Usually I find recipes to try out, or come up with my own based on my preferences. Tonight a recipe found me. I came home from the restaurant slightly hungry, but not too bad due to a nice sirloin I’d eaten a few hours before. So it was that I received an email with some recipes. Now it’s disclaimer time, this recipe is sponsored by Hellman’s. Oh no! You say. You sell out!! You say, with an extra exclamation point. But really people, jarred mayo is something we all have in the house. And it makes for a quick dip condiment, as this recipe will show.
Bobby Flay, celebrity chef, has started doing a blog where he shows quick and easy recipes. Two have been introduced to me, one I made tonight. First up is a Spicy Shrimp Dip that I made sans shrimp. Unfortunately the fish market isn’t open this late at night, and to my horror all of the shrimp was locked up at Wegmans. What the hell is up with that? Meanwhile, right next door was some jumbo lump crabmeat. So I’ve done some vuduu and altered the recipe to be a crab dip. I think the substitution works great. In fact, I doubt I’ll ever make this as a shrimp dip.
Here’s the recipe as it appears, with my changes in parentheses.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
15 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (8 oz jumbo lump crab meat)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne powder
1 small Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 or 2 jalapeño chilies, coarsely chopped (depending on how spicy you like it)
1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
2 heaping tablespoons Hellmann’s mayonnaise
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro or flat leaf parsley, plus leaves for garnish
¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (parmigiano reggiano)
Blue & Yellow Corn Chips
Toasted sliced baguette
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper and sauté, in batches, until lightly golden brown on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon to a plate. (I simply cooked up the aromatics, then added the crab meat to warm it through for about 2 minutes)
Add the onion to the pan and cook until soft, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and jalapeño and cook for 1 minute longer. Place the mixture on the plate with the shrimp and let cool slightly.
Preheat the broiler. Place the cream cheese and mayonnaise in a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Add the cooled shrimp and onion mixture, the cayenne and the cilantro to the bowl and pulse until almost smooth, leave a little bit of texture.
Scrape the mixture into an oven-proof dish and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top. Broil until the cheese is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove and garnish with cilantro leaves and serve with chips or toasted baguette.
