Life is a series of coincidences. I’m sure a lot of you can look back upon your lives and some of the coincidences you might have brushed off in the past, but which you can now saw helped shaped your path in one way or the other. I’ve had a few of those myself, and one that relates directly to this blog happened in the most unexpected of all places – a Container Store.

A week or so after I got my own studio and decided that I loved interior decorating and want a clean, modern bachelor pad (!), I went down to the Container Store on 58th street to check for some cool organizational items. At the checkout counter, I spied an eye-catching magazine cover with fresh fruits and vegetables – the Fall 2006 Food issue of Real Simple. For someone who firmly believes in subscribing to magazines and never paying the outrageous book-store prices for a single copy, I just couldn’t resist buying this one.

And what an investment it turned out to be! For a young guy just learning to cook for himself, this one single issue contained all sorts of wonderful advice – from what to stock your freezer with, to how to avoid messy cleanup, to how to put together a menu for a dinner party, and most importantly – easy, simple-to-follow recipes that lead to delicious meals and forever got me hooked on the benefits of cooking at home.

One such recipe, which I’ve since adapted to my own tastes is one that will ease your fears of cooking seafood and serve as a fun little dish to spice up weekday nights – Shrimps Fajitas.  Cumin and chili powder give the shrimp filling a deep flavor; pick up some whole wheat wraps, slap some mayo in it if you are so inclined, add in the shrimp filling and you’re in seafood fajita land.

The flavors may not be authentically Mexican, but you certainly get enough of a South-of-the-Border feeling to make you skip your weekly Taco Bell run! Wifey is not a seafood fan but still asks for a little taste of the onion/pepper curry – the aroma is so tempting.

THE RECIPE

YOU’LL NEED:

• 1 packet whole wheat wraps
• 1 large white Spanish onion, or 2 medium regular yellow onions – thinly sliced.
• 1 medium red pepper – thinly sliced.
• 2 tbslp good extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1lb bag of frozen uncooked shrimp (thawed) OR 1lb fresh shrimp, heads and tails removed.
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• salt to taste, start with a teaspoon and add more later if needed
• Handful of chopped cilantro to garnish (optional)

THE METHOD:

• Heat the 2tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan, and add onions. Cook over medium heat for a couple of mins.
• Add red pepper strips and cook till onions and peppers turn tender.
• Add in shrimp, salt, cumin and chili powder, and cook till the shrimp turn pink.
• Add in the chopped cilantro for garnish.
• Heat the whole wheat wrap in a toaster oven or on a frying pan; I like them very crispy, you might want them just warmed up.
• Spread some mayo on one side of the wrap, add in the shrimp filling, and bite in to the delicious shrimp.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

• You can use Old Bay seafood seasoning if you want some classic flavors
• Parsley can stand in for the cilantro in a pinch, and cayenne pepper for the chili powder
• The filling works great between deli flats or eaten simply with hot white rice also