I'm a shrimp fanatic.  I love everything made with shrimp, except those greasy shrimp toasts
on a PuPu platter.  Funny, when I was a kid, they were the best food ever, exotic, crunchy, shrimpy.
They are one of the few childhood foods which didn't cross the bridge into adulthood.  Maybe they
are just not made the same, or maybe they are and I really just don't like them.  Other than that
bit of shrimp toast, I enjoy nothing more than, oh let's say a bottomless bucket of good fried
shrimp, tartar sauce on the side...an icy cold snappy shrimp cocktail with a refreshingly sweet
and hot cocktail sauce....butterfly shrimp with their eggy fried batter and bacon attached...i weep
at the loss of Little Charlies, the Little Italy institution in Lower Manhattan which recently closed for
they had a little shrimp ball they made, as well as the Shrimp in Medium or Hot Sauce....Shrimp
scampi in a bath of garlic, olive oil, and butter....limey shrimp ceviche peppered with habaneros..
..Jimmy's of Asbury Park NJ's Shrimp stuffed with Crabmeat...Shrimp Jambalaya with the flavors
of New Orleans...Paella with Prawns, Chicken, and Chorizo...I could go on and on...but the
purpose of todays' blogpost is to give you a recipe that can be served over rice or pasta with only
a few ingredients and flavor that will make you very happy.  Your shrimp of choice for this are
the 13-15 lb. size.

     The dish is Shrimp and Cherry Tomatoes, both pan roasted then simmered with olive oil,
white wine, fresh basil, black pepper, sea salt, and garlic...Your choice of shrimp is very specific
to this dish.  The Wild Caught Gulf Shrimp I used for this recipe can stand up to the pan roasting
without getting too soft or limp.  For 4 people, you need 1  1/2lb of these gems.  Their meat is firm
and sweet, not salty and soft like the frozen farm raised shrimp.  There is a difference.  The farm
raised and frozen many many times are loaded with preservatives.  These additives change the
flavor AND the texture.  If you've never had a shrimp cooked in its' shell I urge you to try this dish.
The flavor is incomparable.  Devein 1  1/2 lb of these shrimp, rinse them keeping the shells on, pat
dry with paper towels and place in a covered bowl in the refrigerator. In a large heavy skillet,
heat 4 tbs of olive oil.  On medium heat add 1 pt. of cleaned and dry cherry tomatoes.  Pan roast
the tomatoes over the medium heat shaking the pan for about 10 minutes.  This brings out the
full flavor of the tomato and starts to blister their skin.  Add a few basil leaves and 3 sliced cloves
of garlic.  Add 1/2 tsp. of sea salt and 1/2 of black pepper.  Let this sizzle for 2 minutes.  Then
remove from the heat and pour into a bowl.
  Add a little more oil to the pan and arrange the shrimp in the pan, pan roasting for about 5
minutes.  Turn each shrimp.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Pan roast for 3 minutes then deglaze
the pan with 1/8 cup of white wine.  Stir the shrimp and let this cook for 2 minutes, then add the
tomatoes with the oil,garlic, and basil.  Let this simmer for no more than 1minute.  Done.  add
more fresh basil, and 1 tsp. of unsalted butter.  Let the butter melt into the shrimp and sauce and
stir well.  Season with a little salt and pepper if needed.  Serve alone, over a pasta or rice...that's
up to you.  Now if you try this dish with a shrimp other than what is described there, you are going
to not care for the way the shells become part of the dish.  The're floppy and many times come
apart from the shrimp when using the farm raised Asian imports.  This dish demands the better
shrimp, the shells stay semi-hard and are easy to rip off. 



    So often we just discard those shrimp shells and really, they are full of additional flavor. Shrimp
Bisque, that rich luxurious creamy soup derives its' flavor not from the meat of the shrimp, but from
the stock made from the shells and aromatics.  In China I had so many Shrimp dishes, including
the giant Mantis Shrimp, stir fried with chili and garlic, salt, and pepper in a hot wok...cooked in its
shell.  Try this.  I'm sure you will be really pleased and surprised with the results, send me your
comments.  For those of you who are looking for Lenten Friday meals, or just something new, this
will become part of your new favorite dishes to make list!!