This week’s selection may seem like a weird combination – I mean how many people would post about popcorn and shrimp and not have it literally be popcorn shrimp? Well, the reason is because both of these have an Asian flavor. There are ingredients that you use in one that you can just tweak a bit for the other. Trust me both are absolutely delish. As for what would you drink with these….Hmmm Sake always works, but any good Japanese beer or a beautiful Chardonnay with the shrimp would compliment it nicely.
Smoky Popcorn 
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons popping corn
- 1 teaspoon smoked hot Spanish paprika
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and kept warm
- 1/2 cup Japanese furikake mix (see Note)
- 2 cups Japanese mixed rice crackers
- Kosher salt
In a large saucepan, combine the oil and popcorn, cover and cook over moderate heat until it starts to pop. Shake the pan and cook until the corn stops popping.
Transfer the hot popcorn to a large bowl. Sprinkle with the paprika and sugar and toss well. Drizzle with the butter and toss, adding the furikake and rice crackers. Season with salt, toss again and serve.
Notes Furikake is a seasoning mix that includes seaweed, sesame seeds, sugar, salt and dried bonito (dried fish flakes). If you don’t want to use this, you don’t have to. The popcorn will still be amazing.
Peel-and-Eat Shrimp with Togarashi Spice Blend
Whether they’re sprinkled with Old Bay seasoning or dusted with a homemade barbecue blend, you have to admit peel-and-eat shrimp has always been associated as cuisine of the South. At Atlanta’s new Seven Lamps restaurant, however, it’s an Asian twist that makes the shrimp sing. There, chef Drew Van Leuvan tosses the meaty shrimp with a Japanese togarashi spice mix. The blend is easy to make from scratch at home and, is as good with steamed edamame and popcorn as it is with shrimp.
SHRIMP TRICK: Some chefs prefer to cook shrimp with shells on, to keep the shrimp’s flavorful juices, as in Deviled Shrimp. The trick is to remove the digestive vein along the back of the shrimp without peeling off the shell. Here are two ways to devein shrimp with the shell on. (If the vein isn’t dark, you don’t need to remove it.)
Cut through shrimp shells along the top of the back with a small, sharp knife. Cut a shallow slit along the back of each shrimp through the opening and lift out vein with the tip of the knife. This method makes cooked shrimp easier to peel. Also, if you’re marinating the shrimp, as in Deviled Shrimp, it allows more of the marinade to penetrate the flesh.
Makes 4 servings (plus about 1/3 cup spice mix)
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon red-pepper flakes
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
1½ teaspoons white sesame seeds
1½ teaspoons dried kombu seaweed (available at Asian markets)
1½ teaspoons dried tangerine or orange zest (available in most supermarket spice sections)
1¼ pounds shell-on shrimp (21 to 25 count), deveined
1 tablespoon canola oil
Salt
DIRECTIONS
1. In a small bowl, whisk the cayenne pepper with the ginger, red-pepper flakes, black sesame seeds, white sesame seeds, seaweed and tangerine or orange zest. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, toss the shrimp with the canola oil and season with salt. In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, cook the shrimp, working in batches, until pink and caramelized, about 2 minutes per side.
3. Transfer the shrimp to a bowl and toss with the togarashi spice mix to taste. (Reserve remaining spice mix for another use.) Divide the shrimp among four plates and serve immediately.
Now, if you don’t want to try this on your own and happen to be in Atlanta, know that this recipe adapted from Drew Van Leuvan, Seven Lamps, Atlanta, Ga.
Yours In Bridal blog 