Recipe Sunday: Cumin Coated Shrimp with a Parsley Lemon Sauce

Ah, late February/early March. When this time of the year hits, my husband and I get nostalgic for the rocky beaches off the coast of Maine. Not that we’ve ever lived on the coast (which is a dream of ours) but because we used to make a trip to Maine every winter to enjoy the empty beach during the day – and the open bars at night. But over the last few years work, life, etc., have kept us away from the cold sea air.

So, when winter-without-a-vacation melancholy hit us the other day, my husband made cumin-coated shrimp for dinner. To contribute to the dinner I made a parsley lemon sauce.

And for a few minutes, our cabin fever went away.

Lemon Parsley Sauce

  • 2 cups of parsley
  • 1/2 a small onion, diced
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 teaspoon of chili flakes

Mix all of the ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Makes approximately 1 cup.

Cumin Shrimp

  • 1/2 to 3/4 lbs. of fresh or thawed frozen shrimp (1/4-1/2 lbs. per serving)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • Kosher salt
  • Olive oil1 teaspoon butter
  • Lemon juice
  • Sauvignon blanc

Heat olive and butter in a saute pan on medium heat until the oil shimmers and the butter bubbles. While the pan heats, pat any excess moisture from shrimp and season with cumin, paprika and a dash of salt. Add shrimp to the pan and cook, flipping once, until nearly done (about 2 minutes per side).

With shrimp still in the pan, deglaze by adding 1-2 tablespoons dry white wine and lemon juice to taste, scraping the pan bottom and stirring the shrimp for another minute or two.

Serve with the parsley sauce. This sauce is so good that the cumin, paprika, etc. are almost overkill. If you’re not a fan of cumin: 1) I give you the hairy eyeball, but respect the limits of your palette; and 2) you can ignore all of the above ingredients, except the shrimp and the olive oil, and just enjoy the purity of shrimp with an incredible sauce.

Serves 2

(Photos by Launie K.)

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