In The Kitchen with Joel & Nikki: Salt & Pepper Shrimp, Ham & Shell Salad

DETROIT LAKES (KDLM) – Joel and Nikki share some of their favorite recipes. This week, Joel shares his Ham & Shell Salad recipe and Nikki shares her Salt & Pepper Shrimp recipe.

Ham and Shell Salad

• · 1 (8 ounce) package medium pasta shells
• · 1 (10 ounce) package frozen peas, thawed
• · ¼ pound deli ham, diced
• · 1 cup diced Cheddar cheese
• · ¼ cup chopped onion
• · 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• · 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• · 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• · ½ teaspoon salt
• · ¼ teaspoon pepper

Step 1

Fill a pot with lightly-salted water and bring to a boil. Stir in the shell pasta and cook until the pasta is tender but firm to the bite, about 11 minutes; drain.

Step 2

Stir the peas, ham, Cheddar cheese, onion, mayonnaise, vegetable oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a large bowl; add the cooked pasta and stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour, or until completely chilled, before serving.

Salt & Pepper Shrimp

• 1-1.5 lbs. large shrimp thawed (We prefer shell on with the tails since it gets crispy)
• 1 large red onion cut in large pieces
• 2 or 3 green (or multi-color) peppers cut in large pieces
• 1t. 5 spice
• ¼ cup seasoned flour
• 2 fresh jalapeños seeds and ribs removed (if you don’t want it spicy) diced
• Fine sea salt to taste
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• Pinch of red pepper flake *optional
• ¼ cup high heat oil (like vegetable or canola)

Instructions

Remove tails/shells off of shrimp if desired. If you’re using thawed, frozen shrimp, place it in a strainer to remove as much liquid as possible. Do not rinse. It will cut down on the flavor. Place shrimp in a bowl and add flour, five spice and red pepper flake if desired. Mix thoroughly. Let it sit to the side while you wash, cut and prep all of your vegetables then sit them to the site.

Add oil to a large sauté pan (or wok) on a medium-high setting. Be sure oil is hot then add shrimp. They will cook quickly, so don’t walk away (about a minute or less per side). They will be pink and have crisp edges when done. Do not overcook, otherwise the shrimp will be tough. Cook in batches and don’t overcrowd the pan, otherwise the shrimp will not crisp up. Remove shrimp from pan and place on a paper towel to drain. Add salt and pepper to taste. Put your next batch of shrimp in right away before the oil gets too hot and repeat the process.

Now that the shrimp is all cooked, this is the time to add more oil if needed or remove some if there’s too much still in the pan. Add all of the vegetables to the pan. Add salt and pepper as desired. Stir fry vegetables for about 3 minutes or until you’ve reached the desired consistency. Add the shrimp back into the pan and combine thoroughly. This will also help the shrimp to warm back through.

Serve alone as a low carb option or serve over rice or pasta. Fees 2-3 alone. Feeds 4+ with rice or pasta.