Shrimp Scampi

The easiest meal ever, if you are cooking for one, two, three or more......

Really, how easy can this get? Boil the pasta, cooked the shrimp in a mix of butter, olive oil, garlic and some italian seasoning or freshly chopped parsley and oregano. This meal is so simple yet so good. I am in love...

Shrimp Scampi (Serves 3-4)
Ingredients
1lb jumbo shrimps (about 19-21 in a one pound bag)
2/3lb to 1lb of pasta, preferably angel hair or thin spaghetti
1tsp salt
4Tbsp butter
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning or 1 Tbsp freshly chopped parsley and oregano
4 Tbsp olive oil

Directions

1. De-shelled the shrimps. Set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the teaspoon of salt into the boiling water. Add in pasta. Cook pasta according to directions (about 10 minutes). Drain and set aside.

3. In a large pan, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add in garlic and shrimp. Saute till shrimp is cooked, about 5 minutes.

4. Add in pasta and stir till well coated with oil and garlic.

5. Add in the Italian seasoning or freshly chopped herbs.

6. Give it a quick toss and the pasta is ready to serve.

7. I threw in some grated romano cheese onto the shrimp right before serving. Yes, I know, I should not add cheese into my seafood as every Italian grandma will say. But I like it and it is my plate. This recipe is so simple yet so satisfying. 

New England Style Baked Stuffed Quahog

I do not know why I have yet to do a post on seafood. After all, I live in New England- the land where seafood is aplenty and fresh. One of my favorite seafood is clam. We have so many varieties of clams in New England that it will take a while for me to introduce them all to you nice people. For the maiden post on the seafood topic, let's get to know quahog.

Quahog is a type of hard shell clam, which we love using in the famous Boston clam chowder and baked stuffed quahog. The clam can grow really big. How big, you may ask?

How about bigger than my cat's head? With clam as large as this one, it calls for making baked stuffed quahog. Every cook and household have their own take on how to make stuffed quahog in New England. It can be mild or spicy, depending on your preference. We love ours with a little spice from the Chorizo sausage.

New England Style Baked Stuffed Quahog
(Serves 4)
Ingredients
5 large quahogs
1/2 lb Chorizo sausage, diced small
1 large onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 1/2 sleeves butter crackers, crushed fine
1 tsp dried parsley
2-3 Tbsp grated romano cheese
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
Black pepper

Directions

Step 1: Steam quahog with enough water till shells open up. Remove and let cool. Shuck clams off its shells. Reserve some of the clam juice.

Step 2: Washed the shell clean. Pat dry and reserved for later use.

Step 3: Diced the clam meat and set aside.

Step 4: Prepare the stuffing. Crushed the butter crackers and place it in a big bowl. In a pan over medium heat, melt butter in olive oil. Add in the chorizo sausage, onion, bell pepper and celery. Cook till onion is translucent. Turn heat off. Add in the dried parsley and black pepper.

Step 5: Combined the crushed butter crackers with the cooked ingredients and chopped clams. Stir in the romano cheese and mix till well combined. Add in some of the reserved clam juice if the the stuffing appears too dry.

Step 6: Preheat the oven to 375F or 190C. Divide stuffing evenly between all the half shells. Spread stuffing evenly onto shell. Bake for 20 minutes till golden brown. Serve with fresh lemon wedges and hot sauce. It is perfect with a cup of Boston clam chowder.