Skillet Shrimp and Asparagus

Hello friends! I know many of you come here looking for something you can quickly and easily make, and tastes great. Something perhaps for a weeknight dinner when you have maybe only 30 minutes to cook, and even less to clean up afterwards?

Here's a shrimp and asparagus skillet recipe that scores high on all points. It only takes half an hour start to finish, and only uses one pan. And the taste? Wow! I was really surprised by this one.

Onions, garlic, and diced fresh potatoes are sautéed first, then they are added along with a little water, covered, and simmered for a few minutes until almost completely done. After another minute of cooking, add the asparagus and shrimp with some lemon juice and zest.

The most beautiful glaze is made from the cooking fluids. A complete one pot dinner has protein from the shrimp, green vegetables from the asparagus, and carbohydrate from the potatoes.

You may omit the potatoes and combine the spaghetti with the shrimp and asparagus sauté instead. You may also add some chili pepper flakes to it to make it a little spicier. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup water

• 3/4 pound asparagus, woody ends discarded, spears thinly sliced on the diagonal

• 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp (can leave tails on for presentation if you want), 16-20 count

• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons minced chives or green onion greens

• 1/2 pound small red skinned new potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices or small dice

• Salt, to taste

• Pinch black pepper

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 1 medium onion, quartered, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)

• 4 cloves garlic, minced (about 4 teaspoons)

Preparation

• On a medium-high heat, melt butter and olive oil in a big pan. Cook the onions for 2 to 3 minutes after adding them. Cook for one minute after adding the garlic.

• Add 1/2 cup water along with the potatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste. When the potatoes are nearly done, remove the cover and simmer for a further 5 minutes.

• Toss the potato mixture with the thinly sliced asparagus, cover, and heat for one minute.

• Add the chives, lemon juice, and zest to the shrimp. About 3 to 4 minutes, toss, cover, and cook shrimp until just cooked through. To taste, increase the salt or pepper.