In my 4th month with the Secret Recipe Club (you can read all about it, and join here!), I was assigned to Mele Cotte, written by Christina (or Chris, as she is most often called) who grew up in the Boston area, and is of Italian origin (Mele Cotte means Baked Apple in Italian).
Chris has a lot of delicious recipes, and I spent quite a while clicking through her recipe index, before I settled on the one thing that was perfect for this month's challenge - her Quick and Easy Spicy Grilled Shrimp.
First of all, it was perfect because the recipe required a Cajun spice paste/mix, and I recently made my first homemade batch of Creole/Cajun seasoning. Second, I had 2 pounds of Norwegian lobster tails in the freezer that needed to be used soon, and they could very well replace shrimp in this recipe. Third, the recipe looked easy and delicious, so there was no doubt this was what I was going to make.
Spicy grilled shrimp/Norwegian lobster tails:
- adapted from Mele Cotte
Notes:
- I used Norwegian lobster tails instead of shrimp because that's what I had, but I would like to try with shrimp as well
- I used my homemade Creole/Cajun seasoning for the Cajun spice paste instead of a store bought one
- I changed the quantities of the Cajun spice paste a bit, made a bigger portion, and left out the cayenne and salt, since this was already in my Cajun seasoning
- I used a pan to sauté the tails since it was dark and cold outside, so I didn't want to use the grill - but if I'm going to make it again in the warmer months of the year, I will definitely be doing some BBQing
- I served the tails with a Maque Choux, some basmati rice and the best no-knead bread in the world
1 pound fresh Norwegian lobster tails (or shrimp) - de-shelled and de-veined (I used frozen ones, which were put in the fridge to thaw the night before)
Cajun spice paste of:
2 tbsp homemade Creole/Cajun seasoning
2½ tsp brown sugar
4 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves pressed garlic (I used a garlic press - if blending the garlic with the other ingredients, it might cause a bitter taste that you do not want - you could also just mince it very fine with a knife)
Blend the Cajun seasoning with brown sugar and olive oil, and mix in the pressed garlic. Store in the fridge in an air tight container, or mix with the lobster tails/shrimp immediately in a bowl.
Let the tails marinate in the fridge for at least a couple of hours (mine was left there for almost 10 hours).
10 minutes before serving, pre-heat a skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the tails for approx. 4-5 minutes, turning them frequently.Serve with lime wedges (I TOTALLY FORGOT THIS!) and your preferred side dish.
Conclusion:
Very delicious, intense and spicy/garlicky taste! I could have eaten the whole portion if Hubby had not been there.
Unfortunately, I forgot the lime wedges which would have made them even better, but hopefully I'll remember next time. 'Cause there sure will be a next time.
Thank you Chris for this wonderful recipe :-)
