Brandied Shrimp

Oh Brandy, she's a fine girl. And this, is a fine dish!!!!!!!

This recipe came out of a new Latin cookbook given to me by this woman who has quickly become one of my favorite people in the world. And I am thrilled that 2010 may bring with it our first meeting where I promise to cook for her whatever she wants!!!!!!!!!!!

As for favorite foods, shrimp is at the top of my list. They're light & healthy & with just a few ingredients you can always turn them into something amazing!!!!! This recipe was for a main course with the shrimp served over rice but I decided to serve them alone as an appetizer for Christmas. I was almost going to make these again before posting because of my horrible plating skills.

BRANDIED SHRIMP

{ Printable Recipe Here }

2 tblsp unsalted butter
1 tblsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined, tail on
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp Tabasco (or more to taste)
1 tsp oregano
Salt & Pepper
½ cup ketchup
2 tblsp brandy
3 tblsp chopped fresh parsley

Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic & cook, stirring often, until it’s fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in the shrimp, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, oregano & salt & pepper & let the mixture simmer until shrimp are partially cooked through, about 1 minute.

Stir in the ketchup & simmer until the shrimp are opaque and cooked through, about 2-3 minutes. Add the brandy & parsley, stirring to combine. Remove from heat & serve.

{Food for Thought}

Whenever serving shrimp as an appetizer like this, I always leave the tails on. They make for easily handled finger food. I used fresh parsley since I had it on hand but if you want to use dried then remember the 1/3 rule. When substituting dried for fresh always use 1/3 of the amount of fresh. So, if needing 3 tblsp of fresh you would use 1 tsp of driedm since there are 3 tsp in 1 tblsp.

And if you love shrimp like I do, you'll love these:

{ Caramelized Chili Shrimp }

{ Asian Shrimp Lettuce Wraps }