Caprese Portobellos with Balsamic Glaze

The Best Caprese Portobellos

If you love Mushrooms and you love Caprese, you are absolutely going to love this Caprese Portobellos recipe because it combines the best of both worlds. Using Large Portobello mushroom caps gives a ton of surface area to cram in plenty of Mozzarella, Tomatoes and Fresh Basil. And, if you prepare your dish the way I show you how to do it, you’re whole world will change. So open your mind to other possibilities and I’ll show you how to make the best Mushroom Caprese.

What is Caprese Portobellos

To understand Caprese you must understand, first, that it is a traditional Italian recipe that usually breaks down to 3 basic ingredients: Mozzarella, Tomatoes and Fresh Basil. Many folks consider Caprese Antipasto ingredients and many Caprese Salad recipes exist because of the over all freshness the combination provides. My sources tell me that the real Caprese is just Buffalo Mozzarella, which is made from Buffalo milk and it’s a typical dish served in the Isle of Capri.

Normally, Caprese Portobellos is prepared and served with fresh Tomatoes but I am recommending my Marinated and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, instead, for several reasons. First, because roasted cherry tomatoes are awesome, so that’s just a no brainer, and second because you want to add olive oil to the mushrooms and the olive oil, marinating the cherry tomatoes, has garlic and fresh herbs roasted into it. So it really enhances the flavor, a ton. If you want to use fresh tomatoes, instead, that’s fine too but I highly recommend mixing a 1/4 cup of olive oil with some fresh chopped garlic and a pinch of salt, at the very least, and add that to the mushrooms.

Also, when it comes to the Balsamic Glaze, most recipes recommend a 1 to 4 ratio of Brown Sugar and Balsamic Vinegar. I don’t agree with this at all and I was trained to balance the bitter with more sweet. I would recommend a 1 to 1 ratio, instead but that’s entirely up to you. Bring it to boil and reduce the heat to medium. Cook it for 5 minutes until the sauce reduces and practically caramelizes and you will have a perfect glaze.

Caprese Portobellos Ingredients:

4 to 6 Large Portobello Mushroom Caps
4 oz Cherry Tomatoes, marinated & roasted
1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese
6 Fresh Basil leaves, chopped
2 tbsp Butter, melted
1 Garlic Clove, chopped
Salt and Pepper, taste

Balsamic Glaze
1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
2 tbsp Brown Sugar

Be sure to watch the short video tutorial for this Caprese Portobellos recipe and follow the recommendations in this post for a perfect dish.

Tempura Lobster Tails with Dipping Sauce

Awesome Lobster Tails

If you thought Shrimp Tempura was good, you’re going to go out of your mind with this Lobster Tails recipe. Especially if you your a fan of good Tempura because you’ve got the best of both worlds right here. As you may or may not know, Prawns and Lobsters are in the same crustacean family, only Lobster’s are generally much larger. So, from my perspective, bigger is better and I show you how to make Perfect Tempura Batter, in one of my older posts, and take you straight to one of the best appetizers ever invented.

What size Lobster Tails to use

I’ve been seeing 4 to 6 oz Lobster Tails on sale in just about every grocery store that has a seafood department for only about $5 bucks a piece, lately. So you really can’t go wrong with that kind of deal if you want to give this a try sometime. Really you can use just about any size you want. You’ll just have to adjust the cooking time if you get any thicker than what I’m recommending here for this Tempura recipe. Just be sure you buy enough Lobster Tails because these things are so delicious and they go down fast.

