Improvised Shrimp Stir-Fry with Mediterranean Flavors
Denise Landis is the founder & CEO of The Cook's Cook.
Stock your freezer and pantry with a few good staples, and you’ll always have the makings of a quick dinner on hand. Shrimp is an excellent candidate for freezer space because it can be defrosted in minutes; simply put the desired amount in cool water while you prep the rest of the ingredients. The recipe below calls for bell pepper and onion, but almost any quick-cooking vegetables will work. Try diced eggplant, sliced zucchini or squash, green beans, peas…whatever is in the fridge or garden.
Great staples for the pantry include pitted Kalamata olives, capers, and sundried tomatoes in oil. When you’ve used all the sundried tomatoes, keep the oil for sauteing as we do in this recipe.
Consider this recipe a general guide, adjusting it to suit your tastes and the ingredients you have on hand.
- Servings 2
Ingredients
- 227-340 grams (8-12 ounces) peeled and deveined shrimp
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Salt and freshly ground black or white pepper
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) sundried tomato oil (or additional extra-virgin olive oil)
- Half a red bell pepper, diced
- Half a small red onion, diced
- 8-10 pitted Kalamata olives
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) pickled capers
- 45-60 ml (3-4 tablespoons) white wine
- 15 ml (1 tablespoon) fresh lemon juice
Preparation
- In a small bowl, combine the shrimp, 30 ml (2 tablespoons) olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
- Place a large saute pan over medium heat, and add the sundried tomato oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the bell pepper, onion, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until the vegetables are softened and lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
- Raise heat to medium-high. Add the shrimp and their marinade, and stir until the shrimp are pink and just opaque, 1-2 minutes; be careful not to overcook. Add the olives, capers, and wine, and stir until the mixture is steaming. Add lemon juice and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately.
Denise Landis
Denise Landis had been employed as an archeologist for seven years before a food editor hired her to test some recipes from a cookbook manuscript. This short stint led to longer assignments, and two years later she began testing recipes for the New York Times. She has been a professional recipe tester and editor for over 25 years, is the author of a New York Times cookbook, and has written for numerous publications. She is a member of the New York Chapter of Les Dames d’ Escoffier.
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