Happiness is Meijer wild Key West Pink shell-on shrimp and De Cecco fettuccine

After thawing and shelling the shrimp, the shells went into the salted, boiling pasta water for 3 minutes before adding the pasta to make the fettuccine truly "of the sea". I simply pulled the pasta insert out to discard the shells before cooking the pasta.

The shrimp were given a five minute bath in lemon juice, olive oil, pressed garlic, and cayenne pepper before sautéing in extra virgin olive oil during the last five minutes of pasta cooking.

A fresh salad on the side by the lady of the house from our own garden made the meal magnificent.

Three dined fabulously on a Friday evening at home for something a little north of $17 total, not each.

That's livin'. Italian. American. 

AP investigation discovers slaves in Thailand peel our shrimp, so buy American instead

From the story here:

"U.S. customs records show the shrimp made its way into the supply chains of major U.S. food stores and retailers such as Wal-Mart, Kroger, Whole Foods, Dollar General and Petco, along with restaurants such as Red Lobster and Olive Garden.

"It also entered the supply chains of some of America's best-known seafood brands and pet foods, including Chicken of the Sea and Fancy Feast, which are sold in grocery stores from Safeway and Schnucks to Piggly Wiggly and Albertsons. AP reporters went to supermarkets in all 50 states and found shrimp products from supply chains tainted with forced labor.

"European and Asian import and export records are confidential, but the Thai companies receiving shrimp tracked by the AP all say they ship to Europe and Asia as well."

Fight slavery. Source your shrimp from US waters. It will say so right on the package.

Happiness is Dominick's wild white Gulf of Mexico shrimp on sale for $8.99 a pound

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a coffee mug in the microwave, add 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice and 3 teaspoons of hot curry powder.

Mix thoroughly.

Peel the shrimp and place in a broiler pan in a mound.

Pour on the mixture to coat, spread out in one layer and broil on high for 8 minutes.

Serve with pasta and a fresh vegetable.

Wedding anniversary dinner, just like that!

Whaddaya Mean You're Outta Shrimp? Shrimp Prices Skyrocket, Lobster Prices Plummet.

They were all out of Lake Perch last night at the local Michigan restaurant we frequent, so we ordered the shrimp instead, only to find out they didn't have any shrimp either! Disease has ravaged key shrimp farms in Asia, reducing supplies, while warmer Atlantic waters have dramatically boosted lobster populations.

CNN Money reports here:

Shrimp prices are skyrocketing to all-time highs, amid a disease that's plaguing the three largest prawn producers: Thailand, China and Vietnam. White shrimp prices are nearing $6 a pound, up 56% from a year ago, according to an Urner Barry index. ... As of August, the average 4 oz. lobster tail cost $13.25, according to Urner Barry. That still costs more than 2 pounds of shrimp, but it's the lowest price in 11 years, as warmer water and fewer predators have led to an abundant supply of lobsters.

New Year's Eve Broiled Curried Shrimp

This recipe is adapted from "Florence Fabricant's Grilled Cumin Shrimp" in The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins. That recipe uses, among other things, 1 t. ground turmeric, 3/4 t. ground cumin, and 1/2 t. ground coriander per pound of shrimp. I didn't have enough turmeric to use that combination, so I substituted a sweet curry powder from Penzeys Spices for all three to good effect. For hot curry lovers, that works splendidly, too.

Broiled Curried Shrimp

4 T unsalted butter

2.25 t sweet curry powder

.75 t salt

juice of half a lemon

1 lb large shrimp, shelled and deveined

1. Place an oven rack in the top position and preheat the broiler on high.

2. Melt the butter gently in a saucepan. Stir in the curry powder, salt and lemon juice and mix thoroughly.

3. In a shallow broiler pan arrange the shrimp in a single layer and pour the butter mixture over the shrimp. Toss to coat.

4. Broil about eight minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees after four minutes.

Serve the shrimp with the sauce next to some rice with some steamed broccoli spears for a very easy, very colorful, very fast and very good meal worthy of a holiday, or any day.