Quick and Easy Spicy Broiled Shrimp

My son is starting Kindergarten tomorrow, and I am waaaaayyyy more nervous about it than he is. I feel like it's my first day of school or something. We have everything all ready to go, but I'm still anxious/weepy/excited/happy/sad/hormonal about the whole situation. I can't believe my baby is so grown up!!! Where did the time go??? He was just born, wasn't he???? I'm a mess. Anyway, we are trying to have a relaxing last weekend before the school year kicks into full gear. We had this really easy shrimp dinner the other night; right smack-dab in the middle of all the back to school chaos. As the title promises, it really is a quick and easy shrimp recipe. What the title doesn't tell you is that it's also darn tasty. A perfect meal to put together if your mind is, oh say, preoccupied on things like Kindergarten; but you still would like a yummy, fuss-free dinner on the table.

Quick and Easy Spicy Broiled Shrimp
From: Kalyn's Kitchen website

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. frozen shrimp peeled and deveined with tails left on, thawed overnight in refrigerator
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil (use your best olive oil for this)
1 lemon, cut in half
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 - 1 tsp. Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning (or make your own Creole Seasoning Blend)
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste (NOTE: don't add salt if you're using Tony Chachere's seasoning that has salt)

Directions:
Thaw shrimp overnight in the refrigerator (or thaw in the bag in lukewarm water if you forget to plan ahead.) I used 31-40 count shrimp, so if you're lucky enough to find larger shrimp, increase the cooking time a tiny bit.

When you're ready to cook, remove shrimp from the refrigerator and drain in a colander placed in the sink, then use a paper towel to pat shrimp dry if they still seem wet. Preheat broiler and put the rack so it's as close to the broiler as possible.

Arrange the shrimp in a single layer on a baking sheet (or in two individual casserole dishes if you want to get a bit fancier.) I sprayed the casserole dishes with non-stick spray but it's probably not essential.

Once shrimp are arranged in a single layer, add seasonings in this order:
~drizzle shrimp with olive oil
~squeeze lemon juice over the shrimp (I used a squeezer that catches the seeds)
~sprinkle Worcestershire sauce over the shrimp
~sprinkle Creole Seasoning over the shrimp
~season with salt and fresh ground black pepper (skip the salt if you use Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning which has salt)

Put shrimp under the broiler and cook for 7-8 minutes, or just until the shrimp turn pink and feel barely firm to the touch. Don't overcook. If your shrimp are larger than 31-40 count they may take a minute or two longer to cook, but not much.

Serve hot, with 100% whole wheat bread to mop up the juices if desired.



The Result:
I ended up making 2 lbs. of shrimp, since we had 5 people eating and I wanted some for leftover lunches the next day. I really love the Kalyn's Kitchen website...it really has some great recipes on it. This dish made the shrimp lovers in my house happy campers!