Another Foodie Friday submission from The Erratic Cook, a chef in her own mind from right here in Okotoks.

Twisted Shrimp Cocktail

For the shrimp:

Peel 20 or so raw, tail on shrimp.

For the marinade:

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 cloves garlic pressed or minced

2 tablespoons of alcohol of choice; white wine, vodka or tequila work well

I used a jalapeno ice wine that my niece gave us. Yummy! I must find it again.

If you prefer non alcoholic you can use lemon juice or get creative and add other fruit juices you may like.

You can always toss in a few hot chili flakes if you like a bit of heat.

Toss together, a freezer bag works well, add the shrimp.

Marinade for about an hour, not too long or the marinade will start to “cook” the shrimp.

Sauté the shrimp gently, just until pink. Let them cool. Keep in fridge until ready to assemble.

PS:

This marinade is really good for shrimp on the BBQ or simply sautéed and served hot. However, don’t peel the shrimp first, the marinade seems to work even better, let everyone peel their own.

For the Sauce:

I did not want the typical seafood sauce so I searched and found a variation on Food Network by Giada De Laurentiis

(Because I am The Erratic Cook and can’t follow a recipe, I used her recipe as a guideline and changed it to suit me, feel free to do the same to my recipe, I have, it changes each time I make it!)

Guideline:

½ cup plain greek yogurt or sour cream

1 to 2 tablespoons grainy mustard or a Dijon (depends on your taste and which mustard you use)

1 tablespoon real maple syrup

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon cumin

Squeeze some fresh lemon juice in there

Add a bit of lemon zest too

Salt & pepper

Mix together sauce ingredients

This makes a generous amount.

Spoon some sauce into the bottom of four martini glasses.

Why martini glasses? Because it looks pretty.

Arrange the shrimp around the rim, along with twists of cucumber, lemon, green onion, whatever you think would look and taste great.

Additional garnish, a lovely fresh basil or parsley leaf is always nice.

Voila! Shrimp cocktail in a martini glass – twisted, not stirred (I couldn’t resist)

PS:

This sauce is yummy with other fish, so experiment; try it as a fish taco sauce, just add a little heat to it.

Til next time

The Erratic Cook

Yes this sauce is amazing on fish tacos. Try the marinade next time you BBQ shrimp, don't peel the shrimp, marinade and put them on skewers.

You may recognize the other appetizer on the plate in the photo. It is the Cool Cube that I shared a while ago.

Enjoy

~ Tracy