Sauteed Mustard Basil Shrimp

I already posted about the importance of buying WILD CAUGHT sea food over farmed. This recipe was totally inspired by having the availability to cook with fresh shrimp straight from the coast!

I still had some leftover (frozen) from last time I cooked shrimp. And since our grill still isn't working... I knew I wanted to pan cook these, preferably saute them.

A strong marinade actually paired really well with this! I was pleasantly surprised.

Sauteed Mustard Basil Shrimp 
Yields 2 servings 

2 tbsp mustard
1 lb medium-large shrimp
1 TBSP garlic powder
1/3 cup unsalted chicken stock
2 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 cup broccoli (i used frozen, defrosted)
3 tomatoes, chopped
1/3 onion, chopped
2 TBSP coconut oil
juice of 1/4 lemon

1) Gather your marinade ingredients... basil, garlic powder, chicken stock, lemon, and mustard.

2) Combine ingredients with the shrimp. Cover and let marinade in fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

3) Heat coconut oil over medium high heat and saute the onion until translucent, about 3 minute.

4) Add the tomato and saute until soft, about 5-6 minutes.

5) Make room for the shrimp and pour it in, including the marinade.

6) Let cook about 3 minutes on each side before moving on to the next step.

7) Add the broccoli and let saute for about 5 minutes before covering the pan.

8) Reduce heat to medium and let steam for about 10 minutes.

9) Reduce heat and serve!

The basil and mustard complimented the shrimp really well. While it was still a strong marinade, it was not overwhelming, and just gave the meal a subtle kick once cooked! ;)

Give it a try and tell me what you think!

Natalie

Why Its Important to Buy Wild Caught Seafood

This post is a part of Unprocessed Fridays!

A while back a posted a recipe for some shrimp that I had been given fresh from the coast.

I was SUPER happy to get these, because I typically don't buy seafood from the grocery store... sure, the conventional stuff isn't TOO expensive. But the fresh caught, NOT FARMED quality? Way too pricey.

So, what is the big deal about buying wild seafood anyways? How is it different than farmed? This post is all about why you should be concerned where your fish, shrimp, and other sea creatures are coming from before placing them on your plate!



Environmental Impact...
When sea creatures are farmed, they are usually held in large tanks and forced into close environments. These "farming" methods usually have a large toll on the environment. One of the biggest threats of farmed salmon, for example, is the risk of an infestation of sea lice. Sea lice is common among raised fish, and can easily spread into the surrounding water and effect the wild creatures.
Not to mention, farming fish poses as a huge threat to the surrounding food chains and wild life. Building the farming areas destroys natural habitats, and the toxins used leaks into surrounding waters. Training fish to live in these conditions, and deliberately breeding them, also greatly reduces biodiversity which is essential for the survival of any species.



Nutritional Inequality...
Farmed creatures have been shown to be much more fatty than wild. This is no surprise, as they are in a contained space and do not have the opportunity to swim freely. This being said, they are usually much higher in the pro-inflammatory Omega 6's. They lack the healthy Omega 3's found in wild caught salmon and other fish. Overall, the nutritional quality is much lower than their free roaming counter partners.



Exposure To Toxins...
Wild caught fish get their color naturally from the food they eat and their environment. When they are farmed, however, many artificial dyes are used to mimic this coloring. They are also exposed to disinfectants and pesticides (to try and avoid sea lice), and are usually found to have higher contents of metals in their bodies due to the painting of their containers.


Economic Toll...
Quoted from www.farmedanddangerous.org,

"Whereas the dollar value difference between wild salmon marine industries and aquaculture is not highly significant, wild salmon industry jobs far outweigh the few jobs provided by the aquaculture industry.

Open net-cage salmon farming is jeopardizing the province’s sports fishery, commercial fishery, fish processing sector, and marine tourism – all of which contribute more economically than aquaculture."

Overall, there really is no question whether or not to purchase farm raised seafood. Your answer should always be NO!! I understand they usually are cheaper and can be bought in bulk... but those dollars you are saving are actually costing you a lot in the sense of personal-and environmental- health.

Your best bet is to save having store bought sea food for special occasions, and buying quality produce. When purchasing from the store, always ask the butcher where the fish or shrimp is from, or look for a statement on the packaging that states it is WILD CAUGHT. :)


Picture from www.thatorganicgirl.com 


What are your thoughts on farmed raised sea food?

