- Pirate Shrimp
One of the great things about cooking, is that there are no hard and fast rules. There are some suggestions, like “don’t put the Everclear in the saucepan while you are boiling the jello”, as you tend to burn down the kitchen before the jello shots are finished. Thank you to my sister, Sarah, for testing that theorem for all of us. I would never have thought to, myself.
And there are no real boundaries, except the ones that you draw in your head. And we all have different boundaries. For example, I won’t eat bugs, eyeballs, or anything that was part of the digestive tract of any animal. I don’t care how many times Andrew Zimmern tells me they are delicious. I also won’t eat food from a potluck. Have you seen some people’s kitchens? I think it is safer to eat foods that have been sneezed on by a room full of two-year olds. But I am not opposed to trying raw food, other types of organ meat, or exotic foods that I can neither pronounce nor identify… as long as I don’t identify them as eyeballs, bugs, or parts of the digestive tract. My husband’s boundaries are a little more, shall we say, safe. Have I mentioned that he is a scientist? He won’t eat mushrooms (because they are fungus), or liver (because it’s purpose is to filter toxins out of the body). Also out of the question are sushi (because it is raw) and ceviche (because even though they say the lime juice cooks it, it is really still raw).
My children are even tougher. Rather than tell you what they won’t eat, I’ll tell you what they will eat. Pizza. Pasta (butter only). Chicken, grilled, baked or fried (no sauce or anything touching it). Fried fish. Baked potatoes. Iceberg lettuce, ranch dressing. Rice (steamed, white). Corn on the cob. All you other moms out there–here is the sing along part:
“What is that?”
“It’s yummy, try it”
“I don’t like it”
“How do you know, you’ve never tried it”
“I know I won’t like it”
” Just taste it”
“NO!”
“Taste it, or your grounded until you’re 35” .
I can’t use the “open wide, here comes the choo-choo train into the tunnel” thing anymore, because my kids are teenagers and they would have me held for psychiatric evaluation.
I HAVE resorted to bribery, though. “If you eat 4 bites, I will give you 2 dollars….” I do that because I read somewhere that it takes kids 4 times to accept a new taste. I would like to say I am horrified that I do this, but it DOES work. They have begun to eat outside of their boundaries, because teenagers like money and Ipods.
Cooking under these restrictive conditions can be a bit suffocating to a foodie. There are really only four solutions to this dilemma:
- cook something different for everyone (reprise your childhood dream of being a short order cook);
- cook only foods that fall within your finicky eaters’ boundaries (and die a little bit inside with each meal you cook)
- cook only foods that you like, until Child Protective Services shows up inquiring about your children’s poor health and recent weight loss;
- cook foods that you like and that you know they would like if they dared to try them, and don’t let them know what is really in it (subterfuge)
It’s really a no-brainer, isn’t it? When you chop mushrooms up really fine, and saute them before putting them in the sauce, they look rather like ground meat. And unless they actually see the peanut butter jar sitting on the counter next to the pan of Pad Thai, they would never know….
So came to be the recipe for “Pirate Shrimp”. Because if I had called it “Captain Crunch Shrimp”, nobody would have tasted it. Which would have been fine with me, because they were excellent. But since it is my foodie mission to expand people’s food boundaries, I went with sneaky, rather than forthcoming. Everybody loved them. When I revealed afterward the true nature of the breading, it was too late. They were already sucked in. And bonus points because it is super fast and super simple.
Caribbean Pirate Shrimp
makes 6 appetizer size servings, or 2 dinner portions
- 12 super large shrimp, peeled, deveined and butterflied (leave on the tail)
- 1 cup flour
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning (such as Tony Chachere’s)
- 3 beaten eggs
- 2 cups Captain Crunch cereal, crushed roughly
- oil, 1/2″ deep in a skillet, for frying (or may use deep-fryer)
- Caribbean Sauce, below
Heat the oil to 375*, or medium high in a skillet. Combine flour and Cajun seasoning. Dredge the shrimp in flour, then in beaten egg, then in crushed cereal. Fry for a few minutes on each side, until golden brown. Serve with sauce for dipping.
Caribbean Lime Sauce
- 1 cup apricot preserves
- juice of one lime
- 1 small fresh jalapeno, seeded and finely minced
Mix all ingredients. Serve with shrimp, chicken, fried fish or pork.
Texana's Kitchen 
Love this recipe!!Looks absolutely delicious!New Follower!
You transported me right back to my childhood with one of my favorite cereals! I bet this sweet and spicy combo was delicious!
I truly enjoyed your post and totally identify!!! Love the use of one of my favorite childhood cereals. nicely done!
I also remember eating pasta with only butter, unless that pasta came from a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese. The Caribbean Pirate Shrimp looks divine. I’m going to file this one away.
Haha, I know someone who would LOVE the idea of this – biggest Capt’n Crunch fan I have ever known. Love how bold this is!
omg, captain crunsh..this rocks!! Happy to meet you!!
vianney/sweet life
Wow Christine! Can’t wait to try this one on the boys!
Looks very good and interesting. not a fan of cap n crunch, but will give it a try. the sauce sounds good. I like it hot, so will probably try it and leave in the seeds from the jalepano.
Barbara,
It doesn’t really taste like captain crunch…It’s alot like coconut shrimp, without the shredded texture of the coconut. I think you’ll love it!
Haha, nicely written. Agree with you completely on the ‘boundaries’ …
🙂
Interesting. Would never have thought to combine cereal with shrimp. Not sure I’m gonna try it….unless you offer me money. 😉
Loved the story.
Oh, no….you MUST try it…Try it tonight if you are frying fish….It is super simple, and super fast. It is a whole lot like cocnut shrimp. It isn’t very sweet at all……
Love it!v You never fail to impress…
Of course everyone has heard of french toast covered in captain crunch, this recipe sounds WAY better! What else can we cover in captain crunch and fry?
Chicken tenders are good too.
Sounds good! I’m not sure if we can get Captain Crunch here in Australia. I do something similar making chicken nuggets for my kids covered in Corn Flakes. Could probably give this a go and do the same! It sounds delicious
love it. my kitchen is the same, the list of what your kids eat is expanded on mine, but they will get better. Please…!! I don’t bribe with money, but if they – mainly the youngest, eats enough, then he gets dessert or something after. Love th esound of those prawns. I def go by the kitchen rule #4. I cook, they eat, whether or not they like it is not up to me, so long as they try it. They have even surprised themselves.. lol 🙂
You seriously never eat at a potluck dinner? The shrimp looks amazing. I don’t know what I would do with the rest of a box of Cap’n Crunch, though, I bought it for my kids a few times, but I never really liked that cereal with milk, it always seemed to have a phony aftertaste. Maybe I’m thinking of the one that has “crunchberries” in it. Awful aftertaste, like Jolly Ranchers.
I will pick at potlucks…Unless I know who made it, and that their kitchen is clean, I will only eat things that don’t contain mayo, chicken, ground meat, pork or eggs, and will only eat cold dishes if they are still cold and hot dishes if they are still hot. Having worked in healthcare most of my career, and hearing from nurses in the field what so many people’s homes were like, I just can’t do it.
No, that’s the one with crunchberries. Nasty stuff. The regular and the peanut butter crunch are YUM. They also make good ice cream toppers, and are great folded into cookie dough–use in place of chocolate chips.
Sounds yum!
Well played. I’m just getting into the super picky years with my five-year-old. I have sung the ‘I don’t like it’ song many a time.
This post made me laugh. And I like how you chose the word “pirate” over Captain Crunch. Sounds delicious! 🙂