Shrimp Spaghetti

1/2 lb. spaghetti
1 lb. shrimp, shelled and cleaned
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp. crushed chili peppers, (more or less to taste)
1/2 tsp. Zatarain's Jazz It Up Seafood Zesty Seasoning
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook spagetti according to package.  While spaghetti is cooking - in a frying pan heat oil on medium high.  Add shrimp, garlic, chili peppers and seasoning.  Cook stirring often until shrimp is pink and done.  Drain spaghetti and put into serving bowl.  Pour shrimp mixture over spaghetti.  Add cheese and toss.  Serve immediately.  Serves 4. 

Comments - This is a simple make after a long day dish.  It may sound like a scampi but the seasoning and the cheese gives it a totally different taste.  It's delicious!  If you don't have Zatarain's Jazz It Up you can use Old Bay or any other seafood seasoning you might have.  Also, if you use large shrimp you might want to cut them into pieces.  I use the around 30 count size but a smaller size would have been perfect.

Crabby Rice Patties

Chicken broth
1 cup instant rice, uncooked
2 cans (6 oz. each) crabmeat, drained, cleaned
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/4 cup butter
Old Bay seasoning, to taste
2 eggs
Panko bread crumbs
Cooking Oil

Cook rice in chicken broth according to cooking directions on package of rice.  Stir in crabmeat, cheese, butter and Old Bay.  Add eggs.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  Heat oil in large frying pan.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Pour Panko into a shallow bowl.  Shape into patties, press patties into Panko to coat.  Fry until browned on both sides.  Place on a baking sheet covered with foil.  Bake 20 minutes.

Tips/Changes - I mixed everything but the eggs so I could taste my mixture as I went along.  This way you can add as much or as little of the Old Bay.  You can add more or less cheese, I used cheddar but you can change that to fit your own taste.  I used plain Panko bread crumbs but I'm sure seasoned would be good.  I haven't tried it yet but I want to give this a try using Salmon instead of crab.  Bet that one will be good too.

Dirty Rice & Shrimp

2 Tbsp. cooking oil
1 lb. ground pork
1 med. onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. Zatarain's Jazz it Up Seafood seasoning
2 pkg (6.2 oz.) Uncle Ben's Long Grain & Wild Rice
  (or 1 1/2 cups any brand long grain & wild rice)
2 cans (14.5 oz. each) low sodium chicken broth
1 lb. (40-60 count) shrimp, shelled, cleaned, cooked & cut in half
3-4 green onions including tops, chopped

In a large saucepan heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil.  Add pork and cook over med. heat until the meat is no longer pink.  Reduce heat to med. low and add the other Tbsp. of oil, onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic.  Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes.  Stir in Zatarain's seasoning and rice (do not add seasoning mix).  Add broth.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer covered for 20-25 minutes or until rice is done.  Stir in shrimp and let simmer for about 2 minutes.  Garnish with chopped green onions.  Serves 8-10.

Tips:  The original recipe called for regular rice, I wanted the different textures so I used the wild and long grain rice.  I also had a list of 6 different seasonings but I had just bought a jar of Zatarain's Jazz it Up Seafood so decided to try it instead.  I used 1 Tbsp. but wanted just a bit more heat so I added an extra teaspoon which is optional.  I also bought my shrimp already cooked which saved time.  All-in-all, it turned out wonderful!

Changes:  Use Polish Sausage or chicken instead of the shrimp.