Stir-fried all-purpose shrimp

Jumbo wild shrimp was on sale last Friday at Whole Foods. Turns out the problem with these big shrimps was that they were neither shelled nor de-veined. Fear not, I know how to do both. I have watched enough episodes of Chopped on Food Network where many many contestants got yelled at (and chopped) for not de-veining their shrimp. Lesson learned!

I am bragging, but it was deliciously spicy, and no I don't mean just heat. The crunch from the whole spices and fried garlic along with the citrusy, juicy shrimp creates a wildness in your mouth that lives up to the official adjective used to describe the shrimp.

1 lb jumbo shrimp (you can use any size really)

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp whole mustard seeds 

1 tsp finely chopped garlic

2 tbsp canola/olive oil

2 tsp garam masala (from Indian grocery stores or Penzeys)

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cayenne pepper (adjust if needed, use any kind of chilli powder or even paprika if prefer less heat)

1 tbsp lemon juice (I love a strong citrus flavor)

Salt to taste

Add the garam masala, turmeric, salt and cayenne to the peeled and de-veined shrimp. Toss to marinate and leave it alone for about 10 minutes. Bobby Flay said not to marinate shrimp for too long. Noted. 

Heat the oil in a wok. When hot, add the cumin and mustard seeds together and cover right away. When the seeds are done spluttering, add the chopped garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds. When in doubt here, go with less than 30 seconds, not more. You don't want your garlic to burn. Add the shrimp. Cook until opaque. Mine took about 2 mins to cook after being flipped once a little after a min. Cooking shrimp can be tricky. You never want overcooked shrimp. It's like nightmare on a dinner plate. Considering how much I love food, that's probably one of the worst nightmares, EVER. Add the lemon juice and toss before taking it off the heat.

Voila! It was that simple! While you wait for the shrimp to cool just a little so you can pop one in your mouth, smell the garlic, the lemon, the cumin, the mustard, the "Indian" spicy-ness and the shrimp.

Resist popping a hot shrimp into your mouth. 

Resist.

Give up. 

I just finished watching a Bobby Flay show where he did a similar thing with shrimp on the grill (duh!) and he made a cilantro-mint chutney for dipping. You could make this shrimp  recipe (or any variation of it) as hors d'œuvre with the dip or as filling for shrimp taco or anything else your shrimp-loving heart desires.