Natalie



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Simple Shrimp Cocktail for Summer: Sugar Free, Dairy Free, Paleo Friendly

Growing up, one of my favorite restaurants to go to was a seafood place/oyster bar called "Aw Shucks".  The venue is small, and most seating is outdoors. I always was fascinated by the fact that you went inside (if you want to call it that- basically it is just where the cooks are!) to order your food, and when it is ready for you to get it, they call your name on a over speaker. Such great memories!



Image via awshucksdallas.com 

An absolute STAPLE item that we always got was their shrimp cocktails. Such yummy things... baby shrimp mixed with fresh chunks of avocado, tomato, and cilantro, all in a wonderful tomato like juice. They were INCREDIBLE. So fresh, it seemed like you just wanted more and more.

Eventually we asked how they made their cocktails, and found the ingredients to actually be REALLY simple. My parents were overjoyed to be able to make one of our favorite things right at home! Since becoming healthier, there are a few items which I replace with better choices when I choose to make these. For example: for their cocktail "juice", they included ketchup (probably the kind from the store, full of sugar and high fructose corn syrup).

I thought these recipe would be rather fitting due to the yummy shrimp recipe I just posted! It is so simple, and the ingredients are actually quiet minimal in relation to the HUGE flavor it gives!

Simple Shrimp Cocktail for Summer
Yields 4 servings 

• Eight large shrimp, cooked and broken into small bite size pieces 
• 4 TBSP tomato paste 
• Juice of 1 Lime
• 1/2 cup water 
• 1/3 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 avocado, diced 
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1/3 medium onion, diced 
• Pinch of salt and pepper 

1) In a large container, combine the tomato paste with the lime juice and water, and stir until liquidy. Add a bit more water if needed.

2)Combined the other ingredients into the container and carefully mix with a large spoon.

3) Dish out your cocktail in individual glasses, and enjoy! 

What are some of your favorite recipes using shrimp?
Do you have special memories with a certain restaurant, or food?

Try this recipe out and tell me what you think!

Natalie

Rosemary Garlic Grilled Shrimp...Paleo, Dairy Free, Sugar Free

One of my favorite things about summer is the ability to grill out! I guess you could grill out in the winter, if you wanted to freeze your booty off running to and from the grill and house... but what's the fun in that? The beauty of summer cook outs is the nice weather (or is there ever nice summer weather in Texas?!), the smoky smell of the food, and the company you can enjoy the outdoors with.

I have cooked out a few times since the weather has been warmer, and again planned to yesterday. A friend of ours just gave us a few pounds of fresh shrimp caught by the coast... I couldn't wait to cook it up! Even though I really love seafood, I almost never have the opportunity to eat it. so this was exciting!

I knew I needed to utilize my herb harden outside, so I came up with a marinade and ultimately, this recipe! Enjoy...

Rosemary Garlic Grilled Shrimp 

So delicious and light. It really is perfect for summer!

3 springs fresh rosemary ( You might be able to get away with a TBSP of dry if you dont have fresh)
Juice of 1 lime
2 small garlic cloves, chopped
1 lb fresh medium-large shrimp

1) Prepare your ingredients for the marinade!

2) Place your shrimp in a bowl near the sink and start de-veining and unshelling them (unless yours were bought with this already done)
Discard the vein and shell in a bag and place the fresh meat in a separate bowl.

3) Place your dry marinade ingredients in the bowl with your shrimp meat, and squeeze the lime juice over it.

Cover, and place in your fridge to marinade for about 4 hours (or overnight).

Now, here is when things went a bit awry for me. I guess since the hibernation months of winter (read: no grilling!), our gas tank for the grill has ran out. I found this out the hard way yesterday... walked outside, tried to torch that baby up... and after a few tries, I realized it was a lost cause. 

So there I was, marinated raw shrimp in hand, and no grill to grill it on! So what does this girl do?

This girl improvises, that's what. 

I had a bit of cleaning up to do afterwards (nothing bad), but the shrimp were fully cooked and honestly there wasn't TOO big of a difference... 

I actually do not know for fact if cooking these via stove top is hazardous in any way, so if you know more about why it could be bad, let me know. I did not see a huge problem with it, and no food got under the burner so I think everything was fine? 

Mmm. Look at those "grill" marks. I know, i'm so talented. 

But really, this recipe is super easy, and really tasty! Go ahead and try it out (hopefully you can use a real grill...) and tell me what you think.

Have you ever had to improvise when cooking?

What are your favorite ways to enjoy seafood?

Natalie