This easy, relatively uninvolved appetizer features large juicy shrimp covered in pre-prepared romesco sauce over salty Spanish cheese and wheat crackers.
Why You Should Make This Hors d’oeuvre
These crackers serve as a great, relatively uninvolved appetizer that’s great for holidays, including New Year’s Eve—because, let’s be honest, we’re really here for the alcohol. Here are all the other reasons you should make this:
- Very minimal cooking & quick prep: The shrimp don’t require much prep, outside of a rinse, and cook in about 6 minutes. Then, cover in romesco sauce in the pan before topping on crackers with cheese.
- Impress your guests and upgrade your cheese and crackers: Make your guests think you worked hard, by adding shrimp covered in a less common (but SO delicious) sauce.
- Only Needs 5 Ingredients: Shrimp, romesco sauce, cheese, wheat crackers, olive oil and salt & pepper (which I’m counting as one ingredient). Add chives if you’re feeling fancy.
- Customizable to your favorite Spanish cheese: Feel free to use Manchego, Cabra al Vino or Iberico.
- Minimal dishes: I’ve designed this recipe to make minimal dishes to save you time and effort
This recipe was another ‘let’s see what we can make with what’s in the fridge’ challenge inspired by the appetizer collab I’m doing with some other food bloggers on IG today. All of these ingredients can be found at Trader Joe’s (where I basically spent my entire pay check last night), and by purchasing pre-prepared romesco sauce, you can save yourself tons of time and effort.
What Ingredients Do I Need To Make These Appetizers?
- Medium or large-sized shrimp (fresh preferred—you can choose to leave tails on or take them off)
- Olive oil
- Salt & black pepper
- Romesco sauce (if you want to make your own for whatever reason, here’s a link to Cilantro & Citronella’s authentic romesco sauce recipe)
- Salty Spanish cheese (Iberico, Manchego or Cabra Al Vino)
- Whole wheat crackers
- Chives (optional for topping)
How Do I Make Romesco Shrimp with Spanish Cheese and Crackers?
- Sautee Shrimp. Add about 2 Tablespoons of olive oil into a large nonstick pan and warm over medium-low heat for about 1-2 minutes. Add clean, thawed shrimp into pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side until just cooked. Turn off burner, but do not remove from heat.
- If using frozen shrimp, place in pan before oil is fully heated and cover while cooking to prevent oil from popping.
- Add romesco sauce. Spoon about ½ teaspoon of romesco on each shrimp. Use back of the spoon to distribute the sauce evenly over each shrimp, including tail. Move shrimp around the pan a bit to cover in sauce equally on both sides. Set aside (allowing shrimp to cool).
- Prepare crackers. On a plate or platter, lay out crackers and medium-thin triangular slices of cheese on top of each to cover the majority of the cracker.
- Top with Shrimp and chives. Spoon one shrimp on top of each slice of cheese. Option to mince chives to sprinkle on top of each shrimp as a garnish before serving.
What are the best occasions to eat this appetizer?
This appetizer makes great party food no matter what you’re celebrating. This year, I’ll be pairing these with champagne to celebrate New Year’s Eve (#ShrimpAndChamps) but they’re also great for:
- Summer gatherings
- Wine nights
- Cocktail parties
- Birthday parties
- Babyshowers
- Bridal showers
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas
What Type of Shrimp Should I buy for this recipe?
Great question! Frozen shrimp is usually the most common type of shrimp available in most places. When buying shrimp, I always try my best to read the ingredients on the package because many brands include inorganic chemicals to preserve the shrimp’s color and texture (gross). Instead, I always try to buy shrimp that includes only natural ingredients like salt. Trader Joe’s usually has a reliably preservative-free supply of shrimp that’s also affordable, so I usually get my shrimp from there (this post is NOT a Trader Joe’s ad, I swear).
Romesco Shrimp with Spanish Cheese and Crackers
This easy, relatively uninvolved appetizer features large juicy shrimp covered in pre-prepared romesco sauce over salty Spanish cheese and wheat crackers.
Ingredients
- 12 medium shrimp
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons of romesco sauce
- ⅛ pound of Iberico cheese
- 12 whole wheat crackers
- 1 tablespoon of chives (finely chopped)
Instructions
- Sautee Shrimp. Add about 2 Tablespoons of olive oil into a large nonstick pan and warm over medium-low heat for about 1-2 minutes. Add clean, thawed shrimp into pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side until just cooked. Turn off burner, but do not remove from heat.
- If using frozen shrimp, place in pan before oil is fully heated and cover while cooking to prevent oil from popping
- Add romesco sauce. Spoon about ½ teaspoon of romesco on each shrimp. Use back of the spoon to distribute the sauce evenly over each shrimp, including tail. Move shrimp around the pan a bit to cover in sauce equally on both sides. Set aside (allowing shrimp to cool).
- Prepare crackers. On a plate or platter, lay out crackers and medium-thin triangular slices of cheese on top of each to cover the majority of the cracker.
- Top with Shrimp and chives. Spoon one shrimp on top of each slice of cheese. Option to mince chives to sprinkle on top of each shrimp as a garnish before serving.
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