Rock Shrimp Sauce with Jalapeño Hoe Cakes Recipe

One of the great things about rock shrimp is its versatility. From stir fry to stand alone “peel and eat” dishes, the mild flavor of the crustaceans lends itself to just about any dish. Case in point, this creamy southern specialty with some serious spice: rock shrimp sauce with jalapeño hoe cakes. Cook a batch of these for that next hootenanny, your taste buds will thank you.

Rock Shrimp Sauce with Jalapeño Hoe Cakes

   Serves 6

Rock Shrimp Sauce

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. finely chopped garlic
• ¾ cup dry white wine
• 1 (ten-ounce) can cream-of-shrimp soup
• 1 pound peeled rock shrimp
• 1 tbsp. seafood seasoning
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. black pepper
• ¼ cup half-and-half
• ½ tbsp. fresh lemon juice, or to taste
• Jalapeño Hoe Cakes (recipe below)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until hot.
2. Add garlic and sauté 1 to 2 minutes until golden.
3. Add wine to pan and stir in soup; simmer 3 minutes, stirring until smooth.
4. Sprinkle shrimp with seafood seasoning and remaining 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
5. Add shrimp to sauce mixture and cook 2 to 3 minutes until opaque and cooked through.
6. Slowly stir in half-and-half and lemon juice.
7. To serve, spoon over Jalapeño Hoe Cakes and sprinkle with chives.

Jalapeño Hoe Cakes

• 2 cups self-rising cornmeal
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cups milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
• Butter or corn oil for frying

Method

1. In a large bowl, mix together cornmeal, sugar and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and milk until well blended.
3. Add the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed and moistened.
4. Let the batter set for 10 or 15 minutes.
5. Add oil to just cover bottom of skillet then heat over medium-high heat.
6. Pour 1/4 cup of batter for each hoe cake into skillet.
7. Cook 3 or 4 minutes until tops are full of air holes; flip cake and cook until golden brown.
8. Drain on absorbent paper and serve warm.

For more rock shrimp recipes, click here.

The official Chef of Florida, Justin Timineri, shares some of his recipes with us. A proponent of eating healthy, locally-grown and harvested produce and seafood, Timineri’s recipes imbue that Fresh From Florida flavor. For more on chef Justin, click here.

   Recipes and images courtesy of Chef Justin Timineri and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. For more recipes coming from Timineri’s kitchen, click here.