This North African Spiced Shrimp and the Asian Marinated Flank Steak are two of my favourite recipes. They are very simple recipes – you just need to plan for the extra hours needed to marinate – and both have very, very fast cooking times. This allows you to prepare something else far more complicated while the fridge is doing all the work!

We had this shrimp dish at our November Saturday Open House dinner and it went over very well. This is a very successful dish for potluck parties, too.

Belle’s note: This dish disappears quickly every time Ward makes it. He made it for a fundraiser dinner held by our daughter’s choir last year, and it was very popular. Because it’s so quick and easy to make, it’s a great recipe to have on hand for those times when you have to bring something to a party, and you want something that’s unique and delicious!

The following recipe is adapted from Olives and Oranges, by Sara Jenkins and Mindy Fox, another cookbook we highly recommend.

North African Spiced Shrimp

1 tbsp and a pinch of Ancho Chili pepper
2 dried red chili peppers crushed
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 lbs shrimp (31-42 size), peeled
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus more if needed)
2 tbsp organic lime juice
sea salt to taste

1. Mix the first 6 ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Place the peeled shrimp in a re-sealable plastic freezer bag.
3. Pour the mixture over the shrimp and seal the bag.
4. Shake the bag and squeeze the mixture all over the shrimp.
5. Place in fridge for 4-6 hours.
6. Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium high heat
7. Remove shrimp from bag and place in the skillet.
8. Cook for about 2 minutes per side or until the shrimp is opaque.
9. Transfer shrimp to serving bowl, stir in the lime juice.
10. Season to taste, and serve.