Citrus Shrimp

I love General Tso's Shrimp from my favorite chinese food takeout place here in Brooklyn. I was never able to copy their style of frying shrimp but I think I have found out.  I recently tried out and put my own spin on an orange marmalade shrimp recipe I found at serious eats. I didnt have all the necessary ingredients on hand so I had to substitute. This recipe calls for all orange flavors but I had to use some lemon zest and juice instead of orange. I When I first made the recipe it tasted a little to tangy but then after it sat five minutes the sweetness of the marinade and the shrimp blended beautfully with the lemons tartness. I will try the original recipe one day but today Im posting my substitutions. I served this shrimp along with my other cristmas dinner fare and it was one of the most popular dishes on the table.

Citrus Shrimp 

2 teaspoons plus 1/4 cup canola oil 

2 cloves garlic, grated 

2 scallions, thinly sliced on the angle, plus extra for garnish 

1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes 

1 teaspoon lemon zest 

1/4 cup orange marmalade 

2 teaspoons of honey 

1/4 cup soy sauce 

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch, plus 6 tablespoons 

Kosher Salt 

2 pounds 11-15 count shrimp, peeled and deveined, dried on a paper towel 

- Heat 2 teaspoons canola oil in small skillet over medium heat. When oil just shimmers, add garlic, scallions, red pepper flakes, and lemon zest and cook until fragrant, less than a minute.

- Immediately add marmalade, honey, and soy sauce to skillet. Allow to bubble for 1 minutes.

- Meanwhile, use small whisk to combine the fresh lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch in small bowl. Add slurry to skillet and whisk continuously for 1 final minute until sauce is thick. Set aside.
- Toss dry shrimp with remaining cornstarch and pinch of salt. Heat remaining canola oil in wok over medium heat until lightly smoking. Fry shrimp six at a time until orange, curled, and slightly crisp, about 2 minutes, turning once half way through cooking. Drain on paper towel. Repeat for all 4 batches. Add more oil if necessary.
- Toss shrimp with orange sauce. Garnish with fresh scallions and orange zest.

Scallion Pancakes with Ginger Soy Dipping Sauce

Anyone that knows me knows about my dangerous love affair with Asian food. My mom tells me that she has been been eating fish and lo mein since I was in the womb and I made her eat it almost everyday. This particular Saturday night I was feeling for an Asian fix but didn't want to go all out on an entire meal...a snack would be fine. I settled on scallion pancakes since its something I love to eat when I go out for Asian and decided I might as well experiment since I had all the necessary ingredients on hand. The recipe I used for the scallion pancakes came from Use Real Butter and the dipping sauce came from Brown Eyed Baker.
The recipe was very easy to make and uses simple ingredients. I also think that next time I may add a teaspoon of salt to the dough to avoid shaking it onto the pancakes because some were a lil' to salty for my taste. As for the Dipping sauce I think I will use rice wine instead of vinegar next time and I also added in a tablespoon of sesame oil because I love how it taste. I really love the accomplished feeling of being able to make something you had to spend so much money on beforehand, truly the sweet (or in this case savory) taste of success!