Entrée Shrimp Rasta Pasta

Sauté the shrimp or sear them on the grill, they're equally delicious.

Why do these shrimp have that awesome crust on them? Because they’ve been seared. Grilling them will result in similar results. “Rasta” Pasta? Because of the Jamaican Jerk Seasoning that gives it that little kick. There are lots of Pasta Pasta recipes on the internet, but I like this one because it’s simple to make and it goes easy on the peppers. You don’t really have to use peppers at all. Garlic and onions will more than do the job. But if you do, stick with red, yellow, and orange. Green peppers are acidic and can make the disk really bitter. I ditch the green peppers altogether and substitute them with jalapeños for heat.
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Shrimp Rasta Pasta

Garnish & Serve

This is what the final result should look like. You’ll notice that some of the lobsters here have a more mealy or grainy appearance, while others look more “fluffy”. That’s the corn meal. That stuff you use when you fry fish. Which one you use more of is a matter of taste. This recipe calls for more corn meal. But corn meal is heavier than the flour so it can take a little longer to fry. And you will get a little of that cornbread taste that you get with fried fish. If you don’t want that, change the ratio of cornmeal to flour, as in add more flour than corn meal to make the coating more fluffy. 

SErving NOtes:

The beauty of this recipe is that it can be made as an appetizer or you can serve it as the main course. As an entrée, you can’t go wrong with a nice side of pasta or rice. But if you’re plating for guests, be sure to garnish it with something pretty. Green onion never hurts. It’s colorful, and it’s really super easy to pick off if your guest doesn’t care for onions. Chives are another pretty possibility, and they’re much less offensive to onion-haters. Parsley is really pretty and basically tasteless. 

But I’d stay away from Cilantro, and let me tell you why…it’s nasty as hell! I’m convinced you have to have a special gene for it to taste good. But if you don’t, and I definitely don’t, it’s the perfect way to ruin a good lobster. Doesn’t matter how pretty it is. It tastes like soap to me, and I don’t care how much you paid for it…I’m not eating it. Play it safe. Cilantro is fine if it’s just you. But if you’re serving guests, pick something else.