Day 1- Succulent Shrimp In A Rosemary Salt Crust

For the first day of this project, I wanted to jump start with a heavy duty spark.  A sexy shrimp dish seemed to be the right choice.  So, I picked Amy Reiley’s Succulent Shrimp In A Rosemary Salt Crust.  I have a few other reasons for selecting this dish for my first attempt at this project. Reiley describes this dish as “deceptively easy.”  I was in search of a romantic dish that is quick and easy to make, but makes a big statement and appears gourmet.  After all, it was Wednesday night.  I needed to keep it simple.  Another reason was the simple ingredients.  It doesn’t get any better than a 3 ingredient dish and two of them are regular staples in my “apothecary”.  I always keep coarse sea salt in my pantry and I have a rosemary bush in my garden.  This was going to be one fresh dish after I picked up Fresh Water Jumbo Shrimp hauled in from Bangladesh. It’s famous world-wide for its freshness and taste, and best of all it was at the grocers 2 minutes away.

Accompanied by a Caprese Salad 

This was going to be served at dinner and I would need something to accompany the shrimp, so I thought a fresh Caprese Salad would be a good choice.  Now my Caprese Salad is a bit unique, I simplify it even more than what it basically is and pack in a little more flavor.  I use fresh basil snipped from my plant and sweet grape tomatoes.  It’s so easy, because if you don’t want to, you don’t need to slice the tomatoes like you would with regular Roma tomatoes and I love the additional sweetness of the grape tomatoes.  You can just toss it together and serve.  The Mozzarella I use is also easy breezy, because it’s fresh marinated Mozzarella balls (I use Trader Joe’s Brand).  Again, no slicing required!  The marination and oil in the cheese is enough so that no additional dressing or olive oil is necessary.

The Shrimp

I had the salad prepared and got working on the shrimp, it was very easy.  The cooking and preparation went smoothly and when I excavated the shrimp out of the salt, it was cooked to perfection.  By all means, this is the easiest way to cook shrimp to succulent tenderness.  There is no chance of overcooking your shrimp with this method.  Now, a rule of thumb for me is to never serve anything to my husband without tasting it first.  I cut a tiny piece of shrimp for tasting and it was infused with a wonderful scent of Rosemary, but my shrimp was way too salty.  I knew that it didn’t have enough kick for my husband either.  He is a fiery man and needs a little fire in his food.  I knew from the start that this recipe did not have any fire in it, but I was hoping that the flavors would make up for it, but it didn’t.  It would be a shame to serve an aphrodisiac that was not enjoyable to eat.

So, I had to think fast.  I chopped up a fresh garlic clove to saute in half a stick of quality butter, then I threw in a teaspoon of Crushed Chipotle Chile Peppers (Not your usual crushed red peppers).  Once I got the flavors of the sauce going, I rubbed off any excess salt from the shrimp with a paper towel and threw it into the sauce I had created.  It worked!  My husband was really surprised by this dish and said that he could eat it every day.  He also loved the freshness of the Caprese Salad.

Aphrodisiac Elements In This Meal

My Caprese Salad without intention was an aphrodisiac itself.  Basil is one of the most ancient and holiest herbs in the world.  The Romans considered it a symbol of love.   It’s aroma has an aphrodisiac effect and it is also very stimulating.   The tomato is a sultry fruit that is known as the “apple of love” by Italians and French.  The sensation of eating a fresh, fully ripened, crisp, clean, juicy tomato is erotic.  Tomatoes also help with sexual performance by helping to calm pre-sex nerves and the tomato is known for improving muscle control.

We already know that the three ingredient succulent shrimp recipe that Amy Reiley recommends is potent with aphrodisiacs.  The rosemary will increase your circulation and make your skin sensitive to touch if you put it in your bath.  Shrimp is packed with iodine and it is a proven fact that iodine helps out the thyroid gland, a gland that regulates energy which includes your sexual energy. Shrimp also is good for omega-3 fatty acids, something that the body needs for circulation, hence a happy and healthy erection. This dish was already packed with aphrodisiac elements, but when I changed it up, I kicked it up a notch.  The garlic I added was chockfull of allicin, an ingredient that will increase blood flow.  Then I added heat.  Chili peppers have a wonderful ability to release endorphins.  Among its additional attributes is that it increases heart rate, doubling the pleasure of a mealtime rendezvous. With a power to raise body temperature and make lips swell into a plump pout for kissing, the effects of eating red-hot chili peppers can transmit the visual cues of a sexual flush.  Each of the hundreds of chili varieties produce a different level of heat and subtly unique flavor.  If you choose Chipotles, as I did, they promise a smokiness, from which even the merest whiff will arouse you.

Did my husband break out into a sweat?  No, I did mention that he likes a lot of heat.  He sensed the Rosemary infusion along side the garlic and chili creating a mouth watering combination and an unique aroma.  This was one aphrodisiac  jam-packed meal.  Did we need mints after this meal?  Negative to that as well.

One day down and 29 more to go.  Tomorrow, we will do just deserts.  I will give Amy Reiley another shot and try her Hand Rolled Dark Chocolate Truffles.