Spiked! Recipe Challenge: Limoncello Shrimp

When we learned about the Spiked! Recipe Challenge, we were intrigued for sure. But then we learned that this time the challenge was to make something with limoncello, and we had to join. We've made our own limoncello before (you can see the recipe here), and we've cooked with it as well. Our favorite dish we make with limoncello is Limoncello Shrimp. They make an interesting appetizer, or can be turned into a meal by serving over pasta or shrimp. Just have plenty of bread on hand to soak up that delicious, slightly boozy sauce. 

To see the other entries into this month's Spiked! Recipe Challenge, go here.

Limoncello Shrimp

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup Limoncello

2 teaspoons butter

1 tablespoon heavy cream

In a saute pan, mix the oil, garlic, zest and herbs. Then heat the pan to medium-high. Cook, stirring, until the mixture becomes aromatic (less than a minute). Then add the shrimp. Toss the shrimp and the herb mixture well, and cook until the shrimp become pink, 3-4 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside. Carefully wipe out the pan with a paper towel and then return it to the stovetop. Add Limoncello to the pan and cook over medium-high heat until it is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Remove from heat and whisk in the butter and cream. Pour this over the shrimp. 

Fish Fest from the Farmers' Market

Chris writes: As I am sure you read in our post a couple of days ago, Sunday was Seafood Day at the Coventry Regional Farmers Market. Although Amy posted some great pictures of ceviche and oysters, what she didn’t mention was that she doesn’t really like the stuff. Lobsters, YES. Crabs, YES. Clams on the grill, Oh Yeah! But fish? Not really. Between learning how to cook Grouper in Mexico or having Zuppa de Pesce  in Italy she has warmed up to it over the past couple of years but overall she still doesn’t appreciate it like I do. I love fish. Salmon, Snapper, Fluke, Mahi Mahi, Sable, Skate, Anchovy, Eel, Octopus (technically not a fish) -- I love 'em all. This is why I was so excited about the theme at the Market this weekend. I bought stuff (from the folks at The Fish Market) that I knew I wouldn’t have to share with anyone else but you.

Striped Bass steamed in Limoncello and Hyssop

Fillet of bass (~6 oz)

Pink Himalayan salt

Olive oil

Hyssop (3 leaves)

Tarragon (1 sprig)

Limoncello

Salt and pepper one fillet of striped bass. (I prefer pink salt with this dish because it seems drier on my tongue – but that’s just me.) Splash some olive oil onto a piece of tin foil large enough to become a tent. The oil smear should be just larger than the fillet. Place the fillet on the oil and add some strips of hyssop and a sprig of tarragon. Splash with an equal measure of Limoncello. Seal and place on medium-high for about 4 minutes each side. The essence of the fish and Limoncello mixed with the gentle anise flavor of the hyssop blends beautifully with the pink salt and tarragon.

Lemon Peppered Tuna Steak

Tuna steak (~4 oz)

Lemon Pepper (from Boxed Goodes)

Ponzu sauce

Cover both sides of tuna steak with seasoning. Grill on high until seared on both sides (about 2 minutes each side). Let rest for 1 minute. Slice. Drizzle with Ponzu Sauce.

Oysters on the half shell

Plucked fresh from the waters off the coast of Mystic, Connecticut. I choose not to cover their deliciousness with cocktail sauces or what not. I don’t get to the ocean that often and compare eating an oyster to having the ocean come to me. Why would I want to screw with that?

Grapefruit Salad

One medium pink grapefruit

Herbes de Provence

Skin and chop one grapefruit. Toss with 1/8 teaspoon of Herbes de Provence. The acid of the grapefruit combined with the aromatics of the rosemary and lavender merging with the sharpness of the thyme really surprised me. It made for an excellent complement to this meal. I will definitely keep this one in my repertoire.