If seafood doesn’t do it for you, June is also Turkey Month. Turkey?
As I drove into work this morning the guys on the radio station were talking about all of the different food holidays in the USA so I started to listen! Did you know that June is known as the month for seafood, candy, dairy, fresh fruit, iced tea, papaya, steakhouses and turkey? Turkey??? Seems to me that turkey should be in the month of November to go along with Thanksgiving or in December for Christmas.
In addition to these food holidays that run for a month, I learned that there are also foods that have one special day. June 18th is National Sushi day and I’m putting that one my calendar.
After thinking about the different food holidays in the month of June, I decided I’d make a shrimp dish that would celebrate National Seafood Month. I love shrimp! Its versatile, plentiful, quick cooking and often on sale at the grocery store.
I like the extra large shrimp 16-20 per pound and often described as U16’s. U16 simply means that there are approximately 16 shrimp (units) per pound. This is great to know, especially if you’re trying to figure out how many you’ll need per person to feed your friends and family. When buying shrimp, get to know the fishmonger at your local fish store. They may have something special and will go out of their way to tell you about it once they know what you like! Look for pink shrimp from Maine, Royal Reds from the Gulf of Alabama or spots prawns from Canada. No fish store? Head on over to the fish counter or freezer case at your local market. Most of the shrimp you’ll find in the grocery store is sold frozen and will be raw or cooked. I like to cook the shrimp myself so I never even consider the cooked frozen shrimp. Yes, I have to peel the shell off and devein them but once you get into the zone, it doesn’t take too long!
This week I’m sharing a recipe for Garlic Shrimp on a bed of black rice with a colorful bok choy salad. This is a dish you can make ahead of time (except for the shrimp). If you haven’t seen the picture yet, think about how those colors might look on the plate – black rice, pink shrimp and vibrant green. I think Giada de Laurentiis said it best “I’m into very colorful food. Obviously lots of flavor, but I think we eat with our eyes first, so it has to look great. The presentation has to be great.” When you’re ready to make this recipe (or any other) take a minute and think how you’ll present it. If you only have white plates in your kitchen and you’re serving roast chicken with rice think about adding a really colorful vegetable. Beets, carrot or slightly wilted escarole would really perk up how that plate looks as would some fresh herbs.
I’d love to hear how you’re going to celebrate National Seafood Month!
Fire it up!
Chef Eric