Week 2 - Monday shrimp

I was rushing - as usual - and those radishes shouldn't have made it in this pic - they are for Thursday's meal!

OK, look, there's no way around it, shrimp is a terrible choice from an environmental perspective. Wild caught Gulf shrimp are considered ok, but that's about it. Though, if you look at the seafood guides, there are shrimp listed as good choices - farmed inland, or in closed containment systems, or wild caught in the US or Canada. I don't know the percentages anymore, but the vast majority of shimp available in the marketplace is farmed or caught overseas, and it's a terrible choice for the environment. It just is. And a large part of me leaving the seafood world professionally had to do with my frustrations over getting all worked up about recommendations that the average consumer cannot find. Seriously? Pink shrimp from canda caught only certain months with a nordmoor grate? Are you kidding? Sure, highlight seasonal or regional good choices, but let's acknowledge most people have no chance of getting that option. But, recommendations and availability are getting better. Whole Foods sources all their seafood from mostly sustainable sources, and Trader Joes has indicated they are going to move in that direction. Until then, I buy what I can get and since it's not bought all that often, I don't feel too terrible about farmed shrimp from overseas.

Last night's dinner was Curry Shrimp and Snow Peas.

Was the recipe easy to follow?
It was - quick and fairly easy. I read it several times and studied the picture and just could not quite figure out what exactly I was supposed to do with the snow peas (slice length-wise). After dinner was over, it finally clicked - they were supposed to be sliced length-wise into strips! (I thought it was just one slice, which made no sense, and then I sliced them cross-wise). Ah. Oh well.

Did it taste good?
It did, though as the Real Simple blogger noted, it was a little bland. I wanted some more depth of flavor.

Adjustments?
Well, I was puzzled by the snow peas, as written above. And ultimately, decided I did not want them to be raw and cold - had they been sliced into matchstick size slices, maybe then I get the crunch factor they were aiming for. But I just had this big mental block about it. So instead I placed my cross-wise sliced pea pods on the top of the simmering shrimp to get them a little warm and slightly steamed. They were good.

Oh, also I had leftover zuchinni and left over mushrooms and just added that to the broth to simmer a few minutes along with the shrimp. Both were good additions.

Kid friendly?
They've always loved shrimp (which Elizabeth used to call snimp) and they loved this recipe.

Would I make again?
Maybe. It was easy and tasty, though oddly bland.