Shrimp Bruschetta

We went to this restaurant for DD2's basketball end of party. The restaurant chosen for this kinds of events are usually tolerant of noise, crowd and the trash the kids seems to generate. This all but ensures that pizza is the star and the rest of the food is usually not top notch but bearable. That night couldn't stand one more slice of pizza so I settled on one of the dinner specials for that day Bruschetta Shrimp. Boy was I surprised?

It tasted much better than I expected and I was glad I ordered it and I could not wait to try it out for myself but with a bit more spice kick. Needless to say it was a big hit.

I used baguette but made the mistake of buying slightly thin ones. A slightly broader baguette will be good for holding a bit more of the topping. The cheese makes a big difference, so use one that you like and is gooey. I do not like raw onion so I soak it in lime juice to take the pungency away. This is also purely optional.

We had them for lunch on a weekend but these are perfect for a snack or even a light dinner.

Recipe in pictures,

Clean the shrimp and chop into pieces. Prepare the shallots by squeezing lime and adding the chopped jalapenos.
Get the tomatoes ready and cook the shrimp with chili powder and salt.
Slice the bread and brush it with olive oil and toast it in a 400F toaster oven on both sides. Once toasted place the sliced cheese on the bread and put it back in the oven to melt.
Place some pesto on the cheese bread.
Add onions and tomatoes on the cheese and is ready to serve.

Serve it as an appetizer or like we did have it as a meal.

Shrimp Bruschetta
Preparation Time:20 minutes
Cooking Time:15 minutes
Ingredients

1. 2 Baguette
2. olive oil for brushing
3. 1 cup of chopped shallots or red onion
4. juice from one lime (optional)
5. about 2 cups of finely chopped tomatoes
6. 2 tbsp of finely chopped jalapeno peppers
7. mozzarella cheese
8. Sun dried tomato pesto (optional)
For the Shrimp
9. 1/2 lb of shrimp
10. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
11. 1/2 tbsp chili powder
12. salt to taste
13. 1 tsp of oil

Method

1. Squeeze the lime juice into the chopped shallots or onions and set it aside for couple of hours. Add in the chopped jalapenos. If you are not using lime juice just added the chopped jalapenos to the onions and set it aside.
2. Wash and shell the shrimp and chop into small pieces. Wash with turmeric powder and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a saute pan and when hot add the shrimp pieces. Saute for a couple of minutes. Add in the salt and chili powder and saute for 4-5 minutes till the shrimp is fully cooked. Set aside.
4. Cut the baguette diagonally into thin slices. Brush with olive oil and bake in the toaster oven at 400F on both sides for about 4 minutes each.
5. Slice the mozzarella cheese as thick or thin as you like and place on the toasted bread and again bake in the 400F oven till it melts.
6. Place a bit of the pesto, onions, shrimp and tomatoes on the cheese topped bread and enjoy them while still warm.

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