Dinnertime

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. When life hands you shrimp instead of the cod you really wanted, roll with it.

I love shrimp, when cooked properly it has a fantastic texture and taste. Add some spice to that, and I usually have a winner.

Spicy Shrimp with Black Bean and Lemon

1 T oil

2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 shallots, thin-sliced

1 T grated ginger

5-6 green onions, halved and sliced lengthwise

2 T black bean paste

2 T white or rice vinegar

1 T chile pepper relish or two red chiles, minced

2 eggs

2 T lemon juice

1 T lemon zest

cooked long-grain rice to accompany

I used my biggest, heaviest frying pan so I could have an even surface for the shrimp. On medium-high heat, add the shallot and ginger, saute until soft. Add shrimp and cook until it begins to turn pink. At this point, add the green onions, black bean paste, chile and vinegar, cover and let shrimp cook through, about four more minutes for the 31-40's I buy. You could also make this with larger shrimp, they'll need to cook a little longer. At the end, scramble in the eggs, add the lemon zest and juice and serve over rice.

This would be nice with some spicy Thai basil as a garnish, I just didn't have any.

4 servings