Bacon Wrapped Red Snapper and Shrimp
I made this as an appetizer for Christmas Eve, but with a few other things to accompany it, this could be an entrée. Serves 8.
16 raw jumbo shrimp, deveined with shell removed
8 red snapper fillets
8 slices of bacon
6 cloves of garlic – minced
Grated rind from 1 lemon
Juice from 1 lemon
1/4 cup finely chopped green stalks from green onions (scallions)
1/4 cup EVOO
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix last 5 ingredients together in a small bowl. Lay red snapper fillets out, skin side down and place 2 shrimp in the middle with tails outwards. Spoon about 1 Tbsp. of garlic/lemon mixture on top of shrimp. Fold one end of the fish over the shrimp and roll over. Roll again over a slice of bacon and place in glass baking dish. When all 8 are arranged in the dish, pour the remainder of the garlic/lemon mixture on top. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. When serving, top with juices from baking dish.
Notes: I was undecided on using the bacon at first, but am glad I did, as it added a nice subtlety to the flavors and helped hold it all together. As an afterthought, prosciutto might work well also. As an appetizer, perhaps one shrimp might be adequate, but it cooked nicely with the two. This turned out very nice and everyone liked it. Served it with my home made Blanc des Blanc (100% Chard bubbly). I kind of made this recipe up on my own, so if anyone has any suggestions, such as alternate cooking methods or anything else that might be an improvement, let me know.