Roasted Shrimp and Asparagus with Black Garlic and Lemon

A tasty dinner of shrimp and asparagus roasted with black garlic and lemon—the perfect choice when you’re low on time.

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My brother from another mother is a black garlic fiend. Some even know him as Black Garlic Man. I can’t blame him. Black garlic is pretty darn tasty—lots of flavor yet much more mild, sweet and somewhat fruity than regular garlic.

Both Black Garlic Man and I get our black garlic from Obis One, a family farm in South Jersey owned by my honey’s cousins. Besides selling bulbs of black garlic, they have a wide range of black garlic products. I’m a regular user of their black garlic sea salt and New Bay 33—a homage to Old Bay.

When I saw the Man’s recipe for Black Garlic Shrimp with Roasted Asparagus, I thought, hmm, that looks gooood. However, I wasn’t in the mood for an Asian dish so I took my version in another direction, and, boy oh boy, it was good.

And, it was so quick and easy to make. You can make it even quicker by purchasing peeled and deveined shrimp. But, please for the love of our American fisheries, don’t buy farmed shrimp from Asia. Not just because it might be harvested by slaves (really) but, most importantly, our American fisheries and the families who work them need our support.

Yeah, you might pay extra for American wild shrimp, but it’s worth it. I could go on and on about other reasons not to buy Asian farmed shrimp but instead I’ll refer you to this article which mentions several disgusting reasons.

What about Argentina shrimp? I don’t know about them, all I know is I like to support American families and communities first, so I buy shrimp from the Eastern seaboard, usually from North Carolina. Find a seafood market or a supermarket with a real seafood counter with people you can trust and who know what they’re talking about, not your typical chain, unfortunately. Maybe that means you’re not buying shrimp as much as you do now, but then it will be more special, right?

Off my shrimp soapbox. When I made this shrimp dish, I served couscous on the side. To punch up the flavor, I first sautéed chopped onion and garlic in butter and then added the water for the couscous to the same small pot. Not that couscous needs much help, but the hints of onion and garlic were mighty tasty.

Roasted Shrimp and Asparagus with Black Garlic and Lemon | Grabbing the Gusto

Roasted Shrimp and Asparagus with Black Garlic and Lemon

You’ll need an immersion blender or small food processor (or a bowl and a whisk if you don’t have either tool), bowl (for the shrimp), and a sheet pan.

• Zest from 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
• 6 cloves black garlic or 3 cloves regular garlic, roughly chopped – if you don’t have an immersion blender or food processor, finely mince the garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound asparagus, woody ends trimmed
• 1 pound U.S. caught medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined – buy American only, don’t support Asian slave labor!
• 1/3 cup grated or shaved Parmesan or Pecorino Romano (optional)

Preheat the oven to 450. Add lemon zest and juice, shallots, black garlic and 2 tablespoons olive oil to an immersion blender cup or food processor. Blend until puréed. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper to taste.

If you don’t have an immersion blender or food processor, add lemon zest and juice, shallots and black garlic to a bowl and whisk until well blended. Slowly add 2 tablespoons olive oil while whisking. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper to taste.

In a bowl, toss the shrimp with half the vinaigrette.

Place the asparagus in a pile on the baking sheet and toss with half the vinaigrette. Then, separate the spears. Roast for about 4 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and arrange the shrimp on top of the asparagus. Return the pan to the oven and roast until the shrimp are almost opaque throughout and the asparagus are crisp-tender, about 3-5 minutes, depending on the size of the shrimp. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with cheese.

Disclosure: I do not receive compensation of any type from Obis One but I am related to them, well, sort of, through my honey, not legally, but you know what I mean. I am admittedly biased toward them, but I’d buy their black garlic even if I wasn’t sort of related, it’s such a great ingredient. Just wanted you to know!

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