I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I could eat these all night.

These shrimp are a little bit sweet and a little bit spicy. Their crisp coconut coating is made with eggs and sour cream, a combination that keeps them ridiculously moist.

Because you butterfly the shrimp, then stand them on end, they also make an impressive opener for a holiday feast.

Serve them as an appetizer, or go nuts and double the recipe to make it a main course.

Vote Hungry Mouse!

OK, so here’s the deal.

This is my entry in the Breakstone’s Battle of the Kitchen Bloggers, hosted by Sandra Lee. (Yep, the same folks who hosted last year’s Triple Churned Challenge.) I’ll have three more posts coming: one for an entree, one for a dessert, and a wrap up.

For the Showdown, Kraft invited me and 2 other bloggers to duke it out. Picture American Idol meets Iron Chef and you’ve kind of got the idea. (Our secret ingredient? Breakstone’s Triple Churned Sour Cream.)

The participating bloggers have a chance to win a cash prize (1^st place is $350, 2^nd place is $250, and 3^rd place is $150).

Enter to win!

As part of the Holiday Showdown, you can enter win a handful of different prizes. If you enter, you’ll have a chance to win a $50 gift card (one winner each week).

You’ll also automatically be entered to win a grand prize of $2,500!

Sound enticing? I thought it might. Click here to enter to win. You can go back and vote and enter every day!

Alrighty, to the ovens!

Sweet & Spicy Coconut Shrimp

1 lb. large shrimp (21/25 count), peeled (leave the tail on), deveined & butterflied
½ cup flour
2 – 3 cups sweetened, flaked coconut
1 Tablespoon chili flakes
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup Breakstone’s sour cream
2 extra-large eggs

Serves 4-6 as an appetizer

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Set up your dredging station

Toss the flaked coconut, chili flakes, parsley, and kosher salt in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.

Whisk the sour cream and eggs together in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.

Put the flour in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside. Your counter should look kinda like this at this point:

Prep the shrimp

Rinse your shrimp and pat them dry with paper towels. If you didn’t buy butterflied shrimp, here’s how to do that.

Grab a shrimp.

With a small, sharp knife, slit the shrimp down its back, cutting about halfway through. (If your shrimp weren’t deveined prior to purchase, you’ll want to yank out the black stuff you see when you make this cut. This is the shrimp’s intestinal track, and you never want to serve it. It’s perfectly edible, but a lot of folks will balk at it.)

And…voila! One butterflied shrimp. Repeat with the rest of the shrimp.

Once you’ve butterflied all your shrimp, grab one by the tail and dip him in the flour. You want to coat all the shrimp except for the tail shell.

Give him a quick shake over the bowl to knock off the excess.

Again, holding him by the tail, dip the floured shrimp into the egg mixture.

Holding him by the tail, drop the coated shrimp in the flaked coconut, and roll him around until he’s completely coated.

When he’s coated in coconut, set him down on your prepared sheet pan, butterflied end down. His tail should curl up and over his body.

Repeat with the rest of the shrimp.

Roast the shrimp

Roast the shrimp in your pre-heated, 425-degree oven for about 15-17 minutes.

When done, yank the pan out of the oven. Cool for 5 minutes on the pan, then serve immediately.

When they’re done, the shrimp will be crisp and lightly browned, on both the top and the bottom.

Serving tips

Now, these are great as is. If you’d like to serve them with a sweet dipping sauce, try warmed apricot preserves. For a more savory sauce, serve with equal parts light soy sauce and grated ginger.

Keep the cooked shrimp for up to one day in the fridge. Honestly, though, they’re best when they’re hot out of the oven.

Enjoy!

Please vote for The Hungry Mouse!

Click here to enter to vote and enter to win.

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OK, so that’s sort of a trick title.

“How to Reheat King Crab” would be more accurate. In the U.S., almost all the King Crab you’ll find in stores is already cooked. (It’s caught, cooked, then blast frozen to preserve its fresh taste.)

This one is more method than actual recipe. The goal is to get the crab hot without drying it out. In reality, it’s really, really easy. The key is to keep them well wrapped (or covered) with liquid.

King Crab legs are at their best when served simply: hot with a side of melted butter for dipping. Call me a purist.

What is a King Crab, anyway?

Let’s back up for a sec before we roast this beastie.

