Mom's Baked Shrimp // Paleo + Gluten Free

Growing up my dad was always the one to cook. I remember my mom stepping in every now and again with rice stuffed baked chicken (ah-mazing) or Puerto Rican fare, but by and large my dad was in charge of dinner. Now that I've left their little nest, I think they really enjoy working together in the kitchen and my mom has wowed us with some pretty awesome meals lately. This is one she created and wanted me to try -- and we loved it! I did tweak the recipe a bit. She used Panko bread crumbs which I subbed for almond meal. They of course wont have the same crunch but are still just as fabulous. She also adds a little grated parmesan cheese to her bread crumbs, which you are welcome to try, we just opted to leave it out!

These go so well with a little honey mustard, so I've included a simple recipe below. We had some fermented ketchup leftover from a couple weeks ago, so I went ahead and dipped away in that. I love this recipe for fermented ketchup or this recipe for homemade ketchup if you're interested. 

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

14 jumbo size shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 egg

1-2 teaspoons water

1/2 cup almond meal 

Garlic powder

Old Bay Seasoning

Chili powder

Salt and pepper

Cooking spray

Honey mustard dipping sauce:

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon raw honey

Prepare your shrimp by peeling and deveining them. To devein, take a paring knife and run along the inside where the black line is showing. Once opened, you can wipe out the vein with your finger. I like to have the water running in the faucet just a bit to wash the vein away as I'm peeling and deveining the shrimp. Throw shrimp in a large bowl and season with a bit of Old Bay, set aside until ready to cook. This can be done ahead of time, up to 24 hours in advance. If done ahead, simply cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator. 

Preheat oven to 425 f

Prepare an egg wash of one egg and a splash of water (about 1-2 teaspoons worth). Add some salt and pepper and whisk well.  

In a shallow dish combine almond meal, garlic powder, Old Bay seasoning, chili powder, and some salt and pepper and mix well with the back of a fork. (My mom likes to stick her finger into the mixture to taste, adding more seasoning as needed).

Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray a broiling rack (can also use a cooling rack) with cooking spray and place it on top of the baking dish.

Use a fork to dredge shrimp in the egg wash, then the almond meal mixture so they are well coated on all sides. Place on top of the broiling rack and spray and with cooking spray to give them more of a crunch while they bake.  

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  

While the shrimp are baking, whisk together Dijon mustard and honey in a small bowl and set aside for dipping!

Serve with a side of oven roasted sweet potatoes or tangy coleslaw. Hmmm...I think I need to come up with a healthier coleslaw recipes soon. Enjoy!