Size matters...

When it comes to shrimp, of course. When you prepare these great dishes you are gonna want to use fairly large shrimp, if available. I tend to use a 13-15 count (the count is how many shrimp will approximately weigh a pound, the smaller the number the larger the shrimp) but you may have a favorite size and/or be working within a budget. Feel free to take liberties and use the size of shrimp you wish. I mean, it's shrimp it's gonna be good. And if you have a bunch of extra money sitting around go head and switch to lobster, in which case I would highly recommend more butter in the sauce, just because.

I strongly suggest that, this weekend, you make shrimp & asparagus risotto and broiled shrimp with a creamy white wine sauce. I'm gonna help with the list of ingredients and a few directions on how to put them all together. The risotto is a small investment of your time but is well worth it and we balance this meal out with a super fast broiled shrimp. Even the sauce is simple and quick but well worth the little extra effort, there is no reason to waste those delicious bits in the pan.

This makes for a nice dinner for 4 or you could serve the shrimp as an appetizer and the risotto as a side dish. I think it would go nicely with a mixed green salad with a warm citrus vinaigrette and wedges of heirloom tomato. The great thing about risotto is that once you have the technique down you can vary the ingredients for a wide variety of flavor profiles.

Shrimp & Asparagus Risotto
2 cups low sodium chicken stock
3 cups water
You can vary the stock to water ratio depending on your preference of stronger or lighter stock flavor, this mix is subtle yet rich.
3/4 pounds of fresh asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces, make sure to remove the tough part of the stalk by holding the bottom of each stalk and snapping it off, it will come off at a natural breaking point - if it doesn't it isn't fresh
1 small onion diced
1/2 tablespoon of coarse sea salt
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into 1 tablespoon slices
1/4 cup or a little more of good white wine, your favorite chardonnay would be great
1 1/4 cups of Arborio rice
1/3 cup of fresh grated Parmesan or even the pre-grated in the grocery section with the good cheese, please just not that horrific "shaky" cheese-like product that comes in the plastic container with the green top
2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream (optional, the risotto will be creamy enough when you perfect the technique)
1 tablespoon of quick preserved lemons finely chopped (recipe below) or you can use 1 tablespoon of lemon zest
3/4 pound 13-15 count shrimp deveined, sliced lengthwise and then halved again crosswise each shrimp should yield 4 pieces with this technique

Bring your chicken stock and water to a nice simmer. Drop in your asparagus until it is tender, about 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the asparagus and place into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Maintain the simmer level on the cooking liquid.

Heat a 4 quart pot. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add onions and salt. Cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add rice and toast for about 1 minute, stir continuously (get used to this motion). Add white wine and stir continuously until wine is absorbed. At this point add 1/2 cup of broth and stir frequently until the liquid is absorbed. Repeat this step until the rice is al dente (tender but still maintains a little firmness), you may have some of your cooking liquid left at the end. By stirring frequently you are breaking down the starches in the rice, this will create a delicious creamy texture in the final product. You will be happy.

Stir in the shrimp and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the asparagus, Parmesan, cream (if necessary), quick preserved lemon and remaining butter. Stir well and serve.

Quick preserved lemons (bon appetit September 2010)
This little addition to my repertoire allowed me to add that little something extra to any dish that calls for lemon zest or just lemon juice. This packs a punch that neither of those alone will. It only takes a few minutes and you can make some extra and they'll last at least a week. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
2 large lemons cut crosswise into 1/4" slices
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (so get 4 lemons total)
1 tablespoon of course sea salt

Place all ingredients into a skillet and heat until boil, stir until salt is dissolved. Cover, reduce heat to low. Simmer until the lemon slices are almost tender, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer to bowl, cover, and chill. Will keep at least a week.

Broiled Shrimp with a Creamy White Wine Sauce
12 13-15 count shrimp (3 person) butterflied and deveined
3 tablespoons of butter separated into 2 pieces (I never said this was a health nuts blog but it really isn't that much butter)
1/4 cup good white wine and if you get a little heavy handed here I won't be mad atcha
1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream
lemon wedges for service

Heat an oven-safe skillet, melt butter and add shrimp tails up. Add salt and pepper to shrimp, one side only. Cook shrimp on one side for about 1 minute. Immediately move to broiler, cook for 4-7 minutes depending on how hot your broiler  gets. Place shrimp in 6-8 inches below the broiler.

Remove shrimp from the skillet and place on a plate. Place skillet over medium-low heat, add white wine and stir until those tasty bits come off the bottom, stir in cream, and then the butter. This sauce would also welcome your favorite herbs at this point, as well. Always cut your herbs last minute to release the flavor and scent at service time. Pour over shrimp and serve.

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we do! I'll look forward to hearing about your experiences.