I don’t know about you, but to me, King Crab has always been one of those capital “F” Fancy Foods. It’s right up there with filet mignon and oysters rockafeller. It’s a major player in classic steakhouse surf n’ turf. It feels like it should be complicated to make.

But what, exactly, is King Crab?

There are about 121 species of the prickly, cold water King Crab scrambling around in the seas. Three are most commonly used for food: the red king crab (most prized for flavor), blue king crab (sought out for its sweet meat and giant claws), and golden king crab (the smallest of the three and mildest in flavor).

As with most seafood, there are fishing requirements (size and sex…only males can be kept for food). In the U.S., we catch King Crab up in Alaska (hence, Alaskan King Crab). Alaska’s largest harvest takes place in Bristol Bay, where the King Crab population is abundant and healthy.

As you can tell by the monstrous size of their legs, they’re really big. (Yikes!)

(Photo of brave woman + crab courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

The crabs are a dark, wine red when they’re alive, and bright red when they’re cooked. The meat is snow white, with bright red highlights.

Oh, and it’s notoriously dangerous work to trap them. So before you sit down to dine, say a word or two of thanks to the brave fishermen who fought freezing temps and turbulent seas to bring them to your market. King Crab fishing is the subject of the Discovery Channel’s popular show, Deadliest Catch. (For more fishing facts, Deadliest Catch’s website has a great section called Crab Fishing 101. Check it out here.)

Is King Crab a sustainable seafood?

Well, it depends on where your crab was caught. Seafood Watch recommends avoiding King Crab caught outside the US, but says that domestic King Crab is a good alternative.

I’ve read that a lot of the Alaskan King Crab sold in the U.S. is actually from Russia, so buyer beware. Any reputable fish shop is going to be able to tell you where their stuff was caught without batting an eye.

Did you know?

If that wasn’t enough info about King Crab for ya, here are a few more facts:

• King Crab legs have a size rating, similar to shrimp. They’re measured by how many legs make up 10 lbs. So, a size of “6-9″ means 6-9 legs would weigh 10 lbs. Basically, the smaller the size rating, the bigger the legs.
• While we all know about the legs, King Crab claws are also reportedly very tasty. If you have the chance to try them, jump at it!
• King Crabs can live upwards of 20 years.
• Protein-rich King Crab has no carbs and almost no fat

Serving sizes

OK, this is entirely subjective, but I’d count on 2-4 legs per person if you’re serving them as a main course. Since that can be a pretty pricey affair, I like to serve King Crab as an appetizer, with 1 leg per person.

4 ways to cook King Crab

OK, here’s the deal. Since most King Crab is already cooked when it comes to market, all you have to do is reheat it. This generally takes 5-10 minutes, depending on how you heat them. Here are 4 methods to try.

1. Steamed—Fill a large pot about 1/3 full with water. Bring it to a boil. Put the crab legs in a colander over the boiling water. Put a lid on the pot to steam them to heat them up. This will take about 10 minutes.

2. Boiled—Bring a large pot of water to boil. Knock the heat down so that the water holds a simmer. Drop in your crab legs. Simmer for 5-7 minutes. Remove from the water, drain, and serve.

3. Grilled—Brush your legs with oil (to keep them from sticking). Grill for 5 minutes on each side on a 325 degree grill.

4. Baked—(This is what I did). Baking is a great way to make King Crab legs for a crowd. The legs can be pretty big, so if you have more than a few of them, they can be hard to fit in even the largest stock pot.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Put the crab legs on a sheet pan.

Squeeze a lemon or two over the legs.

Add just enough hot water to cover the bottom of the pan. (Be sure your water is hot.)

Wrap the entire pan in foil. You want a fairly tight seal, to keep the steam in.

Pop the pan into your preheated, 350-degree oven. Bake for about 10 minutes, until heated through. When the time’s up, yank the pan out of the oven, give them a quick test for temperature (I just crack into one and see if it’s hot in the middle), and…voila! You just made King Crab.

Transfer to a platter. Serve with loads of melted butter for dipping. Be sure to put out a few lobster/nut crackers. You’ll need them to get into some parts of those shells!

Enjoy!

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I’m pretty sure I’d be tempted to eat almost anything if you wrapped it in bacon or prosciutto.

