I would like to think that people come to my parties and invite me to theirs because they love my warm personality and sparkling repartee. But in my heart I know it is because they love my Shrimp Tandoori, for which I receive many invitations requests every year. It has become my signature dish, and it came about by accident.
My sister, The Skinny Cow, is a fabulous cook who lives on a farm in County Wexford, Ireland and loves to entertain. At the drop of a hat, she will throw together a meal for hundreds of guests, then serve them breakfast and lunch the following day because she can’t get rid of them. Just this week, I telephoned her on Sunday afternoon, as she was getting dinner for fourteen people. Thirty guests had been invited to the farm for a buffet lunch on Saturday, which evolved into dinner for twenty on Saturday night, breakfast for seven on Sunday morning, followed by lunch for ten and the dinner she was preparing when I called. She suggested I call back the following Tuesday or, better yet, Wednesday, when she was pretty sure she might finally have the house to herself.
For “large” parties, she sometimes makes Tandoori-flavoured cocktail sausages as an hors d’oeuvre. I love them, but can’t find cocktail sausages, which are bite-sized pork sausages, here in Canada. I was used to serving shrimp sauteed in butter, garlic and dill-weed, but just about every one of my friends and neighbours had cadged the recipe for their own parties, and we were all getting just a teensy bit tired of them. Which is when the proverbial bulb lit above my head and I thought to myself “Self! What about trying shrimp with Tandoori seasoning?” To which myself replied “Not a bad idea, You. Let’s try it.” And the rest, as they say is history.
I have happily passed the recipe around to friends and neighbours, but they just can’t seem to replicate it. That may be because I don’t really understand the recipe myself; it’s a handful of this and a couple of spoonfuls or so of that. But, if you would like to try it for yourself, here are the ingredients and method. You’ll have to decide the measures yourself, according to taste. Let me know how you get on. If you’re a friggin’ genius in the kitchen, like Jan, which I most certainly am not, you might like to try using raw shrimp. If the recipe works, you could become as popular as me.
Shrimp Tandoori
- Frozen cooked shrimp, thawed (I use Jumbo Tiger Shrimp. If I were making this in Ireland, I would use prawns)
- Sharwood’s Tandoori BBQ Marinade Spice Mix
- Juice of one or two limes
- Butter
- Olive oil
In a large pan or wok, heat the butter and olive oil over moderate heat. When the foam subsides, add Tandoori spice mix and cook for a minute or two. Add the lime juice and stir in well. Throw in the shrimp, toss until covered in the spice/oil mixture and warm through. Pile into a dish and serve with lime wedges. (I often make them on the morning before a party, store in the fridge for an hour or two and serve cold.)
That’s all it takes. I have absolutely no idea how they taste, because I’m allergic to shellfish and will die if I try any. But everybody else seems to like them.
Tessa, I’m blushing here! This sounds marvelous and you know, I have some shrimp in the freezer and The Young One will eat anything that has the word “barbecue” in it. I do believe I’ll give this a try!
That sounds really tasty even if I have no idea what Tandoori is or tastes like. *5 minutes later* I did a Google search and I think I’d like this a lot. Might be on my list of things to try, although I’m pretty sure I’ll never be able to find the exact spice mix you mentioned, but maybe I can find a suitable substitute.
p.s. I hate people who can entertain so easily. Entertaining is on my list of things that make my armpits gush and my heart pound. Ugh…..
You’re allergic to your signature dish? That’s just wrong!
I think it sounds wonderful and would fix it but Devoted Spouse absolutely detests shrimp so I will have to figure out some other way to use this because if I ate it all by myself I’d probably blow up. We do enjoy Tandoori chicken so maybe I’ll have to stick with that. Here’s wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!
Sounds great, will definitely try. I have always wanted to be popular.
My Great Aunt once yawned over lunch and remarked that she had 40 Texans coming to tea.