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Do you ever find yourself in a cooking rut? I do! Chicken, Beef, Chicken, Pork, Chicken, Chicken, blah...blah...blah! No matter how much I try to spice it up, I find myself going back to the basics and getting sick of it! That moment of "I MUST COOK SOMETHING NEW!" is when I typically find my best recipes.
I'm no chef, so I'm not necessarily great at making things up, but I am great at getting ideas and making them my own. And that's just what I did with my latest creation: Cilantro Lime Shrimp Spaghetti! I found myself wanting shrimp (preparing for a week at the beach makes me want seafood on repeat) and needing to use up the last of my cilantro and lime before being forced to throw it away...my husband will tell you I am a food hoarder - I hate throwing good food away! So, off to Pinterest I went. Several things looked yummy, but just not quite what I was looking for, and alas, I decided I would take a little of this and a little of that to create what I had pictured in my mind and this was the result:
Delicious, flavorful Cilantro Lime Shrimp Spaghetti! My family just recently moved to Huntsville, AL and we happened to stumble across a FRESH seafood market (*claps and squeals in excitement*), A & V Seafood Market! On my day of "I need something different rant" I had my husband stop and pick up a pound and a half of shrimp (remember, shrimp shrinks, so if you're making this for more than 3 people, you'll need more). Once I had the shrimp peeled and rinsed I dried them off, arranging them in a single layer to add seasoning. While you're adding the seasoning, start boiling salted water in a stock pot (for your thin spaghetti) and heating olive oil (about 1T) over med-high heat in a skillet (I used a 10" Lodge skillet).
Now, on to the seasoning. I sprinkled paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper all over the shrimp, then squeezed half of lime over the top. Before adding shrimp to the skillet, add in 1 clove of minced garlic - I would like to tell you I mince the garlic myself, but let's face it, I have a 2 year old! I do everything as fast as possible, so I keep a Costco size jar of minced garlic around...AT ALL TIMES! Cook the garlic until just fragrant then add shrimp. I placed them seasoned side down and then proceeded to season the other side. I like to do this so all the extra seasoning that misses the shrimp (or whatever you happen to be cooking at the time) lands in the skillet, so there are no wasted spices and more flavor! Once you've squeezed your lime, throw half of it in there with it. Saute the shrimp on each side until it begins to turn a golden color, reduce heat to low and add your chopped cilantro - be sure to chop up and use the stems! I used about 2T of cilantro, and left additional out to garnish, but use however much you are comfortable with. By now you should have cooked thin spaghetti, drain and add to your skillet with a dab (Southern term for a 'little bit') of butter, slices of lime and squeeze the remaining half of lime over the noodles. Turn off the heat and mix everything together being sure to run the spaghetti over the bottom of the skillet picking up the olive oil, butter and spices.
Plate and serve! This meal only took about 30 minutes to whip up and both my husband and toddler loved it! So, that's a winner and a repeat recipe in my household! Let me know how yours turns out!