Spicy Honey Lime Shrimp

Do shrimp intimidate you? They used to intimidate me. I would only buy them cooked and pink, because the raw ones scared me a little. I eventually started cooking them on occasion to figure them out and discovered that they are one of the easiest and quick cooking protein sources to make. I mean, come on, they’re SHRIMP, even their name tells you how easy they are to conquer.

One thing about shrimp…the “vein”. Just so you know…that’s not a vein. It a digestive track. Yep. Think about it for a sec. Got it? Yessiree…That’s poop. No worries, though it’s contained in a little membrane and it comes out really easily. In fact, most raw shrimp that you buy is already deveined for you, and really, the poop is mostly dirt.

Shrimp are sold by the size. The number you see on the package tells you how many shrimp you would expect to see in a pound. Plus, they give each size a name. So, small shrimp have 51-60 shrimp per pound, and extra jumbo has 16-20 shrimp per pound. When you look at your shrimp to pick a size, remember that shrimp shrinks a bit when cooked. You have two choices when buying shrimp: cooked or uncooked. Cooked shrimp is pink. If you are selecting shrimp to cook and serve hot, I suggest you use raw. Shrimp cooks very fast, and gets rubbery quickly if cooked too long. Cooked shrimp is perfect if serving cold, in a salad or with cocktail sauce. Raw shrimp is typically just the tail, deveined and the shell is cut, then it’s frozen. To defrost it, leave it in your fridge overnight, or leave it under running COLD water for a while until it’s defrosted. Remember, it only takes a little heat to cook shrimp, so hot water will start to cook it, so will defrosting in a microwave. To remove the shell, hold it by the tail end and pinch it while you pull the meat out. Pinching the end should make the meat pop right out.

Now for the question: are shrimp REAL food. Well, of course. Right? Unfortunately, most shrimp you find in the store is coated with preservatives to keep it fresh, including sodium bisulfite, sodium tri-polyphosphate and sodium metabisulfite. You can read more about preservatives here. To find preservative-free shrimp, buy fresh (if you’re lucky enough to live on a coast) or buy from a natural foods market, like Whole Foods or Trader Joes. Be sure to read labels and ask questions.

Spicy Honey Lime Shrimp

2 lbs raw large, extra large or jumbo shrimp, rinsed, shelled and deveined
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ” piece fresh ginger, grated (For info on grating ginger: check out this post)
1/2 cup raw honey
1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
1 TBS chili garlic sauce (find in the asian section of your grocery store)
1/8 cup olive oil
2 TBS cold water
1 TBS cornstarch

Be sure your shrimp is defrosted, if you bought it frozen. Under cold running water, remove shells and devein them, if necessary.

In a large bowl, place garlic, grated ginger, honey, lime juice, chili garlic sauce and olive oil. Mix well. Add shrimp, cover and place in refrigerator to marinate for 1-2 hours. The lime juice will cook and toughen the shrimp if left too long.

In a pan over medium heat, place the shrimp and marinade. Cook until shrimp are pink and opaque, about 4-6 minutes. Remove the shrimp to a platter with a slotted spoon. In a small bowl, combine the water and cornstarch until cornstarch is dissolved. Bring the sauce in the pan to a boil and add the cornstarch, stirring continuously until thick. Pour over the shrimp and serve hot. Salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

REAL food alert: buy preservative-free shrimp. Check your chili garlic sauce for preservatives.
FREEZER alert: you can freeze this sauce and skip the marinating step, just cook shrimp and pour the reheated sauce over it.