| The lobster sounds yummy - how about posting your recipe??
For shrimp cocktail, buy lots of green or fresh shrimp, not the
stuff in the plastic bag with all the frost in it. All I do is
put a lot of water in a pan, add a couple tablespoons vinegar, and
a couple tablespoons pickling spice (the basic stuff in a box on
the spice shelf-our grocery isn't too exotic). When the water is
boiling, dump in the shrimp, and cook just a few minutes - they'll
turn pink, not too long or they'll get tough and chewy. Then rinse
them off till cool enough to handle. Grab all the legs between
thumb and first knuckle of index finger and pull. Then the shell
should peel off easily. Then, make a slit down the back and rinse
the dark stuff out under running water, toss into bowl of cold water
till you get them all done.
P.S. I'm from Ohio, so I'm sure this isn't the authentic way, but
it's as close as I've come!! Recently, I've seen a long narrow
plastic gizmo that supposely peels and deveins, haven't tried it
though.
As for go-withs, steamed asparagus and baby carrots, spinach salad,
garlic bread, frozen margaritas!
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.-1 is the recipe I use for shrimp, too. Sometimes you can find a mixture
called Rex's Shrimp and Crab boil, which is like the pickling spice, but
tailored a bit more. Being in New England, you won't find any fresh shrimp,
unless it comes from Maine. I find these too small for my liking. The good
stuff usually comes from the Gulf of Mexico, and is frozen and headless. Your
grocer usually defrosts them and puts them in the fish section. These are
NEVER to be refrozen at home. I find that if you get shrimp that are the
25-30 per pound size (sometimes called U30, for Under 30 per lb), you don't
really need to devein them. Just cook BRIEFLY, then chill in cold tap water.
Peel and store in a bowl of ice until ready to serve.
For Cocktail sauce, I use a simple blend of about 1/2 cup Heinz Catsup, 1
teaspoon real sharp white prepared horseradish (or to taste), and a teaspoon
of fresh squoze lemon juice. I think it tastes much better than the stuff
that is pre-bottled, as you can control the sharpness.
A good place to pick up the shrimp (and the lobsters, for that matter) is the
Quarterdeck in Maynard. They are a tad more expensive than the grocery store,
but the quality is significantly better.
I would go for a green veg with the lobster, since the stuffing will probably
contain the starch part. And, if you want an extra side, stir-fry some medium
sized white mushrooms with ginger, then sprinkle with a bit of dry sherry, and
chopped green onion, and let them steam slightly. Then serve immediately.
- JP
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| Too late, but next time you make shrimp cocktail simmer them in BEER
just until pink. chill immediately to stop cooking by plunging into
ice water. Peel and devein and serve with cocktail sauce of preference.
HUNT'S brand low sodium, low calorie (less sweetener - nothing
artificial) catsup tastes much better than the regular and makes a
great base for cocktail sauce (you can TASTE the tomato!)..I found
it in a regular market.
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| Cocktail Sauce is a holy thing, and the stuff in the supermarket
is blasphemy. I recommend the following:
4 oz Heinz catsup (the definitive catsup, if you ask me)
1 oz honey
3-4 T Kosckiusko (Kos-kee-YOUS-ko) brand hot prepared horseradish
2t Louisiana Hot Sauce
3T fresh minced chives (optional)
Yee-HAH.
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