I’ve been on this major seafood kick lately. I think it’s my own way to fool myself into thinking Spring will actually arrive. See up until a few days ago, we had snow still coming down here in Pittsburgh. Now it’s still chilly in the mornings and at night but I have hope that warmth is on it’s way. Well when I was in the store I stopped at the seafood department to get my weekly dose of tilapia (love that stuff) when I spied these GORGEOUS fresh shrimp. See I LOVE shrimp. They are like the ocean’s version of a finger food! Just hold by the tail, bite, pull and pitch the tail. Though I have known a few people that eat the tail and all. *gag* But hey, to each their own but I didn’t think you’re “supposed to”. *shrugs*
When I got home I hurried up and threw together a bowl of the Tropical Fruit Avocado Pepper Salsa and got started on this dish. Now I was tired as it was a long day at work and even yours truly has days where she really doesn’t feel like cooking. But since Mr. Fantabulous isn’t technically allowed to touch my All-Clad pots and pans or anything really in the kitchen other than a glass for milk and a bowl for cereal, it’s up to me to feed us. Since he’s not a big fan of shrimp, I went with simple for him – pasta (such a surprise, right? LOL) and for me I went even easier… I was cooking my stuff in a foil pouch this way I didn’t have to clean up. Well okay wait, I did have a pot to clean up from parboiling the Stelline Pasta.
This could not have been easier to make! Literally I think the longest part was plating the completed dish!
What I love about this dish is that you can make it in the oven, toaster over or on the grill. And if you didn’t want to plate it, you have no dishes – just eat it out of the foil! This is every single person’s dream dish – no mess and no real clean up!
Just look how perfectly cooked those shrimp are! Making foods like this in a foil packet pretty much removes all fear from cooking seafood. Plus the flavors are so concentrated that you literally get flavor blasted in every single bite!
Now what I did, because I must go that extra step is plated it (again SIMPLE) and then spooned a few heaping spoons of that Tropical Fruit Avocado Pepper Salsa on top. OH GOOD LORD! You want to talk about the Flavor Train going CHOO CHOO all the around your tastebuds?! This was PERFECT!
Tropical Shrimp Stelline Foil Packet
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Ingredients
- 8 cups baby spinach
- 1 cup stelline pasta
- 4 tablespoon reserved pasta water
- 1 lb medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups Tropical Fruit Avocado Pepper Salsa
Instructions
- Boil the Stellini pasta for 5 minutes; strain and set aside. The pasta will only be partially cooked and will finish cooking in the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Fold four 18-inch-long pieces of foil in half; unfold and coat inside with cooking spray.
- Place 2 cups spinach in center of 1 half of each piece of foil.
- On top place 1/4 cup of the stelline.
- Place 1 tablespoon of the reserved pasta water on top of the stelline.
- Combine the shrimp, 1/4 cup cilantro, oil and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl.
- Evenly divide amongst the 4 foil packets and place on top of the stelline.
- Fold foil to close and crimp edges to seal forming a pocket. Be sure to leave at least a 2” space all the way around between the food and crimped edges to allow for the steam to build up inside.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the shrimp is pink.
- Remove from the oven and carefully open up (watch your face from the steam!).
- Set the foil right on the plate and eat out of that or you can scoop up the contents and plate that way.
- Serve with a few heaping spoonfuls of the Tropical Fruit Avocado Pepper Salsa.
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