Green asparagus with shrimp

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 small romaine lettuce
• 12 stalk(s) asparagus, green
• e.g. fish sauce, light, 1-2 tsp, e.g. kecap ikan “King Lobster”
• 3 tbsp butter, unsalted
• 16 shrimp, fresh or frozen, approx. 13 – 14 cm
• 2 tbsp almond flakes, peeled
• e.g. cashew nuts, roasted
• n. B. flowers and leaves

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 10 minutes; Total time approx. 40 minutes

A delicious appetizer served on a bed of lettuce with cashews and almond flakes. Recipe from Hong Kong, China.

Wash the fresh shrimp or thawed frozen shrimp. Twist the heads off all the shrimp, then wash them all again. Cut each shrimp open down the back with small scissors down to the last segment (leave this segment and the tail if desired), peel off the chitinous shell, removing the black intestine, and pull the rest of the body from the last segment. Divide the lettuce into leaves, wash, and spin dry. Line a serving dish with them. Wash the fresh, green asparagus, trim off about 2 cm from the bottom end, and peel from the bottom half. Discard the peels and any remaining parts. Cut off about 4 cm of the heads and use them for another side dish. Cook the asparagus spears in a pan with very little water for 3 minutes, then remove from the stock and set aside. Season the asparagus water with 1-2 teaspoons of fish sauce. Add the butter and melt. Add the shrimp and toss to allow them to turn pink. Remove the shrimp from the sauce with a slotted spoon and arrange it among the lettuce leaves. Add the asparagus to the pan, toss briefly, and then add it to the shrimp. Finally, add the flaked almonds to the sauce and let it warm through. Drizzle the sauce and almonds over the shrimp. Garnish the dish, serve warm, and enjoy. Note: The buttered asparagus spears are too smooth for plastic skewers. Less experienced eaters may end up making a mess.