut all the through at the top of the shrimp.

Slide a lemongrass stalk through the hole, piercing it.

Then insert another small cut at the bottom of the shrimp and insert the same lemongrass stick through the cut. Pull through so the shrimp is in the middle of the stalk.

Continue and repeat until all of the shrimp are pierced.

Pour a small amount of the marinade in the bottom of a shallow glass baking dish big enough to lay shrimps flat or to stack just one additional layer if necessary.

Place the cleaned shrimp in the dish and pour the marinade over, tossing the shrimp so that they are completely covered.

Marinade for at least an hour, up to 4.

Transfer shrimps to a foiled-covered baking pan and broil on each side for 3-4 minutes each (or until pink and solid looking).

Remove ginger slices. They are too bitter to eat since most of the flavor was extracted in the marinade and broil.

Once out and plated squeeze a little lime juice over them and enjoy!

I like to tie the left over lemon grass into little bundles as garnish.




Click on the image to enlarge so you can really get a good idea about how to pierce the shrimp. Once you do one or two you'll easily get the hang of it.