mexican marinade

Great on both chicken and shrimp. A reddit masterpiece.

1-2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, chicken breasts, or shrimp
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all ingredients of the marinade and mix. Trim excess fat from the chicken thighs and place in a zip bag or airtight container with the marinade. Marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours before cooking, or overnight.

For chicken, bake at 425 for 30 minutes or pan sear both sides first and bake for 20 minutes.

For shrimp, pan fry both sides for 2-3 minutes until cooked through.

shrimp burgers and slaw

Just a fantastic meal. Make in order below. The burgers come together quickly so you want to have everything else ready to go.

Mango Slaw:

2 cups of cabbage, thinly sliced
1 mango, chopped into small pieces
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
zest and juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1/4 cup honey
salt & pepper

Combine everything and mix by hand. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Herb Aioli:

1 cup of mayo
1 garlic clove
half a lemon
assorted herbs (chive, basil, oregano and sage work well)
salt & pepper

Microplane the garlic into individual blender cup, squeeze lemon into cup and let rest for 5 minutes. Add herbs and 1/4 cup of mayo and pulse until well incorporated. Add to the remaining mayo with salt and pepper to taste and mix well.

Shrimp Burger:

1 pound of raw shrimp
1 tbsp ginger
1 tbsp garlic
1 tsp Hatch chili powder
1 shallot
3 fresh chives
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 cup gluten free panko breadcrumbs
1 egg
oil
3 gluten free buns

Throw everything except the breadcrumbs and egg into a food processer and pulse until a paste forms with some chunks of shrimp. Remove to another bowl and add the breadcrumbs and egg and mix until combined. Shape into 3 patties on a plate and refrigerate for 15 minutes for the patties to set.

Add oil to a nonstick pan on medium high heat and sear shrimp burgers on each side for 1 minute and browned. Add 1/4 cup of water to the pan and cover to steam the burgers for 2 minutes. Flip and re-cover for 2 more minutes. 

Wipe out pan and toast gluten free buns and then cover to steam.

To plate: Smear each side of the buns with the aioli, add the burger and then a pile of the slaw. Serve with additional slaw on the side. 

jazzfest shrimp coctel

Ana Castro of Acamaya in New Orleans did a demonstration of her shrimp coctel at Jazzfest 2025 and it was amazing.

This isn't exactly her recipe but it's as close as I can recall.

Ingredients

For the Shrimp

2 pounds medium size shrimp (Approx 31-35 per pound) deveined, tail shells removed. (Thawed if frozen)
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar

For the Coctel Mixture

2 cup chilled V8
1 cup chilled Clamato juice
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp Crystal's Hot Sauce
2 cups English cucumber- seeded, 1/8-1/4 inch dice
4 tbsp jalapeños – seeded and finely diced
1 cup red onion – finely diced
4 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

Fill large bowl halfway with ice and water. Set aside.

In a medium pot, combine the salt, sugar, and 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Add the shrimp to the boiling water mixture and poach for about 2 minutes, until the shrimp are pink and opaque. (Note: The water will not fully return to a boil once you add the shrimp.) If you are nervous about the shrimp not being cooked, pull one and slice to make sure they are cooked through.

Transfer shrimp to ice bath and let cool for 3 to 5 minutes. Once cool, pay dry and cut each shrimp into 2-3 bite size pieces per shrimp, depending on size.

In a large mixing bowl, combine tomato juice, clamato juice, lime juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Mix well. Add the cooked, chopped shrimp, cucumber, jalapeño & red onion and gently stir until evenly coated.

Cover and chill in the fridge for at least one hour and up to 24 hours. Taste for seasoning once all the flavors have married. Add salt, pepper hot sauce, and/or lime juice to taste.

lebanese shrimp with garlic and cilantro

Turns out that putting cinnamon in savory dishes is maybe the best thing ever (see also the Armenian dish in the next post below).

1 pound of medium-sized shrimp

1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil

8 cloves of garlic

1 bunch of cilantro or parsley

1 small red onion

2 teaspoon of ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of turmeric or jamaican curry

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne or hot paprika (optional)

Salt, to taste

1 lemon, quartered

Peel the shrimp and lay out on a plate. Slice the onions and put in a bowl.

Mash the garlic in a mortar with a pinch of salt until pasty. Set aside.

Wash and dry the cilantro or parsley and chop finely the cilantro leaves, discarding the stems.

Mix all the spices in a small bowl and sprinkle them on the shrimp and onions.

Heat the olive oil for 3 minutes and place the shrimp and onions in the skillet, stir-frying them for a couple of minutes.

Remove the shrimp and onions from the skillet with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Add a couple more tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet if necessary and place the mashed garlic and cilantro in the skillet, stirring for one minute until they are mixed and fragrant.

Place the shrimp and onions in the skillet and stir-fry for a minute or so until everything is coated evenly with the garlic and cilantro paste.

Serve with lemon quarters on the side.

Adapted from Taste of Beirut

pasta sauce, hold the pasta

Sometimes the things we make come about because of what we happen to have in the house. This came together because we had tomatoes and arugula and shrimp on hand and they were calling out to be combined. I originally made this as a pasta sauce, but by doubling or tripling the shrimp you could could have a quick and tasty shrimp dish.

1 medium tomato
3 slices of roasted tomato
A handful or two of arugula leaves, torn in half
8-10 large cooked shrimp, halved or quartered
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons of butter
salt and pepper
pasta (optional)

If using, cook the pasta.

Chop everything in advance as it all comes together quickly. Melt butter in a skillet. Add garlic and cook for one minute over medium heat. Don't let it brown. Add chopped tomatoes, chopped roasted tomatoes and arugula. Season generously with salt and pepper. Heat until the tomatoes begin to release their juices. Turn off stove and add cooked shrimp. Toss so the shrimp gets heated and serve, either over pasta or on its own.