Shrimp

This dish is comforting yet elegant, which is why I like to serve it at gatherings during the winter holidays. Best of all, it’s a very quick and easy go-to recipe for when you’re short on time and need to deliver something special.

Snow peas paired with either chicken or shrimp is a classic Asian combination. When you can’t decide which you’d prefer, try this recipe, which gives you both.

Whether your family craves Italian, Tex-Mex, or Asian food tonight, this simple standby with its triple combination of meat and seafood and its choice of marinades will come to your rescue.

The aroma of this dish will attract your family to the table. Serve the colorful entrée over rice—perhaps topped with a dollop of fat-free sour cream—so you can enjoy every bit of the sauce.

Shrimp Marsala has it all—savory aroma, the rich flavors of wine and mushrooms, and company-pretty looks. A baked potato and steamed asparagus go well with this dish.

Island breezes are sure to stir, even in winter, when you serve this salad.

I always keep shrimp in my freezer. I buy it in bulk or when it’s on sale so it’s there when I want it. Shrimp is a great source of lean protein and one of the few proteins you can easily defrost in minutes and without affecting quality. Simply run the frozen shrimp under cold water until it thaws. This recipe technically makes boiled, not steamed, shrimp. The result is similar, but I have found boiling to yield more consistent results.

You know those rich, saucy Chinese takeout dishes that are so popular, but that a lot of us avoid because we know they’re full of sugar, salt, and fat? Well, this recipe tastes just like those bad-for-you dishes, but it’s incredibly low-fat and low in sodium. It also packs a ton of flavor, especially when you consider how few ingredients are used. If you buy shrimp frozen when it’s on sale and keep it in your freezer, you’ll likely have all of the necessary ingredients on hand the next time you find yourself tempted by Chinese takeout. Fortunately, this recipe doesn’t skimp on sauce—there’s plenty. So it’s perfect to toss with steamed snow peas, broccoli, or your favorite vegetables, and/or to serve over brown rice. You can even cook the vegetables in the pan along with the shrimp, but just be aware that the flavor of the vegetables could overpower the delicious orange flavor if you do that.

Instead of buffalo wings, I love buffalo shrimp at times. The shrimp is great because it’s nice and meaty, yet you don’t have to worry about tenderizing it. Plus this dish is lean, but will still satisfy that craving for hot sauce that makes us want buffalo wings in the first place. Buy easy-peel or peeled shrimp to save time and have the kids help with the peeling, if possible.

These sweet, tangy shrimp are served in the shell. You gotta peel them to get to the good stuff, so be sure to serve them with plenty of napkins.

Gina: If you’ve never spent a summer in the South, then you don’t know heat like we know heat! Baby, this dish is perfect for a sultry Memphis evening, because it requires very little cooking. The shrimp and zucchini are grilled briefly, and the rest of the ingredients are simply heated in olive oil for a few minutes, to coax out their flavor. Then everything is tossed with pasta shells, and you are done, sugar. We call for cherry tomatoes, but feel free to use Sweet 100, currant, or pear tomatoes, or any other small tomatoes available at your local farmers’ market. Best of all, you’ll walk away from the table feeling satisfied but not too full. Choose a nice Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio, and you are set.