In our efforts to make a few more home-cooked, healthy meals and eat out less, my husband and I have decided that shrimp is going to be the vessel to which we accomplish this goal. I mean you’ve got so many different ways to go with shrimp….

I can now totally relate to the guy on Forest Gump who talks about all the different kinds of shrimp. I made a menu plan that basically read off the dialog from those scenes from the movie…

Cilantro Lime Shrimp….

Coconut Shrimp….

Shrimp Cocktail…..

You get the picture! Shrimp is so awesome because it is so versatile--you can easily make it more sweet or savory. You can make it breaded or unbreaded. It is also very quick and easy to whip up a shrimp dish, especially if you buy the big bag of shrimp from Costco that are already cooked and deveined.

With shrimp coming in with pretty much 0 grams of fat or carbs and 24 grams of protein for 100 grams, it’s a very healthy, easy way to get protein. Let the shrimp summer festival begin!

So off I ran to Costco, grabbed two bags of shrimp and we were good to go. I decided on two recipes for the week. My husband tried a dish from the Cheesecake Factory probably about a year ago that he still talks about every once in a while. It was a black pepper Jamaican  jerk shrimp dish with fried plantains, rice, black beans, and marinated pineapple.

He remembered this dish and we wanted to try and recreate it in a healthier way. He found me a fantastic paleo version of this caribbean shrimp and it was SO delicious!

You bread the shrimp in coconut flour and some Caribbean Jerk spices (among a couple other things) and fry it on the stove in a little bit of coconut oil. It got a nice crisp on either side and tasted like it came from a restaurant! It is heavenly. I don’t know what exactly is in that magic little jar of spices, but it is a fragrant and beautiful blend of spices and I can’t wait to make this a regular part of our meals each week.

Here is the recipe for the Paleo Jamaican black pepper shrimp. I hope you like it as much as I did!

Paleo Jamaican Black Pepper Shrimp

Ingredients:

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tbsp McCormick's Perfect Pinch Caribbean spice blend

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined (you can use thawed frozen shrimp too)

2 tsp ground or fresh cracked pepper, plus more to taste

1 tsp cayenne pepper (reduce to 1/2 tsp if you are sensitive to heat)

1/2 cup 100% Maple Syrup or honey*

1/2 cup coconut Coconut flour

Coconut or olive oil

1 1/2 cups Chicken broth

Large Ziploc bag

Cilantro

Optional sides

Ripe Plantain

Mango or mango salsa

Jicama "rice"

Let's Cook!

1.First, make the sauce. In a medium sized saucepan, place to medium-high heat. Pour in chicken broth, maple syrup or honey, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tbsp Caribbean spice, and garlic.

2.  Allow to come to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer between 8-10 min or until the sauce has reduced, to a syrupy consistency. It should taste sweet, with garlic flavor, and kick from the Caribbean spice and cayenne pepper. Add more spices to your taste it desired. Turn off the burner and set pan to the side.

3. In a Ziploc bag, add in coconut flour, remaining Caribbean spice, and pepper. Add in your shrimp in quarter portions. Close bag and shake until shrimp is lightly coated. Repeat for all shrimp and place aside on a plate.

4. In a separate pan, place to medium-high heat, with about 2 tbsp coconut oil. Allow to melt and spread in pan evenly. Test the pan by sprinkling some water on the surface. If it sizzles, the pan is ready.

5. Throw in some shrimp, but do not overcrowd the pan. Allow one side to brown and then toss or turn the shrimp to the other side. Total cooking time is about 6-8 minutes, or until shrimp has a nice golden brown/amber crust. Repeat with remaining shrimp.

6. Remove from pan and plate. Drizzle some sauce onto the shrimp. Garnish with Cilantro

7. Serve with jicama "rice" (jicama root pulsed in a food processor until it resembles the size of rice grains), sliced mango, and plantains.

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