Blackened Shrimp & Crispy Chilled Cucumbers

These spicy blackened shrimp have the heat of blackening seasoning, offset by the cool crispy crunch of the cucumbers. A fantastic appetizer that’s both easy and elegant!

These Blackened Shrimp with Crispy Chilled Cucumbers are SO good and SO easy that you’ll be making them all summer long! But before we get to that, I’d like to introduce you to a good friend of mine.

Just over a year ago, I traveled to LA for a blogging gig. I’ve been on many such trips and have made a lot of friends along the way. This particular trip, however, I met a woman so special that she immediately took hold of my heart and still has it. She is so full of life, warmth and enthusiasm that you just can’t help but smile when you’re around her. There are no pretenses with her; what you see is what you get. And I adore her to the moon and back!

She’s Alice Phillips, or “Ally” as she’s better known. She writes a blog called Ally’s Kitchen and it’s as beautiful as she is. I’ve personally tasted a few of her dishes and every bite is filled with so much flavor! Ally has a special pizzazz that carries through from her heart and into her food. The good news for you (and for me!) is that she’s written a cookbook that’s filled with many of her AMAZING recipes! Now, you know I don’t write about cookbooks very often. Heck, I don’t even keep many cookbooks around anymore (I usually give them away as gifts when they’re sent to me). But “Ally’s Kitchen, a passport for adventurous palates“, is one that I’ll proudly keep on my bookshelf for years to come.

First of all, it’s beautiful and so unique! I’ve never seen a cookbook written in the fun way that Ally’s managed to do. You’ll find recipes for cuisine inspired by Africa to the Caribbean to Asia, all with gorgeous photographs and entertaining introductions to each recipe. Ally is everywhere in this cookbook. She didn’t just hire someone to come up with your standard intros, her heart and soul are on each and every page.

If you’d like a glimpse into who Ally is and what her fabulous cookbook is all about, check out the trailer for it here:

I know that you’ll love Ally and her cookbook as much as I do. This recipe for Blackened Shrimp with Crispy Chilled Cucumbers comes straight from its pages and I absolutely love it! I have to admit, I’m not sure it would have occurred to me to serve blackened shrimp on a cucumber slice, but Ally has outdone herself with this easy recipe. I love its elegance and it’s ease of preparation, although the flavor is what really knocked my socks off. Ally describes this blackened shrimp recipe in her cookbook, saying that “these spicy shrimp have the heat of blackening seasoning, offset by the cool crispy crunch of the cucumbers”, and she is spot-on. I hope you’ll give these Blackened Shrimp with Crispy Chilled Cucumbers a try and do check out Ally’s amazing cookbook – it’s a gem!!

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Blackened Shrimp & Crispy Chilled Cucumbers

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Recipe from Ally's Kitchen, a passport for adventerous palates (posted with permission from the lovely Ally herself).

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Ingredients

For the Cucumbers

• 16 –20, ½ -inch-thick English cucumber slices
• 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
• ½ tsp. sea salt½ tsp. pepper
• 1 ?3 cup chopped cilantro

For the Blackened Shrimp

• 2 tsp. paprika
• 2 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. dried ground thyme
• 1 tsp. dried ground oregano
• ¼ to ½ tsp. cayenne, adjust to your heat index
• ¼ to ½ tsp. red chili flakes, adjust to your heat index
• 16 –20, about 1¼ lbs. total large deveined tail-on shrimp
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• cooking spray

Instructions

1. Put the sliced cukes in a bowl and mix with the olive oil, lime juice, salt, pepper, and cilantro. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. Prepare the blackening seasoning by combining the paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, sea salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, cayenne, and red chili flakes in a shallow baking dish or pie plate; blend together well. Coat the shrimp with cooking spray and put a few at a time in the blackening seasoning to coat all over. Set aside. Repeat until all the shrimp are coated.
3. In a large (10- to 12-inch) heavy skillet melt the butter over medium heat. Let the skillet get hot. Place a few shrimp in (don’t crowd) and pan-sear on each side for 1½ to 2 min-utes. Remove seared shrimp to a plate. If you need to add cooking spray to the skillet to keep it from sticking, have at it. Serve the blackened shrimp with the cucumbers on the side (I serve the shrimp on top of each cucumber slice).

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 187Saturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 76mgSodium: 1203mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 3gSugar: 1gProtein: 6g

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Kristy Bernardo

Kristy Bernardo is the recipe creator behind The Wicked Noodle. She's a five-time cookbook author, has taught cooking classes to both kids and adults, and has been creating recipes for nationwide brands since 2009. She learned most of her cooking skills from her mom and grandmother, then honed those skills at boot camp at the Culinary Institute of America.

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