Shrimp Cocktail, Version 2.0

Tonight we had a cocktail party with appetizers and Mom Juice being the stars of the show.  My biggest problem when entertaining, hands down, is deciding which recipe (or recipes!) to make.  I go through a handful of clippings and come away with a good 10-20 that I want to try, and then cull it more from there, but it’s hard!  I usually end up making more than I need to just because I can’t decide.  For tonight, besides being a good opportunity to try new recipes, I also wanted to focus on using up some things in the freezer.  We’re moving in the next few weeks and the freezer overfloweth, no matter how hard I try to empty it out.

I seem to be on a Giada at Home kick lately, but on a recent episode when she made a different version of what she called shrimp cocktail, it fit the bill perfectly for tonight.  Easy to make, light and with a 2 lb bag of frozen shrimp in the freezer already, I managed to empty out a whole door slot and use ingredients I had on hand.  Now as much as I love Giada, I take exception to calling this shrimp cocktail.  The only part that resembles shrimp cocktail is that you’re dipping the shrimp in a sauce, and it ends there.  Whatever you call it, it’s delicious nonetheless.

The shrimp are sauteed in a bit of olive oil with herbs de provence, salt and pepper.  Easy peasy.  The dipping sauce is a mixture that includes maple syrup, mustard and a bit of mayo.  Technically it also includes yogurt, but for those of us that forget our grocery list at home when we run out to the store … well, those people would have been subbing the yogurt with sour cream.  Just sayin’.  Making it again, and purchasing the ingredients actually with a grocery list, I think I would use sour cream again.  Yogurt just has that extra little tang that I think I’d like to avoid with this one.

When I sauteed up the pound of shrimp that the recipe called for, it just didn’t look like enough, so I ended up doing the extra pound as well.  There was more than enough sauce for doubling the quantity of shrimp, so if you make it and stick with one pound of shrimp, you can safely halve the dipping sauce ingredients.

A delicious tasty alternative when you have a shrimp craving… or a two pound bag of frozen shrimp that you want out of your freezer.

Sauteed Shrimp Cocktail
Recipe courtesy of Giada at Home

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled, tail left on, deveined
• 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/4 cups plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard (recommended: Maille)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped basil leaves

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and herbes de Provence. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the shrimp are pink and cooked through, about 2 minutes each side.

In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard, maple syrup, turmeric, and basil until smooth. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Place the yogurt mixture in a dipping bowl.

Place the bowl of dipping sauce on a serving platter with the cooked shrimp.

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