Garlic Meltdown

It’s not easy for me to pick a favorite food because I like almost everything. I love simple foods. I love extravagant foods. If I want a snack, I might go for French vanilla ice cream in a sugar cone or simply a milk chocolate bar with hazelnuts or almonds.

But if someone were to offer to cook one dish for me, I would ask for seafood in garlic butter. Actually I love anything with garlic butter. I love it with mushrooms, with pasta (and a sprinkling of fresh basil), with crusty bread, with spinach or even with a good steak.

I like to smash the garlic flat with a large knife or cleaver to get the maximum flavor. As soon as the crushed garlic releases its aroma in the hot, melting butter, my mouth starts watering.

For seafood, my first choice would be crab--Maryland blue, stone or Dungeness. And I’d pick out a heavy female crab because I love the thick roe that everyone else throws away. Large whole tiger shrimp in the shell, sauteed in garlic butter, would be my next choice, followed by mussels, salmon and sea bass.

SHRIMP IN GARLIC BUTTER 1/3 cup butter 4 to 6 cloves garlic, crushed 1 pound large whole tiger shrimp Salt Freshly ground pepper 1 lemon, cut in wedges French bread

Melt butter in large skillet or small wok over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until tender. Add shrimp and saute until they turn bright red and just begin to curl, about 5 to 10 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Serve with lemon wedges and French bread to sop up juices. Makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains about: 273 calories; 398 mg sodium; 213 mg cholesterol; 17 grams fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 24 grams protein; 0.05 gram fiber.

Variation:

Steamed Crab With Garlic Butter:

Cook stone or Maryland blue crabs in shell in covered steamer about 12 to 15 minutes. Prepare sauteed garlic in butter as above and serve hot with crab for dipping.