Shrimp Celerity ♯

Go, ribald, get you hence
To your cabin with celerity.
This is the consequence
Of ill-advised asperity!
    – Sir Joseph in HMS Pinafore
    – by Gilbert and Sullivan

I have always chuckled since the days I sang the role of Ralph (pronounced rayf) Rackstraw in HMS Pinafore with the Wissler Lyric Opera in Pasadena in the days just before Camilla and I were married. “To your cabin with Celerity!” Just who was this Celerity, anyway?

Celerity means speedily, like fast, quick, in haste. That’s what this recipe is. Fabulous Fast Shrimp. It should take you no more than 20 minutes to prepare.

  • 1 tbsp <butter>
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • ¼ cup green chile, diced (fresh or canned)
  • ¼ cup scallions, chopped
  • 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 (10¾-oz) can Cream Of Chicken Soup, condensed
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper
  • ½ cup minute rice.
  • 4 dashes paprika

Prepare the rice according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Heat the <butter> in a skillet. Add celery, green chile, and scallions. Cook until tender. Add the soup, water, and cayenne, stir to mix well, and bring to a mild simmer. Add the shrimp and simmer until they are pink and firm, but not dry and stringy, 3 to 5 minutes.

Serve the shrimp mixture on rice, or with rice on the side, at your option. Sprinkle each serving with paprika.

Serves 4.

Cajun Shrimp and Sausage Vegetable Stir-Fry ☆

I have discovered that shrimp and sausage go very well together! I use turkey breakfast sausage, but you could use pork sausage as well. The recipe also includes various summer vegetables to make it a complete one-dish meal. Cajun seasoning has just the right combination of spices for this quick and easy preparation, with only a little bit of heat. The result is a delicious and easy low carb option for the evening repast. So, if you are looking for a healthy and flavorful meal that is also incredibly easy, be sure to give this one a try!

  • vegetable cooking spray
  • 2 turkey link sausages
  • ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
  • ½ cup zucchini, sliced crosswise
  • ½ cup yellow squash, in ¼” crosswise slices
  • 4 asparagus spears, in 1” lengthwise pieces
  • 2 white mushrooms, washed and sliced thin
  • ¼ cup red bell pepper, diced
  • ½ tsp Cajun seasoning†
  • 8 medium raw shrimp, shelled, deveined, and halved

Spray a wok or non-stick sauté pan with vegetable spray and heat it to a medium high temperature. Add the sausage and cook it until brown on all sides. Remove from the heat to a cutting board and cut into ½” pieces. Return the sliced sausage to the pan.

Add the EVOO to the pan and raise the temperature to high heat. Add the vegetables and seasoning and cook, turning occasionally, until the vegetables just begin to brown. Add the shrimp and cook, again stirring occasionally, until the shrimp is pink on all sides. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.

Serves 2.