Cilantro and Shrimp

I don't know about you but I seriously love cilantro!!  It's almost equal to the love I have for quinoa.  I know many people who can't stand the taste of cilantro, but honestly you guys are missing out.  The flavor is Spring-like, fresh, and clean.  It's really great on seafood.  Today I am sharing with you a recipe for broiled shrimp with cilantro.

Broiled Shrimp with Cilantro
1 bunch cilantro
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup olive oil
zest of one lemon
crushed red pepper (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 pound shrimp (cleaned and de-veined)

In a mini food processor blend all the ingredients except the shrimp together.  Pour the cilantro mixture over the shrimp in a bowl or baggie and let marinade for 30 minutes in the fridge.   When ready to cook, preheat broiler on high.  Place shrimp on a baking sheet and broil in the oven for about 4 minutes on each side.  When shrimp turns pink and is firm to the touch it is cooked through.

And the winning marinade is....

Well, there's no winner actually...the past two dinners I had Thursday and tonight, Korean steak and piri piri chicken, are both rated very highly on my yummy meter! I did learn a few things however.

First of all, when cooking with sugary marinades, such as the Korean Marinade My Way, I do not recommend using your grill pan, I'd stick to using a real BBQ. I basically ruined my grill pan, but I guess after having it for 7 years, it's probably time to buy a new one anyways, right??

Second, I'd make both marinades more spicy!! I like spice and once the proteins were cooked I didn't really taste the spice as much as I did when I tasted the marinades pre-cooking.

Thirdly, I highly recommend marinading for at least 1 day before cooking! Especially for the steak!

Fourth, I sliced up the shell steak that was cooked along with the spare ribs in the Korean marinade, and it made a great protein topper for a spinach arugula salad with grape tomatoes and leftover potatoes (recipe to come Monday).

Here's what the dinners looked like: Sorry, I forgot to take a photo of the salad!

Marinades

I'm sorry I've been a little MIA the past week or so, between Passover and traveling and trying to get back into the swing of things I'm a little lost. I know some of you are probably sick of seeing that Matzoh Cake staring at you every time you open up Feed Your Sister but today I have some nice marinade recipes to share with you!

Since I'd been traveling I took this afternoon to refill the fridge/freezer and bought some chicken legs and breasts and some beef spare ribs and shell steaks. A long time ago I saw Danny Boome's show, Rescue Chef, make this amazing sounding chicken marinade. I adjusted the recipe a tad.

Spicy Piri Piri Sauce

• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 red peppers, seeded and roughly chopped
• 2-3 chili peppers like Fresno or serrano (depends on how spicy you want it!)
• 1 cup fresh parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• (This made enough to marinade 5 chicken legs, 5 chicken breasts, and 1 shell steak)

In a food processor add lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, red pepper, chiles, parsley, paprika, red wine vinegar and oil. Process until it becomes a paste. Season with salt and pepper. Divide meat into resealable plastic bags. Pour marinade into bags and seal. Turn the meat around in the bags to distribute the marinade. Place meat in the refrigerator and let it marinate for at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Remove meat from bags with tongs and drain well. Place on grill or grill pan, skin side down first, and grill for about 15 minutes on each side turning occasionally until cooked through. (You might need to do it in batches if grill is not big enough.)

The other recipe I made was based upon Korean steak sauce. It's usually sweet and contains soy sauce and brown sugar. I made my own spicy version of a Korean marinade. Here's the recipe!

Korean Marinade My Way

1 cup soy sauce

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup mirin (rice wine)

1/2 cup water

1 small onion roughly chopped

2 tablespoons Sriracha sauce

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree. Pour marinade onto steak or chicken and let sit in the fridge for at least 3 hours, but preferably overnight. Grill meat on the BBQ or grill pan until cooked to your desired taste. Enjoy!!