by Lynn Greene
Fishing for some good appetizers this season?
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like shrimp — shrimp cocktail,
fried shrimp, stir-fry shrimp, you name it. People love shrimp.
The same cannot be said about other varieties of seafood,
however, so, if you’re planning on serving it, be prepared.
Seafood allergies cannot be ignored, and it is up to the
host or hostess to be gracious enough to accommodate all
of their guests’ tastebuds.
On the other hand, seafood, including shrimp, does make
for delicious appetizers, and there is nothing more impressive
than a first course or appetizer of seafood. In addition,
if someone slips through the cracks and can’t eat a first-course,
it’s not the end of the world, since it’s not the main
meal.
So, if you’re feeling a bit adventurous or just want to
try something different, give one of these recipes a try.
Let’s start by talking about shrimp cocktails. This is
really very easy to prepare and much cheaper to make at
home than it is to order in a fancy restaurant. If you
don’t want to steam the shrimp yourself, check your local
meat or seafood counter and see if they will do it for
you.
If you do want to cook your own, look for fresh or frozen
uncooked shrimp in the shell. This tastes so much better
than the precooked and frozen shrimp. For frozen shrimp,
look for a brand that is frozen in their shells, but already
deveined — that’s the line of intestine that looks like
a thin black cord on the outer edge the curled shrimp.
To remove it, you can use a specialized deveining instrument
or a paring knife. Scrape that side of the shrimp down
to remove the vein. Rinse in cold water to clean each shrimp.
Shrimp that are cooked and frozen without their shell
are not worth buying in my opinion because the texture
is so tough and rubbery. If you’re going to pay the money,
you might as well do just a bit of work to get it right.
Shrimp should be steamed in their shell. Do this by rigging
up a large pot with a colander or steamer that fits inside
but allows at least a 1/2-inch of space on the bottom for
water. Bring the water to a boil, add a single layer of
shrimp to your steamer, cover tightly and steam until the
shrimp turn a pretty pink color. That is your signal that
they are fully cooked. Immediately remove them from the
hot pot and cover with ice to cool.
If you can’t — no way, no how — steam your shrimp, you
can boil them which takes even less time so watch them
close and don’t overcook the poor things.
Once they are cool enough to handle, tear off the tail
portion and slip your finger between the shrimp and shell
and remove the shell.
A tip: Put the shells in an airtight bag and seal before
tossing in the garbage. If you don’t, they’ll smell after
a couple of hours.
Chill the shrimp completely but do not drown by covering
them with water. Instead, use ice to chill them down and
drain the melted ice off as you go.
For a nice presentation, hook six shrimp or so on a pretty
glass. If you have a problem getting them to stay, cut
a shallow slit in the shrimp to grab the edge of the glass.
Short wine glasses work really well for this. Serve with
cocktail sauce in the glass and a lemon quarter.
Shrimp cocktail sauce
Makes about a cup
2/3 cup catsup
1/3 cup prepared horseradish: grated, but do not use the
cream style as that contains cream
juice from 1/2 a lemon
Mix all ingredients together and chill. This is enough
for six shrimp cocktails.
Salmon pate
— This is an easy version; no gelatin required. Use leftover
cooked salmon or steam a portion of fresh salmon in the
same manner described for the shrimp. Add more or less
horseradish to taste. Keep refrigerated.
Makes about 1-1/2 cups
1 lb. cooked salmon, flaked
8-oz. pkg. of cream cheese, room temperature
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 Tbsp. onion, grated or minced fine
1 Tbsp. horseradish
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
dash of salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
Parsley for garnish
Using a fork, remove the skin from the salmon and discard.
Flake the salmon into a mixing bowl. Add the cream cheese,
lemon juice, onion, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce,
salt and garlic and mash together with the fork until you
have a nice even texture.
Chop the parsley and sprinkle over the top for garnish.
You also can form this into a ball. Roll in the chopped
parsley and refrigerate until firm.
Angels on horseback
— When oysters are cooked, their edges curl and look like
wings, hence the name (you do have to use your imagination).
Be sure to use raw oysters or they will be overcooked
before the bacon is cooked.
12 oysters
2 oz. white wine
1 tsp. garlic powder
6 slices of regular cut bacon
12 buttered toast points or crackers
Tabasco sauce on the side
Cut the bacon slices in half, wrapping each piece around
an oyster, securing with a wooden toothpick (not plastic).
Sprinkle with the wine and garlic. Broil until bacon is
crisp. Serve on toast points with Tabasco sauce on the
side.
Lynn Greene is senior editor for Community Shoppers Inc., which publishes the Stateline News. Contact her at lgreene@communityshoppers.com. |