This is my take on the classic appetizer, bacon-wrapped scallops. My issue with bacon-wrapped scallops is that, depending on the thickness, the bacon doesn’t always get crisp by the time the scallops are cooked through.

This recipe swaps in prosciutto, bacon’s paper thin, salty cousin, which practically guarantees that your scallops will always come out of the oven wearing a crisp little coat.

This is more method than recipe. Make as many or as few as you need.

A tip for buying prosciutto

I love prosciutto, but it’s one of the pricier things you can find at the deli counter. However, most delis carry two kinds: imported and domestic.

When I’m going to use it in cooking, I always go for domestic prosciutto, which is a lot cheaper (~$5/lb. at my local deli) than imported (~$17/lb.). Save the imported stuff for simple but lux apps like prosciutto wrapped melon or an antipasto platter.

How to buy scallops

Much like shrimp, scallops are often sold by the “count,” a number which tells you how many scallops there are per pound. The lower the “count” number, the bigger the scallops.

And just like with shrimp, if you don’t have a good seafood shop nearby, you’ll be just fine (if not better off) with frozen scallops.

For example, the scallops I got were “U/10″ count, which means that there are under 10 scallops per pound.

Which means, they were huge. As in, HUGE:

Alrighty…to the kitchen!

Roasted Scallops Wrapped in Prosciutto

Extra large scallops
Prosciutto
Kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Olive oil

Plan on 2-3 scallops per person for an appetizer, or 5-8 for a main course, depending on their size.

Thaw your scallops

If you’re using fresh scallops, skip ahead to the next step.

If your scallops are frozen, thaw them out by letting them sit in a bowl of icy cold water for an hour or so. You can do this on the counter (just make sure the water doesn’t get remotely warm…warm, raw seafood = poisoning waiting to happen), or keep the bowl in the fridge (which will take a little longer).

Wrap the scallops (do up to a few hrs. ahead of time)

Once your scallops are thawed, remove them from the water. Drain them well, then pat them dry with paper towels.

Drizzle the scallops with olive oil, then sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Toss to coat.

Grab one slice of prosciutto. Fold it in half lengthwise, and wrap it around a scallop.

You can prep these little guys a few hours ahead of time, so they’re set to pop into the oven when your guests arrive. If you do that, put your scallops on a plate or dish, snuggled up next to each other so the prosciutto stays firmly in place.

If you’re roasting them right away, put them on a parchment lined pan, well spaced out, so the prosciutto can get crispy.

Repeat with the rest.

Pop the pan into the fridge until you’re ready to roast them.

Roast the scallops

When you’re ready to cook them, line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Space the scallops out well, so they’re not touching. (If they’re too close, the prosciutto will wind up steaming, instead of crisping.)

Pop the pan into your preheated 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes. Keep a close eye on them. Your final cooking time will vary based on how large your scallops are.

Your scallops are done when the prosciutto is crisp and the scallops are firm to the touch and opaque throughout. (When in doubt, cut into one to check. If it’s opaque on the edges, but jiggly and translucent in the middle, it needs a little more time in the oven.)

Serve immediately. Enjoy!

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I get a lot of questions about how to properly cook shrimp and seafood.

In a lot of cases, fresh seafood is at its best when it’s prepared simply, enhanced by a few ingredients and spices—not masked by a ton of flavors and heavy sauces.

In my mind, the most important thing to know about cooking shrimp is not really how to cook it, but how to not overcook it. (Which, I guess, amounts to kind of the same thing, but you see where I’m going with this.)

This shrimp cocktail is simmered quickly in a bubbling bath that’s laced with all sorts of herbs and spices. The result is deeply flavorful, moist shrimp cocktail.

Here’s a detailed guide on how to prepare my version of classic shrimp cocktail.

How to buy shrimp

Unless you have a great seafood shop near you, there’s no shame in buying frozen shrimp. Fresh seafood is extremely perishable, and should almost always be consumed within 24 hours of purchase.

Fresh or frozen, shrimp are sold by the “count.” You’ll find this number displayed prominently on the package, and it will look something like “21/25″ or “U/15.”

This number tells you how many shrimp there are per pound. So, a package of “21/25″ shrimp has 21 – 25 shrimp per pound. “U/15″ has under 15 shrimp per pound.

