Garlic and Paprika Shrimp Sauté

The other night my CrossFit box had a holiday party (fun WOD challenges, food, and bowling; pretty fantastic :) We all signed up to bring different goodies to the party which we wrote on the white-board at the box. Well, when I saw that Kitty was bringing shrimp rings, I started doing backflips! (in my head, haha!) I am a huge fan of shrimp. Basically, little bundles of delicious protein. Who can argue with that?! At the end of the night while packing up shop there were but a few shrimpys left. Knowing how much I love shrimp, Kitty twisted my arm really really hard and got me to take them home.

Now, I love shrimp cocktail. However, I also love warm dishes in the wintertime. And already cooked and peeled shrimp leaves the door open for plenty of ideas. I was in the mood for something garlicky and a little spicy/smoky... paprika!

Being Hungarian, I tend to add paprika to a lot of my dishes. Be careful, though, there are several different types of paprika. Paprika is made from dried red peppers and the flavor can range from mild to quite hot. Sweet paprika is the most commonly used and found in supermarkets, but you can also find hot paprika in most supermarkets and/or gourmet/specialty stores. If you like crushed red pepper you will probably like hot paprika. In the US most people use paprika as a garnish rather than in cooking (which is horribly upsetting; it has such great flavor! cook with it!). Paprika releases its flavor and red color when heated; add it to stews and soups, steam vegetables with it, or add it to oil before heating and sautéing vegetables or light-colored protein sources such as chicken, pork, white-fleshed fish, etc...

This recipe can be used a ton of ways such as an appetizer, side dish to another main meat, or main dish added to simple steamed veggies or cauliflower rice.

Garlic and Paprika Shrimp Sauté

The Food
- Shrimp (can use pre-cooked or raw)
- Coconut oil
- Minced garlic
- Paprika

The Method
Depending on the amount of shrimp, heat about one tablespoon oil per 10 shrimp in a sauté pan over medium heat
Drop in the garlic and sprinkle paprika to cover the oil (a little goes a long way)
Shake things up a bit until the garlic and paprika start to release their aroma
Add the shrimp (if using pre-cooked, heat through about 1-2 minutes per side. If using raw, cook about 3-4 minutes per side for medium sized shrimps until the shrimp has curled to a nice "C" shape)
Remove from pan (along with garlic, if desired!)

Enjoy :)