Cooking “à la Provençale” means in the style of the region of Provence (south of France), which usually involves cooking in olive oil with tomatoes and garlic/onion. This style of cooking is delicious and healthy. Today, I am sharing a shrimp recipe “à la Provençale” that is quick and easy to make.
This delicious recipe is from a fellow French blogger. You can find the recipe in French here.
Ingredients
For 3 people:
| 1 Half of a Red Pepper |
| 20 Cherry Tomatoes |
| 5 Branches of Fresh Thyme |
| 1 Fresh Bay Leaf |
| 1 Half of a Yellow Onion |
| 1 Pinch of Salt |
| Approx. 20 Frozen Raw Shrimp Peeled and Deveined (Tail Off) |
| 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil |
Optional: 1 Tablespoon of Pastis (a liquor) or Pastis Essence Flavour |
Though the French recipe calls for a tablespoon of the French liquor of Pastis, I did not include it in my recipe and it was just as delicious. That being said, Pastis is the typical drink of Provence, so if you want to make your shrimp extra provençale, you might want to think of adding it, or adding the Pastis Essence Flavour
Also, I opted to use only half an onion instead of an entire onion as US onions are two times bigger than French onions!
Cooking Steps
Step 1: Cut the red pepper and the onion in little pieces. Warm up the olive oil in a skillet. Once the oil is warm (but not hot), put the salt, red pepper and onion in the skillet. Add the thyme and bay leaf. Let it cook for about 5 minutes on medium-low heat.
Step 2: Add the tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes on medium heat.
Step 3: Add the frozen shrimp. No need to thaw the shrimp, just add it as is (directly from the freezer.) Cook for about 4 minutes until the shrimp turns completely pink.
OPTIONAL: If you want to add the Pastis spirit or flavour, add it after 3 minutes of cooking the shrimp, and then cook for 1 more minute with the Pastis included.
Mix and Serve:
Bon Appétit!
French Mom