Grilled Shrimp with Cilantro Cream Sauce

My dad is a wonderful cook and has taught me many things about using fresh, quality ingredients to develop new and interesting recipes.  One of his greatest talents in the kitchen is his ability to look in the pantry and make a recipe up on the fly. Unfortunately, I am not as talented in this as he is! I like the recipes to give me direction and once I feel comfortable with it, I can play around with it a little more.

This recipe for Grilled Shrimp with Cilantro Cream Sauce is one of those recipes that dad came up with one weeknight.  It. is. AMAZING! You have to really like cilantro to fully enjoy this recipe as it calls for an entire bunch to be used.

Some other things to note:
1. Dad never writes any of his recipes down...so sometimes it takes me FOREVER to get it out of him!
2. He also never measures ANYTHING - making it hard to blog about a recipe for other people...but I'll do my best :)

Grilled Shrimp with Cilantro Cream Sauce

1 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 stick of butter
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 bunch cilantro (leaves only - about 1 cup), chopped
1 sweet onion, diced
half and half
flour, about 4 Tbs.
salt and pepper, to taste
red pepper flakes, optional
Pasta of your choice (I used Rotini this time)

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add the shrimp and saute until just cooked through - lightly pink and no longer translucent. Reserve for later.

Boil water for noodles.  Cook noodles of your choice according to package directions. Drain.

In the same skillet, melt the butter.  Add the onions and saute until the onions are soft and lightly brown.  Sprinkle the flour over the butter/onion mixture to create a roux. This is where the guessing comes in to play...you need to use about as much flour as there is liquid.  Cook the roux 2-3 minutes or until you have a thick paste.

Pour the half and half into the skillet and whisk out all of the lumps of flour.  Add the cilantro and shrimp, stir. Add the salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, to taste.   Cook until thickened and the shrimp is heated through.

Serve over pasta.

Enjoy!