meyer lemon

Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Shrimp

~ lk529 ~ 6 Comments

We’re feeling pretty settled here in California (minus still not having Internet installed – this post comes from my WordPress app on my phone) and we couldn’t be happier with our home’s location. We live across the street from a park that Firecracker loves and the beach! 

We didn’t go to the beach very much when we were living in FL and now that we’ve got the boys we have some serious beach preparations to make before any real trips by the water happen. I want to get a tent so that Treat can stay in the shade and have space to crawl around. 

I can walk most places I need to go and appreciate not getting in the car daily. There are a lot of restaurant options in either direction about a mile away and we’ve enjoyed walking to dinner once a week. 

On one evening outing we found ourselves in a tiny vendors market. We stopped and talked to a man selling specialty balsamic vinegars and olive oils. Stuart took the bait and we tried some flavor combinations. We ended up purchasing a 4 pack including our choices of rosemary olive oil, Meyer lemon olive oil, original balsamic vinegar, and raspberry balsamic vinegar. 


The Meyer lemon olive oil has gotten a lot of love already. We immediately created a vinaigrette with the Meyer lemon olive oil and raspberry balsamic vinegar to dress a spinach salad with chorizo, glazed walnuts, caramelized onions, and strawberries. 

I also whipped together a chicken cream pasta dish by sautéing sliced chicken in the oil and butter. Then sautéing some mushrooms, onion, and broccoli in the same skillet. A deglaze with chicken stock and a little bit of cream created a very satisfying pasta dinner in next to no time. 

Our desire though was to use it with shrimp and that’s the simple recipe I’m sharing with you today. 

Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Shrimp

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 lb shrimp
  • 1/2 lb asparagus, cut in thirds
  • 4 baby Bella mushrooms, cut in quarters 
  • 1/2 sweet onion, sliced 
  • 1/4 C Meyer lemon olive oil 
  • 2 tbsp butter, cubed

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a casserole dish.
  2. Arrange shrimp and vegetables in the dish, either organize them or mix them up. 
  3. Top with the olive oil and dot with the butter. 
  4. Bake 20 minutes, or until shrimp is cooked through. 


Fried Lemon and Chicken Wraps

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

Here it is, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. Today I unveil my first New Years Resolution Original Recipe Creation! I developed Version 1 of this recipe on January 22nd. It was lacking a balance of flavor and the fried lemon wasn’t as successful as the fried tangerines in the Stir Fried Beef with Tangerines. I developed Version 2 on February 5. By happy circumstance a plan b (or would it be plan c?) the lettuce cups were transformed into a wrap. Applying mayonnaise to the wrap really provided the chicken mixture with that missing component. When you make this feel free to add your favorite sandwich toppings – tomato, lettuce, etc.

recipe development

In Version 1 I made a sauce using pomegrante molasses and honey. Wesley eating sew you think you can cookBut still the chicken mixture was too dry. I made a note to cook the ground chicken as if it were taco meat. So I added chicken stock. I also increased the herbs and added chopped onions, a serrano pepper, and garlic to help create a depth of flavor. In tasting the meat during Version 2 I was pleased. We decided that that pomegranate sauce wasn’t necessary – and I wanted to see if my son would try it – which I couldn’t do with honey in the recipe.

frying lemonsOne thing I knew for certain for this first recipe creation of the year was that I wanted to fry lemons. Version 1 I used regular lemons but they were still bitter. I decided to go on a search for Meyer lemons. I’m so glad I found them because they fried up much more nicely – I also increased the amount of cornstarch. The cornstarch created an almost tempura-like batter to the lemons. These lemons were amazing!

I still wanted to serve the chicken in lettuce cups. I still had the head of bibb lettuce from Version 1 but it was up against the back wall of the fridge and was frozen. I salvaged a couple leaves for photography purposes – and Stuart ate them. I almost put my serving in a pita pocket but decided instead on using a tortilla. Stuart stated that they still needed a sauce of some kind. I agreed and added mayo to my wrap. It was perfect! It’s amazing how something so simply can help to meld the flavors and give it “completion.”

I hope you give my recipe a try and let me know what you think!

An Original Recipe

Fried Lemon and Chicken Wraps

Ingredients:

  • 2 C + 1 tbsp vegetable oil, divided use
  • 1 meyer lemon, sliced in circles
  • 1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 1 serrano pepper, seeds removed and diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 C chicken broth
  • 4 tortillas
  • mayo

Steps:

  1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees F.
  2. Toss lemon slices in cornstarch. When oil has reached temperature fry lemons for 4 minutes. Remove to a paper towel lined plate.
  3. Remove oil to a heat proof container and carefully wipe out skillet. To the same skillet, add a fresh tablespoon of oil. Saute the shallot, serrano, and garlic until tender. Add the ground chicken and season with basil, thyme, S+P.
  4. When chicken is fully cooked add chicken broth and cook until absorbed.
  5. Cut fried lemons into quarters.
  6. Spread mayo on tortilla, add the chicken and some lemon slices. Optionally, add lettuce and tomato, or your other favorite sandwich toppings.

Fried Lemon and Chicken Wraps | Sew You Think You Can Cook