Thursday, May 21, 2009

Meal idea: broiled pesto shrimp



This post is more of a meal idea than an actual recipe. It's really quick to put together and have a dinner in minutes! The basic premise is to thaw out some frozen raw shrimp, toss them in pesto, and broil them for 3 minutes (or until they turn pink). That's it! You're done! For pesto, I usually just throw whatever herb we have that looks good into a food processor along with whatever nuts I have. Tonight I had a big bunch of parsley, so I threw that in there with a handful of walnuts and a few green onions for bite, lemon zest and juice and a pinch of red pepper flakes for kick, and extra virgin olive oil to thin it to the right consistency. If you really like pesto, you can make a lot at once and freeze it in an ice cube tray, then pop the cubes out and store in a baggie - this way you can grab both the shrimp and the pesto from the freezer at the same time and make this even more of a convenience meal.

I had some extra pesto tonight so I chopped up some zucchini and yellow summer squash, tossed them in the extra pesto, and broiled them too. We also had a fennel salad on the side. Just thinly slice a fennel bulb and dress with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. You can add some minced parsley, fennel fronds, or lemon zest if you want to get a little bit fancy.

10 comments:

Kimberly said...

Yum, Elizabeth! I am a pesto fanatic, and I love this recipe. I also like your variation of a traditional pesto recipe, using onion instead of garlic! You go, girl!

I just nominated you on Nourishing Gourmet as one of my favorite blogs.

Kimberly

Yummy said...

This looks so good - now I want lunch! I like how you threw lemon into the pesto, I do that too. It really makes all the flavors pop!
I make pesto at least once a week- people think it is so complicated but like you said, you can use any herbs or greens you have on hand and just add nuts and spices for a different combo every time. It makes a great flavor booster to liven up eggs, veggies and meats.

Autismland Penny said...

what a great idea! I love how you use whatever herb. I don't know why I had never thought of that! You make some great recipes!

Marc said...

Elizabeth,

Looks YUMMY!!!
Do you grow your own herbs???

Marc

Darcey Blue said...

Thanks for the idea! I made this last night with nettle sweet clover pesto, and tossed the shrimp w yellow squash and onions to cook. You are a great cook!

Keri said...

This looks wonderful! I just found your blog today and can't wait to start going through all the great recipes you have posted.

Food Recipes Made Easy said...

Hi,

I was wondering since we have the same niche, it would really help our rankings as well as increase our hits by exchanging links. I love your blog and would like to share it to my readers.

Title: Food Recipes Made Easy
URL: http://foodrecipesmadeeasy.blogspot.com/

Please drop me a comment once you have added my link so that I can do the same for you site. Please provide me with the title of the link as well as the url.

Thanks,
Jenny

Kentucky Fried Chicken Coleslaw Recipe

Elizabeth said...

Kimberly - Thanks so much for the nod!

Yummy Gatherer - Lemon is my secret weapon pesto ingredient. Makes everything taste better!

Chef Penny - Thanks!

Marc - Thanks! I wish I grew my own herbs. :) I just buy them from the store though.

Shamana - Thanks so much! I've never had sweet clover but I bet it tastes great.

Keri - Thanks! Hope you find something that appeals to you. :)

Jenny - I'll email you.

aurelia said...

Linked to you from Son of Grok. Glad I did!

Pesto chicken is one of my favorite summer go-to meals. This looks even easier.

I'll be trying it soon.

Anonymous said...

✓Looks delicious