Check out my other Lobster recipes:
Stuffed Lobster, Steak House style Lobster Tail, Lobster Ravioli Sauce,
Lobster Bisque, Red Lobster Crab Cakes, Poor Man’s Lobster

Tempura Lobster Tails Ingredients:

2 Lobster tails, pealed and de-veined
Pinch of Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Tempura Batter
1 egg yoke
1 cup Tonic or Seltzer Water, Carbonated is the key
1 cup Flour

Dipping Sauce
1 teaspoon Hoisin Sauce
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Black Bean Sauce
1/4 cup Orange Chili Sauce

Cook and submerge your Tempura Lobsters in Oil for approximately 5 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Bacon Fried Shrimp with Pepper Jack Cheese

Close-up of crispy bacon-wrapped shrimp on a serving platter, garnished with parsley — Bacon Fried Shrimp with black pepper stuffed with Pepper-Jack Cheese, served in a green dish on a black plate.

The Best Bacon Fried Shrimp

When I first had Bacon Fried Shrimp, all I could do was melt into myself with pleasure. I remember my head tilting back with my eyes closed as that bacon and shrimp exploded with flavor with each bite. Oh… and did I mention the Pepper Jack Cheese? Wow! Each one of these prawns is stuffed with cheese before they’re wrapped with an entire piece of bacon. Then, they are each seasoned with black ground pepper before they’re fried to perfection.

Bacon-wrapped shrimp and Pepper Jack Cheese frying in a pan, sizzling to crispy perfection. — Pan-fried Bacon Fried Shrimp with Pepper Jack Cheese, sizzling in a stainless steel frying pan on the stove-top.

Grilling Bacon Fried Shrimp

This dish may be called “Bacon Fried Shrimp,” but don’t feel limited by the frying pan. These savory, bacon-wrapped shrimp shine just as brightly on the grill, making them a surefire hit at barbecues and parties. Want to mix things up? You can even bake them if that’s more your style. No matter how you cook them, the key is simple: ensure the bacon is cooked all the way through for maximum flavor and safety.

And for an extra kick, I whipped up a Spicy Mayo Dipping Sauce that takes these shrimp to the next level. It’s creamy, tangy, and packs a flavor punch that perfectly complements the crispy, juicy shrimp. Trust me, you’re going to love it!

If you like this Bacon Fried Shrimp recipe, be sure to check out some of my other Shrimp recipes. Thai Red Curry Shrimp, Shrimp Scampi and Firecracker Shrimp, which is a lot like the Bonefish Grill’s “Bang bang shrimp.” Here’s a list and short video of 20 Shrimp Recipes that you can choose from.

Bacon Fried Shrimp Ingredients:

12 Jumbo Shrimp: Peeled, deveined, and ready for cooking.
1 (12 oz) package of thin-sliced Bacon: Choose a thinner cut to ensure even cooking and crispness.
1/4 lbs Pepper Jack Cheese: (optional) Cut into small slices that will fit perfectly over each shrimp.
Black Pepper: Sprinkle coarse ground black pepper over the outside of the bacon wrapped shrimp.

For the Spicy Mayo Dipping Sauce:

1/4 cup Mayonnaise: The creamy base for the sauce.
1 tbsp Ketchup: Adds a touch of sweetness and tang.
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce: Enhances the savory umami flavor.
1 tsp Sriracha: For a balanced kick of heat.
1/2 tsp Horseradish: Adds a subtle, spicy bite.
1 pinch of Dill: A fresh herbal note to complement the shrimp.

Cooking Instructions

Serve: Arrange the bacon-fried shrimp on a platter with the spicy mayo dipping sauce on the side.
Prepare the Shrimp: Wrap each jumbo shrimp and slice of cheese tightly with a slice of bacon. Secure with a toothpick if needed.
Heat the Oil: Pour 1/2 inch of canola oil into a skillet and preheat over medium heat.
Cook the Shrimp: Fry the bacon-wrapped shrimp in 1/2 inch of Canola oil. It’s best to pan fry in batches for about 5 minutes per side, or until the bacon is crispy and shrimp is cooked through, then serve.

Be sure to watch the short video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how to make these Bacon Fried Shrimp.

Recommendations

Frying Pans, Knives, Cutting Boards, Tongs, Serving Tray.

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