Asian Style Shrimp and Scallion Frittata

Asian Style Shrimp and Scallion Frittata

I know, Frittatas are technically Italian, but who can resist this savory combo of flavors? The simple combination of creamy eggs, sweet shrimp, fresh scallions, and a bit of Asian seasonings makes for a fantastic breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Frittatas offer infinite variations, and this one is no exception. You can use crab or lobster in place of the shrimp, can add other vegetables (asparagus is another favorite), skip or increase the amount of cream cheese, and if your diet allows for it, use regular cream cheese or add extra butter for a more traditional-style Frittata. You can also use your favorite milk and yogurt with excellent results. My favorite thing about Frittatas is how versatile they are. You can eat them hot, warm, at room temperature, or chilled and they store well tightly wrapped in the refrigerator and even freeze well, making them perfect for bariatric kitchens. I wrap individual wedges well in plastic wrap and then place the wedges in a heavy freezer bag. They will freeze well for up to two months. If you get overly enthusiastic when mixing the eggs and they start breaking up and resembling scrambled eggs, you can either finish scrambling them in the pan and serve them that way, or you can try to meld the ingredients back together by adding another beaten egg and seeing if you can glue it all back together before placing it back in the oven. Your end result might not be as pretty, but it certainly be just as tasty. I cut these into twelve slices for bariatric-friendly servings, but a “regular” serving would be two slices.

6 eggs or 1 ½ cups egg substitute (for testing I used egg substitute) (201 calories, 45.2 grams protein)
1/4 cup regular or low fat milk or soy milk (for testing I used regular soy milk) (66 calories, 4 grams protein)
1/4 cup fat free Greek yogurt (60 calories, 11 grams protein)
2 tablespoons soy sauce (16 calories, 2 grams protein)
2 teaspoons sesame oil (for testing we used Kevala Organic Toasted Sesame Oil (87 calories)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Dash cayenne
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon margarine or butter (for testing I used 1 tablespoon light butter) (50 calories)
1 tablespoon olive or other cooking oil (119 calories)
½ cup sliced scallions (white and green parts divided) (16 calories, 1 gram protein)
2 minced garlic cloves
3/4 pound peeled and deveined small shrimp (320 calories, 72 grams protein)
2 ounces cubed light cream cheese (148 calories, 5.6 grams protein)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix together the eggs, milk, yogurt, soy sauce, sesame oil, and spices in a medium bowl and set aside. Heat a large, heavy oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the butter and olive oil together in the pan, and once hot add the white part of the scallions and the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes, or until the scallions are starting to soften and the garlic is transparent. Add the shrimp and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring continually, until the shrimp is mostly pink on the outside. Add the egg mixture and cook until the eggs are just starting to set, only stirring gently to move the eggs around and to prevent sticking. Make sure not to over mix the eggs – you do not want them to resemble scrambled eggs. Fold in the cream cheese and reserved green scallions and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until the eggs and shrimp are cooked through and the edges are lightly browned. Let cool in the pan for at least 3-5 minutes to make removing from the pan easier. Remove from the pan and cut into 12 wedges.

Makes 12 servings.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Cooling Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

1083 calories, 116.8 grams protein total
90.3 calories, 11.7 grams protein per serving