Garlic Butter Shrimps

I have both loved and dreaded to cook this dish. I like the combination of garlic, butter and shrimp but I am not fond of too much butter and I'm allergic to shrimp. BUT -- when I found this one on my diet menu, I just had to give it a try. AND I LOVED IT! It was not drowning in butter, and the garlic complements the richness of it. My allergies? I just had to take my meds. No way was I going to pass this up! Haha!

Here it is, GARLIC BUTTER SHRIMPS.

Serves  2
Prep Time  5 minutes 
Cooking Time  5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 250 g shrimps 
• 12 pc garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tsp butter
• stevia/sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Cooking Procedure:

1. Sauté minced garlic in butter. 
2. Add shrimps. Sauté for 2 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp.
3. Season with sugar, salt and pepper. 
4. Serve hot.

1. You can always add more garlic to make it more garlicky. Same with butter, add more butter to make it more buttery. 
2. You can side it with steamed broccoli and mushrooms to balance the richness of the butter. The steamed dish "refreshes" your taste buds. 
3. This is best served as an appetizer, with ice-cold beer on hand, or, as main dish, served with hot rice. :-) 
4. Your hands smell of garlic? Get rid of the smell by first applying soap to your hands, then rubbing a stainless steel object (e.g. spoon or butter knife) to your hands/fingertips. Rinse with cold water while still rubbing with the spoon/butter knife.
5. Here are some SHRIMP TIPS:

• Deshell the shrimp or not? It's really up to you. For easy eating, deshell it. If you and your guests do not mind the extra step of peeling it before you can eat it, then by all means, cook it as it is. Is there a difference in flavor? Yes. The shrimps cooked with their shells have more flavor than those without.
• The weight of shelled, uncooked shrimp will reduce by half once you cook and deshell it.
• Do not overcook shrimp. They become dry and rubbery.
• The shrimp becomes firm and turns pink or orange and opaque when done. It takes only 2-4 minutes to cook shrimps, depending on how big they are. The color is your clue.
• Some other visual clues can surely help too! Two letters to remember: C and O. If cooked, shrimps form a C. If overcooked, they curl to form an O.
• Try your shrimp if in doubt. Take a bite. You will know best if it's cooked.
• Another method? Spring test the shrimp. Hold the shrimp upside down by its head. Pull the tail down. it is springs back, it is cooked properly.

• We celebrate International Garlic Day on April 19! :-) 
• Vampires and bad spirits surely have alliumphobia, the fear of garlic (taken from its scientific name allium sativum).
• Some countries like the United States, Italy, United Kingdom, France, Turkey, and Canada have garlic festivals.  People throng to these events! 
• Chicago's name is said to be a derived from shikaakwa, the American-Indian word for stinky onion or wild garlic, which was common in the area of and grew along the Chicago River.
• Garlic is a member of the onion family. Oh yes it is!
• Garlic's pungent flavor is a chemical reaction when the garlic cells are broken. Notice that the flavor is stronger when garlic is minced than whole.

 
Recipe from Belle Today.
Tips and trivia from family, friends, as well as various books and websites.