The lower the “count” number, the larger the shrimp. Shrimp always shrink a little when they’re cooked. Buy the biggest you can find/afford for shrimp cocktail. (After all, shrimp cocktial is kinda about the wow factor.) For shrimp that you’re going to chop up or incorporate into a dish (like rice or pasta), smaller shrimp are just fine, and will be way cheaper.

This time, my shrimp were “U/15.” Here’s my paw, for scale.

As a general rule, 1 pound of shell-on, raw shrimp will yield about a 1/2 pound of cooked, peeled shrimp.

Three ways to tell that shrimp is cooked

Shrimp generally only take a couple of minutes to cook. They’re small. When in doubt, cut into one and take a peek.

1. It will be opaque, not translucent.
2. It will be curled in a loose “C” shape (a tight curl means that your shrimp are likely overcooked)
3. It will feel firm, not squishy, to the touch

How to defrost frozen shrimp

Always defrost shrimp by putting it in the refrigerator overnight, or on the counter in a bowl of ice water (this is faster, but you need to keep an eye on the bowl to make sure it stays good and cold. Warm, raw seafood = poison waiting to happen.)

Shrimp Cocktail

Shrimp
2 lbs. raw shrimp, ideally 15-20 count
water
a few cups of ice

Shrimp boil
2 lemons, halved
3 whole bay leaves
1 tsp. ground cayenne
2 tsp. whole celery seed
2 tsp. whole coriander seed
4 tsp. whole mustard seeds
2 tsp. black peppercorns
2 tsp. whole allspice berries
1 tsp. whole cloves
2 tsp. red pepper flakes or Aleppo chili flakes
2 tsp. dried thyme

Cocktail sauce, garnish

Serves 4-6 as an appetizer

Grab your shrimp. If it’s fresh, skip ahead to the cooking step. If it’s frozen, read on.

Thaw your shrimp

Put your frozen shrimp in a large bowl.

Fill the bowl with cold water, and toss in a few cups of ice. Let them sit on the counter like this for a little over an hour, stirring occasionally to break up the shrimp. Like I said, keep an eye on them. If this freaks you out, you can always pop the bowl in the fridge. They’ll just take longer to thaw.

Assemble the spices for the shrimp boil

While your shrimp is thawing, toss all the spices (bay leaves, ground cayenne, whole celery seed, whole coriander seed, whole mustard seeds, black peppercorns, whole allspice berries, whole cloves, red pepper flakes or Aleppo chili flakes, and dried thyme) in a bowl, so you’re ready to go when your shrimp is.

Clean the shrimp

When your shrimp are thawed, you’re ready to clean the little guys. Yank them out of the water.

Tip
I always clean shrimp under cold, running water. It makes it a ton easier to remove the vein, etc. (The water helps you get all the guck out.) That said, I’m going to show you how to clean one without the running water, so you can see the steps well.

Grab a shrimp.

Starting at the non-tail end, rip the shell off, feet and all. Remove the shell almost down to the tail. (Leaving the tail on is a matter of preference, but makes for a good handle and a great presentation.)

With a paring knife, make a shallow slice down his back.

In almost all your shrimp, you’ll see the dark “vein” of the shrimp. This is actually the little guy’s digestive track. While it’s technically edible, it’s generally considered in very bad taste (i.e. unappetizing) to leave it in the shrimp.

Pull the vein out. It runs the length of the shrimp. (Like I said, this is a lot easier when done under cold, running water.)

Your clean shrimp will look like this. When the shrimp is cooked, the slice open up and give it a nice butterflied look.

Set your shrimp aside and repeat with the rest of his friends, until you’ve cleaned them all.

If you want to, clean the shrimp a few hours (no longer than 24 hours) ahead of time. Keep the cleaned shrimp in a bowl of ice in the fridge until you’re ready to cook them.

Make the shrimp boil

Whack your lemons in half.

Fill a pot with about 4 inches of water. Set it on the stove over high heat to start to get it boiling. Squeeze the lemons into the water, then drop in the lemon halves (those rinds have a lot of intensely flavorful essential oils).

Toss in all your spices.

Let this boil for a few minutes, to start to extract the flavor from all those spices.

Make your ice bath

Wait, more ice? Yep, more ice. Like I said, it’s easy to overcook shrimp. So, the minute they’re done, you want them to stop cooking—and fast.

