Seafood is a group of food that I love for many reasons. Not only is it low in fat and high in protein, but it is also very accessible. I think seafood has this connotation that it is either really expensive and good, or it is cheap and you are sitting at the Golden Corral. Seafood can be expensive, but there are some tricks to sneak it into your diet on a budget in Pittsburgh.

First, be smart about where you are buying your seafood. Whole Foods has very high prices, but the fish isn’t any better than the fish at Wholey’s Seafood Market down in the Strip District. The Market District also has some amazing sales on things like crab legs. On Valentines Day, I got a couple pounds of King Crab Legs for less than $20. By going to an actual seafood market or a grocery store where they have a seafood counter, you are able to pick exactly how much fish you want, which saves you money. I almost always buy my shrimp frozen. I think that the quality stays the same, and it is cheaper than fresh shrimp. You can buy frozen shrimp almost anywhere, including Aldi’s and Trader Joe’s.

The un-fun thing about eating animal product is the sustainability factor. A great way to know what and what not to eat is to check out The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch. You will be able to look up every type of seafood in the world and see what kind is okay to buy. The recipe I am sharing today is based on shrimp. Shrimp is versatile and a lot of people love it, even if it is dipped in ketchup and fried…which is delicious. The best type of shrimp to buy is wild from Alaska or Canada.

This recipe is so easy that literally anyone with working hands can make it. It takes no skill at all! Baked shrimp may not sound typical, but it is probably my favorite way to eat them when the grill is put away for the winter. Impress anyone with your seafood “talents,” and serve this with some white wine and crusty bread.

What you will need for about a dozen shrimp:

12 shrimp, deveined and thawed if frozen

½ of a white onion, sliced into thin rings

4 cloves of garlic, smashed

2 lemons, sliced thin.

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of minced rosemary

Salt and pepper to taste

Set the oven to 350 degrees. Place the slices of lemons, onion, and crushed garlic all over a cookie sheet creating a layer of those ingredients. Place your shrimp on top of this layer. Drizzle shrimp with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Cook for 15 minutes.

For the butter-wine sauce:

4 tablespoons of butter

Juice of half a lemon

¼ cup of white wine

Melt the butter and mix the other ingredients into it. Drizzle on top of the shrimp.