What do you do with a few pounds of leftover brisket? That depends. If you’re cooing for several people there alre a lot of things you could do with it, from noodle toppings to sammiches. When you’re cooking for one grumpy foodie with a sinus infection coming on… Well, you do whatever makes him happy, and that’s exactly what I did.

To be honest, I didn’t know I was ill at the time. I knew that I had a craving for surf and turf, but that I had a slight headache and not much of an appetite. I did a quick search for shrimp recipes, came across a whole bunch for bacon wrapped shrimp and since I didn’t happen to have any bacon on hand, the inspiration for this dish was born.

My reasoning? Well, bacon is smoked, salted and cured. The brisket I had made two days before was smoked and well spiced, it was refrigerated and so could be cut paper thin if desired and it had the basic shape I was after… It all sounded right somehow.

And it was… Oh, It Was!

I’m not saying that this requires a barbecued brisket. I think this recipe would work just as well with a marinated flank steak, a skirt steak or even a New York strip. Because this is a sauteed shrimp, just be sure that whatever beef you choose has already been cooked, and preferably refrigerated well before you get started or you’ll risk rubbery shrimp… Not something I look forward to.

Brisket Wrapped Shrimp
(Quantities are for a light snack for one person. Adjust as required.)

Ingredients:

• 5 large (41-50 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined, tail on.
• Approximately 5 oz. cooked brisket(or your choice of other beef), cut roughly 1/16 inch thick and just long enough to wrap shrimp comfortably.
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• Salt, pepper and chili powder to taste

Method:

Defrost shrimp if necessary. Peel and devein (leave tail on) shrimp and set aside. Cut beef into thin pieces approximately 6 inches in length, trimming any very large pieces of fat or gristle.

Sprinkle shrimp with salt, pepper and chili powder. Wrap beef slices around shrimp and secure with a toothpick driven as closely as possivle to the center, down the length of each shrimp, with the remainder sticking out the top/front. (This will allow the toothpick to rest above the pan’s surface while cooking and will aid removal.)

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp and cook for approximately 1 1/2 minutes per side, or until the shrimp’s tail is pink and the thickest part of the shrimp is just opaque. Remove shrimp from pan immediately and rest on a paper towel.

Add butter to pan and allow to melt. Add garlic, a pinch of salt and a few grinds black pepper. Cook garlic for approximately 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat.

Arrange shrimp on a saucer or small plate. Spoon a bit of the butter/garlic mixture over each shrimp. Garnish with parsley, celery leaves or scallion stems if desired.

What I would have done differently had I thought of it at the time:

Actually, aside from playing with spices, I can’t think of a way to make this dish any better. It sated my cravings for surf and turf without being over filling, and the combination of the smoked beef with the sweetness of the shrimp is something I’ll be revisiting in the future.

Links to other recipes like this:

• Chipotle Lime Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp, From Simply Recipes
• Rolling Into Spring with Mango Wrapped Thai Shrimp, from Jumbo Empanadas
• Grilled Procuitto Wrapped Shrimp and Pneaple Skewers, from urban Drivel