While your shrimp boil is boiling, toss a few cups of ice in a large bowl and fill it with cold water. You’re going to shock the shrimp cold, just like when you blanche green veggies.

Cook the shrimp

Ah, the moment of truth. Grab your cleaned shrimp and toss them into your bubbling pot. Keep the heat on high.

Give it a stir. Parts of your shrimp should start to turn pink almost immediately. They’ll cook quickly, so don’t walk away from the pot.

When the shrimp are curled, opaque, and firm to the touch, they should be done. When in doubt, cut into one and look. It should be opaque ALL the way through. If it’s opaque on the edges, but still kind of jelly-like in the center, it’s still a little raw. Leave the shrimp in for a minute or two, then check again. (Cook shrimp like this a few times, and you’ll get a good feel for when they’re done.)

Shock the shrimp to stop cooking

When they’re cooked, fish the shrimp out of the pot with a spider or slotted spoon and transfer them to your bowl of ice water.

Stir the bowl to help the shrimp cool quickly. And…you did it! Voila, one perfectly cooked, flavorful shrimp, just waiting for a quick dip in cocktail sauce.

When the shrimp are cold, remove them from the ice water. You can keep them on ice, covered in the fridge, for a few hours before serving.

Serve with your favorite cocktail sauce.

Enjoy!

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Pizza is the great unifier.

I mean, you can take a handful of motley, leftover ingredients (say, a little spinach, some cooked bacon, the last bits of a few different kinds of cheese), put them on a pizza, and…presto! A delicious meal with very little effort.

It’s my ultimate I-have-no-idea-what-to-make-for-dinner-tonight meal.

This is also my second entry in the Breakstone’s Triple Churned Challenge. If you like what you see, please consider voting for my menu! (When you vote, you’ll be entered to win $300!)

Homemade pizza dough versus store bought

For this pizza, you can go all out and make the dough from scratch—or, if you’re short on time, swing by your local pizza joint and ask them to sell you a ball or two of dough. Most places are happy to oblige.

Or grab a ball of fresh dough at the grocery store on your way home from work. (Pizza dough also freezes really well. You just need to plan ahead a little to thaw it out.)

I’ll often make a batch of dough at the beginning of the week, so I have it on hand when inspiration strikes.

My favorite pizza dough recipes

If you want to make your own dough, here’s a list of my favorite pizza recipes to date. I used the dough from the Thin-Crust Pizza for this pizza.

• Thin-Crust Pizza—great flavor, chewy texture, needs to be made the night before
• Nice & Easy Pizza Dough—quick dough, aged less, good in a pinch
• Thick Crust Sausage & Cheese Pizza—thicker, breadier crust

Less is more (the secret to good thin-crust pizza)

Go light on toppings. Use as many as you like, but don’t pile them on by the metric tonne. When you’re tempted to add more: Stop. You can do it. You’ll thank yourself later.

Your restraint will help keep the crust from getting soggy.

Pizza is a good way to use up leftover ingredients

Or stretch a small amount of pricier ingredients to feed a crowd.

For this pizza, you build layers of flavor by quickly sautéing the shrimp in a little bit of bacon fat and freshly cracked black pepper. The bacon adds a subtle smokiness that pairs really well with the asparagus.

Click here for step-by-step instructions on how to peel and devein fresh shrimp. (Scroll down.)

I used 16/25 count shrimp for this recipe, but by all means, use any size you like—or whatever’s on sale.

Bigger shrimp just make a more dramatic presentation.

The white sauce is a mixture of ricotta and Breakstone’s sour cream, which adds a really nice tang to the pizza.

I used whole milk ricotta, but it would be good with skim, too.

For this recipe, I used my favorite Black Forest bacon from Whole Foods.

The Black Forest bacon is totally worth hunting down, and not really more expensive than a pound of regular bacon that’s not on sale. (Alright, I’ll readily admit that I’m probably addicted to the stuff.) But by all means, use your favorite bacon.

The fresh chili pepper adds a little heat (if you’re not crazy about hot stuff, just leave it off).  I also used asparagus, one of my favorite springtime veggies—not to mention an excellent companion to bacon.

This particular combination of ingredients makes a great springtime pizza.

My second recipe for the Breakstone’s Triple Churned Challenge

So, we’ve been challenged!

