Tam-Tam Shrimp

I recently visited North Carolina and brought home too many jars of honey.  I brought home more than we usually use in a year.  Something had to be done.  As luck would have it, our favorite seafood store was having a sale on locally caught, never frozen shrimp.  My husband purchased more of that than we eat in a lifetime.  So, this dish coalesced from a need to make space in my fridge and eat the shrimp before we needed to freeze it. 

The first time I made this dish, I used too much soy sauce.  It was so salty that it was almost inedible.  I cut way back on the second go ‘round.  In fact, if I were to make this again I might use low sodium soy sauce.  I am also going to substitute the lemon with other citrus fruits.  The lemon was delicious, but I am interested to taste the difference that lime, orange, or even grapefruit might create.

If you are gluten free, you can substitute amaranth for the wheat flour and arrowroot for the cornstarch. You could substitute the wheat flour with nut flours (almond, coconut) but I prefer amaranth.  The taste is much closer to wheat flour than others I have tried. Arrowroot works as a thickener, just like cornstarch. 

I asked the followers on my Facebook page to name this dish.  Tam-tam shrimp was my favorite.  It might be yours, too.

Servings: 4-6

Time:    Prep: 15 minutes; Cook: 15 Minutes
Hardware:  Measuring spoons and cups, a cutting board and knives, a gallon Ziploc bag, a wooden spoon, a whisk, tongs, two bowls, a skillet, a pot, a strainer

Ingredients:

• ⅓ Cup honey
• ⅓ Cup very hot water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon ginger
• Zest and juice from one lemon
• ½ tablespoon red pepper flakes (plus more for garnish)
• 1 lb. large (31-35 count) shrimp (Buy cleaned)
• 1 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (maybe more)
• 2 packages Raman noodles
• Green onions chopped

1. Remove the shell and tail from the shrimp. Rinse them and place them in the Ziploc with the flour and cornstarch.  Shake like crazy.  Set aside until needed.
2. Mince the garlic and ginger.  Place them into one of the bowls.  Zest and juice the lemon. Mix the lemon juice, zest, hot water, honey, and soy sauce into the bowl with the garlic and ginger. Stir until the honey is melted.  Set aside.
3. Put the pot full of water on to boil.
4. Heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan on medium high.
5. Shake as much flour from the shrimp as possible and add it to the pan.  Don’t crowd the shrimp.  You may need to cook it in batches.  Sauté the shrimp for 2- 3 minutes per side.  When in doubt undercook, as the shrimp will cook more in the sauce. Remove the cooked shrimp from the pan and keep it warm in other bowl until you are finished.
6. If you are cooking in batches, you may need to add a little more olive oil if the pan becomes dry.  You will have a light layer of flour left in the pan.  Turn the pan down to medium and add

   

   Step 6

   the liquids and pepper flakes.  Use the whisk to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Allow the sauce to simmer for about 3 minutes.  Using the whisk, stir often, scrapping the bottom and sides of the pan as you do.
7. While the sauce is simmering, cook the noodles.  Drain.
8. Add the shrimp to the sauce and cook for another minute or so until everything is warmed through and the shrimp is coated.
9. Taste and adjust the seasoning. You probably will not need salt as the soy sauce is salty.
10. To plate, make a nest of the noodles.  Top with shrimp, extra sauce, and sprinkle with chopped onions and more pepper flakes.

Tam-Tam Shrimp with
Sesame Snow Peas