Suitable for Lent: Shrimp Parm

Spending my elementary years in classes taught by religious sisters made Ash Wednesday a pretty solemn commemoration, what with the “remember thou art dust” observation, ash marks on the forehead and a day of fasting and abstinence (from meat). For obvious reasons, believers don’t go around saying “Happy Ash Wednesday” — even though it marks the approach of one of the most upbeat, colorful (and delicious) Holy Days/Holidays: Easter.

So writing a test kitchen for the onset of Lent feels a bit contradictory for me. Cooking in general — and trying new recipes in particular — is part of the joy of living, hardly a sentiment in tune with the penitential theme of the day. Yet this particular dish is actually suitable if you are one of those abstaining from meat (as long as you use a meatless tomato sauce). Shrimp falls under the “seafood” category allowed on days of abstinence.

I’d like to say I made this with that venerable tradition in mind, but the reality is more prosaic. A while ago I happened to turn on a rerun of The Goldbergs in which Beverly talked about her “famous shrimp parm,” which prompted me to Google “Shrimp Parm recipes.” While I did find one claiming to be connected to the actual show, I opted for this version from food.com.

Long-time readers know I have tried plenty of shrimp recipes, including a spicy parmesan shrimp with pasta in 2020 for what was my fifth Test Kitchen article (MT & I started the series when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down most local events that usually fill these pages). That differed markedly from this dish; the shrimp weren’t breaded, there was no tomato sauce, and nothing was baked.

We thoroughly enjoyed this. MT deemed it a terrific “comfort food,” but after a second generous helping decided to offer an opinion I had expected to hear much sooner. As with almost all breaded meats and seafood, she said that as good as it was, she’d probably like it better sans the coating.

I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t do this without breading the shrimp, but I thought this particular mix of Panko crumbs, seasoned crumbs and Parmesan was particularly tasty. In fact, I’m not sure it could be called “shrimp parm” without it.

Two notes: I didn’t have any mayonnaise handy so I didn’t use it, and I opted to make homemade whole wheat thin spaghetti, though almost any pasta would work.

Dobru chut!

Shrimp Parm (food.com)

11⁄2 pounds extra large shrimp, peeled and de-veined

1⁄2 cup flour

1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

3⁄4 to 1 cup breadcrumbs, well seasoned (Italian spices)

3⁄4 to 1 cup panko breadcrumbs

3⁄4 to 1 cup grated parmesan cheese (4 ounces), plus more for topping

2 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

olive oil, split use (frying, and drizzled over pasta)

16 ounces of grated mozzarella cheese

3-4 cups Italian tomato sauce (I used 2 jars)

1 pound pasta, cooked al dente

In a zip lock bag or bowl, mix flour seasoned with salt and Old Bay. Toss shrimp in mix to coat. Remove shrimp but reserve excess coating in bag or bowl. Add Panko crumbs, Italian-seasoned crumbs and Parmesan cheese and mix together.

In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and mayonnaise.

Dip floured shrimp into egg mixture, then into bread crumbs for coating. Heat oil in a large pan. Cook breaded shrimp until golden brown on each side. Place on paper towel to remove excess oil.

Cook pasta, drain, and toss with some olive oil.

Heat oven to 350°.

Spread one-third of the sauce on the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch casserole dish. Spread cooked pasta on top of sauce. Spread another third of the sauce on top of pasta. Lay shrimp on top of that. sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese, and cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle additional grated Parmesan cheese on top. Bake until cheese is melted, about 15-20 minutes.

Local journalism matters, and your support makes it possible. You can help sustain this work by making a donation or choosing one of our subscription options. Subscribers enjoy valuable benefits, including full access to our e-edition, a reduced ad experience on timesleader.com, and more.

Your support helps ensure independent, high-quality local news remains available today and for future generations. Thank you for standing with local journalism.

Click for subscription offers.