If I owned a shrimp shack, this would definitely be top of the menu.  This is a street food inspired snack that I make as a starter when I know I have a shrimp eater on their way over.  Or if the right kind of shrimp goes on sale.  It’s a simple and tasty way to serve shrimp.  Keep some bread handy and nearby.  You can also jack up the spice in this recipe with hot sauce.

BBQ Shrimp Boats

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, rinsed and deveined.

1/2 tsp red pepper (like cayenne)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp oregano

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp Worcester sauce

1/2 cup shrimp stock (or chicken if you don't have shrimp handy)

1/4 cup beer

Baguette or bolillo  bread, cut into small cross sections

Directions

1. Slowly melt the butter in a cast iron pan.


2. Add all the seasonings as the butter melts.


3. Turn up the heat to high, add the garlic, Worcester sauce and shrimp.  Cook for 2 minutes.


4. Add the stock, cook for 2 more minutes.


5. Add the beer, cook for 1 more minute.


6. Put the bread in bowls.  Serve the shrimp over the bread.  Make sure to cover the shrimp and bread in sauce.

I give everyone on their way to Singapore the same guidance - go to Boat Quay, get the black pepper crab at Jumbo Seafood.  They usually call me from Singapore, sometimes while sitting at a crowded table at Jumbo Seafood, to tell me "I am never leaving this place."  Singapore is a fantastic place to seek out street food, and of course it’s the home of the impeccably clean "hawker centre".  But the Hawker Centres seem to be for great noodles.  The waterfront seems to be the domain of the black pepper and chili crab.

As much as I love crab, shrimp are much more plentiful and easy to come by in my local markets, so I adapted the recipe for shrimp.  These make a pretty big mess, so you have to decide if you want to peel and devein the shrimp or put out a huge quantity of napkins.  This recipe can also be quite spicy, turn back the heat by cutting down on the red pepper.

Black Pepper Shrimp

1 1/2 Tbsp hoisin sauce

1 1/2 Tbsp oyster sauce

1 1/2 Tbsp sugar

1 1b large (10-15) shrimp

2 tablespoons butter

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/4 tsp red chili

2 tsp black pepper

3/4 tsp white pepper

1/4 tsp ground coriander

Garnish:

green onions, finely chopped

chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Put hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and 2 Tbsp  water in a small bowl, stir, set aside..


2. Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet  over medium-high heat; add the butter, ginger, garlic, chilli, black and white peppers and coriander; stir fry 30 seconds.


3. Add the sauce mixture and stir; bring to the boil, then simmer 2 minutes.


4. Add the shrimp and mix by shaking the pan.


5. Simmer 4-5 minutes to cooking the shrimp.


6. Garnish with fresh cilantro and green onions.  Serve with rice.

An interesting street food morsel - Trinidad street food has more in common with Mumbai than some of its Caribbean neighbors.  Granted, there's the Shark and Bake, but the curries and pickles have a remarkably Indian taste.  This roti is really meant to be carried about as you head toward the beach.  Roti stands are fairly common, and very simple.

This is a fairly simple curry recipe that can be cooked a couple different ways.  I like to use canned tomatoes so that I can use roasted without burning anything.  There are a couple different ways to do the curry too, and you can choose whether to use whole seeds or ground.  Depends what you have handy - we tend to have plentiful ground cumin, so that's what I use.

Shrimp Curry

Your choice - for the curry, use:

1 Tbsp curry paste or powder

- or -

3/4 tsp cumin

3/4 tsp coriander

3/4 mustard

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp tumeric

1/2 tsp red pepper

You can either grind this from seeds or use ground spices

2 Tbsp oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2-3 in. grated ginger

 1 can of diced tomatoes

1/2 cup water

1 tsp salt

1 1b medium shrimp, shelled, deveined and cleaned

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

Roti

Directions

1. Cook the onion, garlic and ginger over medium heat until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes


2. Add the spices or paste and cook 2 minutes more


3. Add the tomatoes, water and salt and stir.  Bring to a boil, then simmer until most of the water is boiled off.


4. Add the shrimp and stir well.  Cover and let the shrimp cook for 5 minutes.


5. Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice.