Shrimp Rolls with Garlic, Lemon, & Chives Recipe by Curtis Stone

I’ve been living in Maine for years and have yet to partake in the delightful bliss of what a lobster roll has to offer. I think there may be something wrong with me. Even my parents, who visited the area, enjoyed four of them during their stay. It’s just something you do. Hopefully Laura and I will make it to the coast this spring and when we do, lobster rolls it is. I hear there’s a nice little place in Boothbay Harbor, called Boothbay Lobster Wharf, that sells the best of them.

A few days ago, I was flipping through Curtis Stone‘s What’s For Dinner cookbook when I stumbled across a recipe called Shrimp Rolls with Herb Aioli. It didn’t take long for me to grab my pen, write down the necessary ingredients and begin planning the recipe’s preparation in my mind. It looked good – I can tell you that. If I can’t have a lobster roll, I’ll substitute for something (debatably) similar. I was hoping it would hold me over.

The Recipe

Curtis’ recipe ended up being perfect. Last night, Laura and I enjoyed what can only be described as a filling and wonderful looking meal. I made the shrimp rolls and we both devoured them. Afterwards, I sat there and reveled in what I had done. The best part of the whole thing is that we still have two rolls in the refrigerator waiting for us to eat them tonight.

To be honest, this recipe looks like it would be rather unhealthy. In reality, it isn’t. If you go through the ingredients below, you’ll find that much of what’s included is vegetables. I made some homemade mayonnaise, so that was better than the stuff you buy in the store. I didn’t include any salt, so that’s good. The rest of what’s there consists of seafood, vegetables and a roll. If you stay the course with those items, you’ll see that what looks bad, isn’t. Marvelous.

Ingredients

Makes: 4 Rolls

1 Pound of Frozen Raw Shrimp, Peeled and Deveined (31 – 35 count)

For the Aioli
½ Cup Mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons Chives, Chopped
3 Tablespoons Scallions, Chopped
2 Teaspoons Dried Tarragon
Zest from 1 Lemon
1 ½ Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 Garlic Clove, Minced
⅛ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

For the Roll
Regular Table Salt
Ground Black Pepper
4 Rolls (good size and quality)
1 ½ Cups of Iceberg Lettuce, Thinly Sliced
¼ Red Bell Pepper, Finely Chopped

Step-by-Step Instructions

As I mentioned above, I didn’t add any salt to this recipe because I’m trying to drastically reduce my intake. As we were discussing the outcome of this recipe last night, Laura mentioned that it didn’t even need any. The ingredients in the aioli made up for any missing flavor. I encourage you to give this method a try. If you would like salt though, please feel free to season throughout. As an FYI – I always add ground black pepper and lots of it.

Cook the Shrimp

Fill a large pot at least to the half way mark with water. Bring to a boil on your stove top. When boiling, go ahead and toss the frozen shrimp into the pot. Keep your eye on things because it only takes a minute or so to cook the shrimp. When the shrimp turns pink, remove from heat and pour into a colander. Run cold water over the shrimp in your sink until they’re cool. Then, shake the colander well until no water is dripping anymore and place it in your refrigerator. The idea is to chill the shrimp while you’re preparing the rest of the recipe.

Make the Herb Aioli

In a medium sized bowl, add the 1/2 cup mayonnaise, the 3 tablespoons of chopped chives, the 3 tablespoons of chopped scallions, the 2 teaspoons of dried tarragon, the zest from 1 entire lemon, the 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice, the 1 minced garlic clove and the 1/8 teaspoon (2 pinches) of cayenne pepper.

When everything is in the bowl, mix together well.

Mix in the Shrimp

At this point, you can add in the shrimp. Just be sure that they’re chilled enough. You don’t want any warmth to make the mayonnaise separate. When the shrimp are in the bowl with the aioli, mix well.

You can also season to taste with salt and pepper, if you wish.

Toast the Rolls

Turn on the boiler of your oven to low. Then, arrange the racks so one of them is at the middle-top position. After that, take your rolls and make a slice along the top, from end to end.

Place the rolls on the top rack of your oven. The goal here is to toast the rolls, so be sure to keep an eye on them closely. They can burn quickly, so this is important. When the rolls have toasted, remove from oven.

Put Everything Together

When everything is ready, place a few rolls on a plate. Then, divide the lettuce between each of the rolls and add, pushing down into the center. After that, do the same for the shrimp mixture.

After that, sprinkle the chopped red bell pepper on top of the 4 rolls.

The Final Dish

As you can see, this sandwich looks rather appetizing. This is an awesome recipe and I truly hope you give it a try. If you do, please let me know what you think.

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