Easiest Roasted Shrimp

Last week, my kids and I headed off on an adventure. Oh, the joys of summer adventuring … with the school year nearing (I won’t dare say that summer’s over — we all know it’s not yet!) I wanted to get a little fun and relaxation in before our days get super busy again.

All summer, my kids have indulged their interests — learning about teacher, science, soccer and more. They’ve been outside, running and playing. They’ve read incessantly — never a bad thing. But I wanted some memories together too.

We traveled south on a bus to Boston where we caught a train to Connecticut to visit family. Along the way, we watched a couple movies, spent a little time in Boston with friends doing fun science things and looked out the windows as we traveled through New England.

Once we got there, we played on the beach, swam, hung out with family and shopped for school clothes. It was just the right mix of relaxing and reality. Plus, the kids learned a thing or two about the power of effective suitcase packing. That’s an important lesson in of itself.

We used to primarily drive when we went on trips, but recently, I have resisted driving more and more. Driving is fine, but there’s so much fun to be had when you travel via mass transmit. Plus, personally, I prefer not being at the wheel for hours.

When I’m driving, I have to pay attention to the road. When we’re all passengers, we can watch movies, talk, explore the dining car (something my kids adore), read, write, draw and so much more. It’s a different way to see the country.

Now that we’re back, life is in high-gear again. The kids start school next week and sports practices, extracurriculars and so much more will begin again swiftly too. I urge my kids to be involved in their communities, and to choose activities they love — without doing too much. It’s a careful balance.

And it’s one that means dinnertime needs to happen fast. Dishes like this make that happen.

These roasted shrimp are just about the easiest thing to make. Ready in about 10 minutes, they are gently seasoned and absolutely delicious eaten alone, on salads, with rice, on pasta and so many other ways.

Start with peeled shrimp. I like the tails on, but you could totally make them with tails off. And an interesting aside: most shrimp sold is previously frozen. So when you see sales on frozen shrimp, it’s 100 percent worth stocking up. They are likely the same ones that you’ll buy from the fish counter.

Season them all over — they should be raw and thawed — with salt, pepper, garlic powder and olive oil. And then just bake them for a few minutes, flipping once, at 400 degrees until they’re pink and opaque.

Easiest Roasted Shrimp
Author: 
Serves: serves 4
 
Ingredients
  • 1 lb raw shrimp, peeled (tail on or off)
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Toss together the shrimp with the olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Spread over a baking sheet.
  3. Bake for 5-6 minutes, flipping once, until opaque and pink.
  4. Enjoy immediately.

 

Sarah Walker Caron

About Sarah Walker Caron

Sarah Walker Caron is editor of Bangor Metro magazine and senior features editor for the Bangor Daily News. She is the author of "The Super Easy 5-Ingredient Cookbook," (Sept. 2018, Rockridge Press) and the co-author of "Grains as Mains: Modern Recipes Using Ancient Grains" (March 2015, DK). Her recipes have appeared in the BDN, Betty Crocker publications, Glamour.com and more. She also writes about food at www.sarahscucinabella.com.