Have you ever cooked seafood on a bed of rock salt? It is very simple to do and you will not burn the seafood so this recipe is perfect for people learning how to cook. You have to use rock salt or your seafood will be too salty. I chose Himalayan Pink Coarse Rock Salt since it is a healthy salt. You can use a Himalayan salt block as well.
Did you know Himalayan Pink Salt has been revered for centuries and hand-mined for two millennia. Himalayan salt was formed by an ancient ocean which dried up over 600 million years ago.
This naturally pink crystal has 84 minerals and elements including magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron and zinc. The sodium chloride ranges from 97-99%. Many people believe this salt can stimulate circulation, lower blood pressure, remove toxins such as heavy metals from the body, and improve digestion.
If you are going to cook at home, you might as well use the best and healthiest ingredients available to you. Choose wild, large shrimp for this recipe. If the market will peel and devein them for you, I highly recommend having them do it. It is a huge time saver at home.
These shrimp are easy appetizers for a dinner party. Dress them up with the lime slices underneath but place a toothpick only in the shrimp. You do not want your guests eating the lime slice with the tender shrimp. You can also serve them on a platter or a bowl with lime wedges and have toothpicks in a nice glass next to the shrimp. You will need to cook more than a pound of these since they will go quickly.
Directions
1) Place parchment paper at the bottom of your skillet and pour the rock salt on top so it covers about an inch on the bottom. I prefer parchment instead of aluminum since the metal can leach into your food. I also trim the parchment around the edges to make sure the paper did not catch on fire. To cover the bottom, I use 2 cups of salt. Heat the salt on medium to high heat.
2) Toss the shrimp in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and coat them. Add them to the hot salt bed. Cook until pink and flip. Then cook until both sides are pink. It takes a couple minutes to cook each side.
3) Squeeze some lemon or lime juice on top of the shrimp and serve warm. Garnish with lime slices underneath or wedges around the side. Do not eat the lime slices with the shrimp. The textures do not work well together but the shrimp looks beautiful on the slices.
Enjoy!
Note: You can reuse the salt. Rinse the salt after it has cooled and store in a glass jar. Label the salt so you use it again for shrimp, fish or scallops.
The Ultimate Cookbook
Pepito?s Famous Shrimp
Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes
Rock salt (see note)
1 pound large shrimp, peeled
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, or to taste
Fresh lemon juice
Line a heavy skillet with aluminum foil. Fill the pan with rock salt to a depth of about an inch. Set over medium-high heat. Toss shrimp with a teaspoon (or more) olive oil and place them in a single layer on the hot bed of salt. Cook until the shrimp are bright pink on both sides, turning them once. Place cooked shrimp on a serving platter and drizzle with the remaining teaspoon oil and lemon juice to taste. Yield:
Note: There is no substitute for rock salt. It is the only form that will transfer heat evenly without imparting a salty flavor. You will be amazed at how delicious shrimp taste when they are baked on a bed of rock salt. Surprisingly, the shrimp does not come our salty but full of flavor.
