Last week we tried a new Garlic Shrimp recipe that was so simple and delicious that we planned to try it again. On Saturday my wonderful wife came back from the local Safeway and presented me with 1 pound of shrimp as well as about 1/3rd of a pound of small sea scallops.
Here's what the final product looked like:
Preparation is simple and quick.
Cut 2 red chilies lengthwise and remove the seeds.
Rinse the shrimp and scallops, keeping the separate.
Using a garlic press, crush 6-9 cloves of garlic.
Add 5-6 tablespoons of olive oil to skillet or wok. Put the wok on high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the garlic, chilies, and shrimp. Stir frequently. After about 2 minutes, add the scallops. Continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes until the shrimp are pink and the scallops are just starting to get a gold color on the outside (they'll still be tender inside).
Serve and enjoy!
Posted by jzawodn at March 30, 2009 07:10 AM
Sounds good but you might get better results with a few tips:
Olive oil will scorch at relatively low temps, so it's generally not used in wok cooking. Wok cooking is usually at very high heat. Try a high temp oil like peanut oil.
Heat the wok to cooking temp THEN add the oil. I still remember a (bad) cooking show that repeatedly used the slogan, "hot pan plus cold oil means the food won't stick!" You can get by with less oil with this technique.
Just add the red chiles whole and remove them before eating. If you get those hot Szechwan chiles, that's plenty hot enough.
Bon appetit!
You might consider adding (fresh) chopped ginger to the mix. Ginger, garlic and chiles are a classic trio. Mmmmm.
Charles:
Thanks for the oil tip. I shall refine my technique.
Sorry, but I have a food woody. That looks sooo good.
@Charles, I remember the bad cooking show as well (on PBS?). Google the guy's name to see why that show is no longer around.
Yes Tom, I'm aware of what happened to Jeff Smith. That's why I described it as a bad show. The show really wasn't that bad, it was mediocre, but I decided he was a bad guy and thus was a bad show. That slogan is the only thing I remember from the show, I don't recall learning a single specific thing other than that. Great chefs like Julia Child or Jacques Pepin, I remember dozens of specific tips and whole dishes from their shows.
Anyway, if you want to learn all about wok cooking, I recommend Martin Yan. I learned a lot of tricks from him, you can check out his website at Yancancook.com. I like his earlier shows which are more about cooking and less of a travelogue. But really learned how to cook in a wok by many hours sitting at the front counter at my favorite local izakaya, watching the chefs from about 4 feet away. It was more fun than any cooking show.
I didn't know you could get sea scallops that small... are you sure they aren't bay scallops?
Looks tasty man!
Hmmmm, looks yummy.
I just had supper, er dinner, and now I'm hungry again. Damn you Jeremy ;)
simple and tasty.i marinated the shrimps with a pinch
of salt for 5mts before cooking.thanks for the tecnique.
