Elegant shrimp with sweet pineapple
After all the cooking and shopping that the holidays inspire us to do, I’m looking forward to pulling out some easy recipes that use pantry ingredients that I keep on hand. One of my favourite items to keep in the freezer is frozen shrimp.
I keep both cooked and uncooked versions. Raw shrimp cook up in minutes and have more flavour, so I use them for pasta dishes and easy sheet-pan suppers. But cooked shrimp have their place on my menu, too. I love how quickly they thaw for salads and appetizers and other cold preparations.
The downside to pre-cooked shrimp is the texture is a notch softer. My solution is to buy the large shrimp and then cut it in half. I know this may be countershrimp culture, so feel free to leave them large, but the solution works for us.
A super-easy go-to recipe for shrimp for us is my Shrimp Pineapple Brochette, which uses basic pantry ingredients — you can even use canned pineapple — to create something that still feels high end.
It’s healthy and versatile, working as either a meal when paired with some greens, a first course, or even an appetizer for parties. Shrimp brings protein and elegance, while pineapple balances out with both sweetness and acid. I use prepared pesto for some fat and flavour, and I highly recommend keeping a jar of prepared pesto in the freezer to scoop out for recipes. But, if you don’t have any, just substitute a bunch of chopped herbs, olive oil and lemon juice for an easy, tasty version. And with skewers, I think it goes without saying that you can swap in whatever fruit you have in your kitchen — grapes, grapefruit, orange segments and even canned mango all work beautifully.
Shrimp and Pineapple Brochettes
Servings: Four Start to finish: 10 minutes
1 pound large cooked shrimp, cleaned, thawed if frozen 1 cup pineapple cubes, about 1/2-inch each, drained and halved if using typical large canned chunks (grapefruit or orange may be used) 1 Tbsp prepared pesto sauce 1 Tbsp lemon or lime juice 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil • black pepper a pinch (1/8 tsp) kosher salt • chopped fresh mint, parsley or basil, optional 12 small or 8 large skewers, or 24 toothpicks if making appetizer bites
Cut shrimp into halves or thirds, depending on size of shrimp. Thread the skewers with alternating shrimp and fruit. Lay the skewers on a platter.
In a small bowl, add the lemon juice to the pesto sauce to thin it and stir. Drizzle the pesto mixture over the skewers, aiming mostly for the shrimp. Drizzle a few drops of olive oil onto the skewers. Top with freshly ground black pepper, the kosher salt and chopped herbs, if desired. Serve as a first course, an appetizer, or with a green salad for a light meal.
Food Network star Melissa d’Arabian is an expert on healthy eating on a budget. She is the author of the cookbook Supermarket Healthy.