Cooking with Coley

I was in the mood for both seafood and Mexican, but tacos or fajitas weren’t going to cut it.  While I wasn’t sure what direction I was going to go in, I decided to just creative with some ingredients in the fridge.

The evolution of the dish was a natural progression– spicing up favorite Mexican ingredients like lime and cilantro with a kick of bottled beer.  The result? Delicious “drunken” cilantro shrimp.  Quick, easy and light!

It’s a great option when you’re craving Mexican, but aren’t craving some of the fatty and heavy ingredients (I’m talking to you cheese and sour cream!).    

What you’ll need: (for 2 servings)

• 1lb of shrimp, peels on (this helps the shrimp to absorb and saturate the flavors)
• 1/4 cup of light or Mexican beer (or your beer of choice)
• 1/4 cup chicken broth (I used bouillon)
• 1 tbsp light butter (optional)
• Lime juice, fresh or bottled
• Handful of cilantro
• Ground cumin
• 1/2 red pepper chopped
• 1/2 small white onion
• 1/2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• Hot sauce
• Salt and pepper
• 2 servings of rice
• Sliced avocado
• Refried or black beans, optional

Procedure:

• Marinate shrimp (peels on) in fresh lime juice, cumin, salt, pepper and cilantro (marinate for up to 24 hours, but if you only have 30 minutes, then that works!)
• Saute onions and garlic in EVOO first, then add peppers after they start to soften
• Add chicken broth or bouillon
• Bring to a boil, add light butter and beer; simmer
• Add fresh squeezed lime or 1/2 tbsp bottled; add cilantro to taste
• Add dashes of hot sauce to taste
• Add shrimp and cook for 5-8 minutes covered, uncover and simmer
• Serve over rice (and beans optional)
• Add extra cilantro and sliced avocado as garnish; include hot sauce on the side for extra flavor and heat!