That’s right! The good folks from Breakstone’s threw down the gauntlet, and we picked it right up (mice love found things, after all). Here’s the scoop on The Breakstone’s Triple Churned Challenge.

Vote today and be entered to win $300

Breakstone’s challenged me and three other gals to create an appetizer, entree, and dessert using their Triple Churned Sour Cream.

This contest is sponsored by Breakstone’s and the winner will be chosen by reader vote. Readers can vote for their favorite recipes here once a day. The grand prize is $3,000 (how cool is that?)!

And every time you vote, you’ll be entered to win a $300. The more you vote, the greater your chances to win. (Thanks, Breakstone’s!)

If you missed it, here’s my entry in the appetizer category: Panko & Chili Crusted Oven Fried Chicken Fingers.

The basic technique for this pizza

The short version of this recipe goes like this: Fry the bacon and par-cook the shrimp. Roll the dough out. Slap a little sauce on it. Arrange your ingredients. Bake in a super hot oven for about 12 minutes. Inhale.

Read on for more detailed instructions.

Spicy White Pizza with Bacon, Shrimp & Asparagus

1 ball pizza dough (see note above)
coarse cornmeal for the pizza pan
1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta
1/4 cup Breakstone’s sour cream
1/4 lb. bacon, diced
1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
6-7 spears asparagus, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 chili pepper, seeded, deveined, and sliced into thin strips
shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
freshly cracked black pepper

Makes 1 large pizza

Bring your dough to room temperature

For this recipe, I’m assuming that you either bought a ball of pizza dough somewhere—or made your own. If you’ve refrigerated your dough, take it out and let it come up to room temperature before handling.

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees.

Prep your veggies

Nip the bottom quarter-inch or so of the asparagus off and discard. Chop the spears into pieces about a half an inch long. Whack the top off your chili pepper.

Cut it in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and the ribs. Discard them.

Slice the pepper lengthwise into thin strips.

Make the white sauce for the pizza

Put the ricotta and the Breakstone’s sour cream in a small bowl.

Grind on a little fresh black pepper. (I don’t add any salt here because the shredded cheese is usually plenty salty.)

Mix until uniform. Set aside.

Fry the bacon

Dice the bacon up. Put it in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat.

Stir occasionally, cooking until the bacon is crisp.

Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon. Set it aside in a bowl (line it with a paper towel, if you like, to catch any leftover grease).

Pre-cook the shrimp

Discard most of the bacon fat from the frying pan. (Save it in the fridge and use it to fry potatoes!)

Toss the shrimp into the pan. Season with a little freshly cracked black pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.

This is important. You just want to get a little color on the shrimp at this point—but not cook them all the way through.

When they’ve just turned pink on both sides, yank them out of the pan and put them in a bowl. (See how they’re a little blueish and translucent in places? That’s what you want. It means they’re still raw inside.) They’ll finish cooking in the oven.

Roll out the dough

Sprinkle a little coarse cornmeal on a large pizza pan (round or rectangular…up to you!

Set your ball of dough on a lightly floured board.

Stretch it out (or roll it…sacrilege, I know…but also pretty darn effective) so it covers your whole pizza pan.

Assemble the pizza!

Grab your cheese out of the fridge. It’s time to assemble the pizza.

So, by now, your counter should look about like this. Pan covered in dough. Ricotta/sour cream white sauce. Fried bacon and shrimp. Sliced asparagus and chili pepper. Grated Parmesan and shredded mozzarella.

Spread a thin layer of white sauce on the dough. (Depending on how large your pizza is and how thin you rolled the crust, you may or may not use all of the sauce.)

Sprinkle with half the chopped bacon.

Sprinkle with a little shredded mozzarella.

Arrange the shrimp so they’re spread out.

Add some slivers of pepper.

And the asparagus spears.

Sprinkle with the rest of the bacon, a little more mozzarella, and some grated Parmesan. Topping a pizza like this (cheese, toppings, more cheese), helps the toppings stick to the pizza better when you bite into a slice.

Bake the pizza!

Pop the pizza into your preheated 500-degree oven.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cheese is brown and bubbly and the crust is crisp.

Yank the pan out of the oven. Slice immediately and serve.

Enjoy!

If you liked this pizza, please vote for me!

You can vote daily, and be entered to win $300.

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