Shrimp Recipe for a Quick Easy Dinner
Rice & Shrimp Dinner with Basil Cream Sauce
This shrimp recipe was thrown together with stuff in my cabinets and turned out to be a delicious shrimp dinner recipe!
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Do you like shrimp as much as me? Until just the last couple of years, I had it in my head that it was an expensive protein to plan a meal around, but that's not really true, if you buy your shrimp on sale. I can get 2 or 3 meals for 3 of us, easy, out of a bag of 50 to 60 frozen shrimp, which I usually get for less than $15. It's actually quite a good value.
So, last night when I went into the kitchen I was in the mood for rice and shrimp, but tired of scampi. So I decided to use some of my fresh windowsill basil in a cream sauce, mixed with pan broiled shrimp and white rice. Yumm!
Shrimp w/Basil Cream Rice Casserole
Ingredients:
2 cups shrimp
1 cup rice
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup water
Handful of fresh basil
3 T. Wondra flour
Garlic, minced
Old Bay seasoning to taste
Salt/pepper to taste
Good dollop of cooking sherry
1/4 cup white wine
Crushed Ritz crackers
Directions:
First steps are to thaw your shrimp and get your rice cooking (according to package directions). Also, preheat the oven on 375 degrees. I find placing my frozen shrimp in a bowl of cold water thaws it quickly. Meanwhile, put a pot of a cup or so of water on to simmer on medium heat. Once the shrimp is thawed, peel it and throw the peels into the pot of water you have going on the stove.
Then, heat some olive oil and a tablespoon or two of butter in a fry pan. Add your garlic and cook till translucent. Then, throw in your shrimp and pan broil for 3 or 4 minutes till it pinks up and is slightly browned. While it's cooking, season it with salt, pepper and Old Bay to your taste. You can also saute for a few minutes in some white wine, if you like.
To make the sauce, heat the milk, Wondra flour, and the strained water you cooked the shrimp shells in. Season to taste with a bit of salt, pepper and Old Bay, chopped fresh basil and add the sherry. Mix the shrimp, rice and sauce together in a 2-quart casserole and top with the crushed crackers. Sprinkle with parsley or more basil and bake for 20 to 30 minutes till the crackers are slightly browned and the mixture bubbly.
Have you ever used Wondra flour? I love it! You can make a white sauce or pan gravy super quick and without any lumps at all. I highly recommend it. I served this casserole with green beans. Rolls would have been nice too, but I didn't have any.
Variations
- Add swiss cheese, either to the sauce or on top the casserole.
- Sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese.
- Add a veggie to the mix, such as broccoli, peas or asparagus.
- Leave out the alcohol, if you prefer.
- Substitute lemon or lime juice for the wines.
- Use pasta or noodles instead of rice, or substitute brown rice. Even couscous would probably work.
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