Shrimp Snake Bite Sandwiches

 

I’ve been a big fan of Guy Fieri ever since he competed to win the Next Food Network Star. So, of course, when his first cookbook debuted, I was first in line to purchase one. His food is hearty, packed with heat, and there’s nothing stingy about the portions. However, one thing I discovered about his recipes is, instead of getting layers of flavor, one or more ingredients tend to overpower the others. For this reason, I usually modify his recipes to some extent. These Snake Bite sandwiches are from his book, Cookin’ It, Livin’ It, Lovin’ It. At first, I couldn’t figure out why he would name a shrimp sandwich a Snake Bite. After one taste, it was obvious. These babies are potentially lethal. No complaints here, though. I love a good sandwich that bites back. Even though these are packed with spicy heat, all the different layers of flavor did shine through. Shrimp, bacon, onion, garlic, wine, tomatoes, green onions, cilantro and a perfect combination of spices piled high on ciabatta rolls toasted with garlic butter. Everything about this Snake Bite sandwich is dramatically bold and beautiful! For me, this was a double header. Not only did I find an incredibly delicious shrimp recipe, but I also discovered a mouthwatering garlic butter recipe. Normally, I wouldn’t fuss and would just add minced garlic to softened butter; but Guy’s recipe sounded too tempting not to try. (You may want to “pin” this to revisit later, because once you sample this garlic butter, you won’t settle for any other spread.) 
 

To prepare garlic butter:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Slice the tops off the garlic head. Place cut side up on a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Enclose the garlic completely in the aluminum foil. Roast for 1 to 1-1/4 hours, or until soft. Set aside to cool.
 

Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves in medium-size bowl. Add the softened butter, mayonnaise, pinch of paprika, Italian seasoning, parsley, sea salt, crushed red pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese. 

Blend well with hand mixer. Refrigerate until ready to use.
 

To prepare Snake Bites:

Dice onions. Mince garlic. Peel, devein and butterfly shrimp. Thinly slice green onions. Chop cilantro.

 
In large skillet, over medium-high heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan, reserving drippings, and set aside to cool. When cool, chop into small pieces.

In same pan, saute onion in reserved bacon drippings until it just starts to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Add 1/4 cup of wine. Stir to remove any bits from bottom of pan.

Add the tomatoes, Worcestershire and chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Continue to simmer while you cook shrimp.

In large re-sealable plastic bag, combine cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic powder, dried basil, dried oregano, black pepper, paprika, thyme and sea salt. Add shrimp to bag and shake to coat.

In a separate skillet (on separate burner), over medium heat, heat the oil and 2 Tablespoons butter. (Be careful not to burn the butter.) Add the shrimp (reserving any extra spice mix.) Cook about 3 minutes, or until shrimp are slightly pink, but not fully cooked. Transfer shrimp to plate.
 

Increase heat to medium-high. Add the remaining 1/4 cup wine, scraping up any browned bits. Add the green onion, reserving 2 to 3 Tablespoons for garnish. Add the cream and remaining spice mix. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced by another third.

Meanwhile, spread the ciabatta rolls with garlic butter and toast them.
 

Add the shrimp to the tomato sauce and stir in reduced cream, chopped bacon and cilantro. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, or until shrimp are cooked. Stir in remaining 1 Tablespoon butter. Garnish with reserved green onions. 

 

 

Pile a generous portion of shrimp and sauce on each of the split roll bottoms. Place top bun offset. Serve immediately.

You will need a fork to eat the overflow, but, after that, the sandwich is sturdy enough to pick up and take a bite out of. However, if it bites back, don’t say I didn’t warn you!

SHRIMP SNAKE BITE SANDWICHES
Source: Adapted from Guy Fieri Cookbook: Cookin’ It, Livin’ It, Lovin’ It
Posted by: www.meldingmagic.com

INGREDIENTS:

Garlic Butter:

• 1 head garlic, preferably elephant garlic
• Olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, softened (room temperature)
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• Pinch paprika
• 1/2 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
• 1/2 Tablespoon chopped parsley, or 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon ground sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Shrimp Snake Bite Sandwiches:

• 6 ounces (1/2 of a 12-ounce package) bacon
• 2 small yellow onions, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1-1/2 Tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup white wine, divided
• 1 can (28-ounces) diced tomatoes
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (or, reduce amount for less heat)
• 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 Tablespoon dried basil
• 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 Tablespoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon paprika
• 1 Tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined and butterflied
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 3 Tablespoons butter, divided
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced, divided
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 8 ciabatta rolls, split
• Garlic Butter (ingredients listed above), or substitute garlic spread if pressed for time

DIRECTIONS:

Directions for garlic butter:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Slice the tops off the garlic head. Place cut side up on a piece
    of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Enclose the garlic completely.
    Roast for 1 to 1-1/4 hours, or until soft. Set aside to cool.
2. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves in medium-size bowl. Add the softened butter,
    mayonnaise, pinch of paprika, Italian seasoning, parsley, sea salt, crushed red pepper flakes and
    Parmesan cheese. Blend well with hand mixer.

Directions for Shrimp Snake Bite Sandwiches:
1. In large skillet, over medium-high heat, cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan, reserving drippings,
    and set aside to cool. When cool, chop into small pieces.
2. In same pan, saute onion in reserved bacon dripping until it just starts to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add
    the minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Add 1/4 cup of wine. Stir to remove any bits from
    bottom of pan.
3. Add the tomatoes, Worcestershire and chicken stock. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally,
    until thickened. Continue to simmer while you cook shrimp.
4. In large bowl (or large re-sealable plastic bag) combine cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic powder, dried
    basil, dried oregano, black pepper, paprika, thyme, and sea salt. Add the shrimp. Toss to coat.
5. In a separate skillet (on separate burner), over medium heat, heat the oil and 2 Tablespoons butter.
    (Be careful not to burn the butter.) Add the shrimp (reserving any extra spice mix). Cook about 3
    minutes, or until shrimp are slightly pink (they won’t be fully cooked). Transfer shrimp to plate.
6. Increase heat to medium-high. Add the remaining 1/4 cup wine, scraping up any browned bits. Add
    the green onion, reserving 2 to 3 Tablespoons for garnish. Add the cream and remaining spice mix.
    Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced by another third.
7. Meanwhile, spread the ciabatta rolls with garlic butter and toast them.
8. Add the shrimp to the tomato sauce and stir in reduced cream, chopped bacon and cilantro. Simmer
    for 3 to 4 minutes, or until shrimp are cooked. Stir in the remaining 1 Tablespoon butter. Garnish with
    reserved green onions. Pile a generous portion of shrimp and sauce on each of the split roll bottoms,
    place top bun offset. Serve immediately.