Sauteed Tangerine Shrimp

Who ever heard of shrimp marinated in tangerines? Not me. And who would devise such a combination? Chef Sara Foster, that's who. I'm not saying she's the one who created the flavor combination, but she is the one who introduced me to it. Yes, SHE introduced me. How did I meet Chef Sara Foster? On the internet of course. On YouTube!

Sara Foster owns Fosters Market and has written several cookbooks. She worked with Martha Stewart as a chef at her catering catering company and also assisted Martha in several of her cookbooks. Sara launched a Fosters Market YouTube Channel about three weeks ago. Most of her recipes look really good.

Lately I have been interested in the concept of the "online cooking shows" I have been seeing. Who create cooking videos and puts them online? Are their recipes any good? I wanted to try one of them to see what it is like. I think YouTube is just as valid of a media channel as a TV station or a published book or magazine. I was intrigued by Sara Foster's Sauteed Tangerine Shrimp recipe so I decided to give it a try. I made it tonight and it turned out really great. I love the flavor combination. Sara describes this as a winter version of sauteed shrimp (expect sauteed shrimp for all seasons in the future). It is kind of fun to get a recipe from a video online. It's like watching the food network in 6 minutes and without commercials. The only down side is that there is no recipe to print out so you have to have your grocery list nearby when watching the video.

This meal is very easy to prepare and it uses fresh and simple ingredients. I have listed the ingredient list below, but you have to watch the video to get the instructions. In addition to the Tangerine Shrimp, she makes Coconut Rice.

Ingredients
6 Tangerines or Clementines
1 Garlic Clove
1-inch of fresh Ginger Root
1 lb. medium shrimp
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
Olive Oil
Butter



In addition to finding a new tasty recipe, I got some good tips from this video. Sara demonstrated a marinader that looks like a neat little helper in the kitchen. The most useful tip for me was how she peeled the ginger root. I hate working with ginger root. It is oddly shaped and hard to work with. But Sara explains that the easiest way to peel the ginger root is to use a spoon. I had major doubts when I was watching the video, but I tried it and I kid you not, it works!

As for the food, it is really, really tasty. I had a few pieces of shrimp right after they were sauteed and they tasted awesome even without the sauce. Itg would be great to throw on a salad. The tangerine flavor adds a freshness that is just perfect.

I did have a few problems with the recipe, but they were minor. I used tangerine instead of clementines as Sara does in the video. I think that because tangerines are larger in size, I had much more juice. It took me about 5-10 minutes to reduce the marinade. But it did reduce and all was well. Also, Sara suggests leaving the tails on the shrimp because her husband likes to eat the shrimp with his hands. I do too so I left them on but I think that is a mistake when serving with rice. I prefer to scoop up a piece of shrimp, some tangerine and some shrimp all in one forkful. But having the tail on there makes this cumbersome and I had to go through and pick off all the tails and then go back to eating.

For a special treat, I stopped at my local wine shop on the way home. I told my wine guy Sean what I was making for dinner and he pulled out two different Sauvignon Blancs that he told me go well with citrus. I selected the 2003 Mission Hill S.L.C Sauvignon Blanc / Semillon because Sean told me that it has a bit more of a nutty flavor. It was PERFECT. I'm not sure if I would like this wine on its own or not, but there is definitely something said for matching the wine up with the food you are eating to really enhance the culinary experience.


So what about you guys? Have any of you checked out any "cooking shows" at YouTube? Have you found any neat food related videos?