prosciutto (aka bacon-lite) with shrimp and sage

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My friend Amy’s favorite tale to tell about me is the morning I went on a psychotic verbal rampage after discovering all the bacon had been consumed on our boat trip before I’d gotten out of bed. It was not my proudest moment, however, I must say no one has ever done that to me again. Ever.

This is one of my favorite appetizers even though I want to quit about halfway through putting it all together. I’m not great with repetitive tasks, but this really is worth it.

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In my continued quest to pretend that my food has never been alive so that I can remain an oblivious carnivore, I buy the shrimp already peeled and deveined. Medium to large shrimp works best - it’s easier to handle.

The reason I use prosciutto instead of bacon is just because it’s not as thick and it wraps itself nice and snug around the sage and shrimp. I’ve tried this with bacon as well and it just takes so long to crisp up that sometimes the shrimp ends up over cooked and I’ve wasted the bacon. Which is just tragic.

WHAT TO BUY

16-20 med-large shrimp, peeled and deveined 8 slices prosciutto 16-20 sage leaves 3 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp lemon juice (or use lemon flavored olive oil if you have it) Toothpicks

HOW TO COOK

Mix olive oil and lemon juice in glass bowl and place shrimp inside until fully coated. Let sit in fridge for about an hour. Now begin assembly: place a sage leave along the spine of the shrimp, then wrap with a section of prosciutto – I try to wrap it around just once. You don’t want to overcrowd it. Spear it with the toothpick so the pieces all hold together, making sure the shrimp can still lay on its side with the toothpick in it. It can be pan seared or grilled – about 3 minutes on each side or until the prosciutto has crisped up.

Serves: 8-10 (unless you don't like to share)

Time: 6 minutes cooking, 1.5 hours prep