To a gourmet, shrimp are ubiquitous and
indispensable. Hot or
cold, plain or sauced, shrimp are a universal American
favorite—because we have such good shrimp—and via deep freezing, they
are available everywhere in the country. But
other countries also like shrimp; next to our own delicious Mexican Gulf shrimp, the best in the world are
probably Korean.
A gourmet cook can do absolutely anything with
shrimp! They go into sauces, either whole or sliced;
they can be used in any traditional
course but dessert . . . and since there exists a liver ice cream (for diabetic diets), perhaps shrimps could also be used this way!
Shrimp can be boiled in the shell: place in cold
water with pickling
spices, if you like; bring to the boil and cook no more than 4 minutes. Or shrimp can be shelled
and de-veined for use in special recipes ... or they can be cut in fancy ways (particularly for Oriental dishes), with or without an inch
of tail shell left behind for eating in the fingers. A
Smorgasbord serves cold boiled shrimp unshelled; you do the work of skinning before you dunk in a sauce.
One way
or another, shrimp are runner-up in indispensa-bility to onions. No true
gourmet can live without either of them.
SCAMPI, TEMPURA, DE JONGHE and WEST INDIAN SHRIMPS
Italian,
Japanese, East and West Indian shrimp treatments —just to give a sampling.
Scampi is the Italian word for shrimp. There are many ways to prepare them, but all are
basically broiled shrimp with
garlic and tomatoes. The real variation lies in whether or not they are shelled.
Most Scampi dishes are shelled raw shrimp with a bit of tail shell remaining, but some of the finest Italian restaurants serve Scampi in the shell, merely cutting
down the inside curve and
spreading apart to form a butterfly-shape. The latter is attractive, but hard to eat; it can only
be used with the very largest shrimps or prawns.
Basic Scampi
1 1/2 pounds raw clean shrimp (or 2 defrosted clean boxes)
4 minced garlic cloves
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup minced parsely
2 minced shallots
1/4 tsp oregano
Saute shrimp in olive oil for 5 minutes over high
heat, shaking or stirring
briskly until cooked. Season with salt and pepper and remove to a hot ovenproof platter,
draining off the oil.
Add remaining ingredients to olive oil, saute
over medium high flame for 3 minutes, shaking the pan briskly. Pour sauce over shrimp and broil for 2 minutes.
Scampi
a la Casa
1 ½ pounds raw cleaned shrimp ( or 2 defrosted cleaned boxes)
½ cup flour
½ cup olive oil
½ cup dry white wine
2 T brandy
2 tsp tomato paste
2 tsp lemon juice
¾ cup water
1 T minced fresh parsley
2 minced shallots or scallions
Salt, pepper, a dash of Cayenne
Roll the washed shrimp in flour, brown thoroughly in
hot olive oil and drain off the oil to a
separate saucepan.
Add wine and brandy to
shrimp, warm for a few seconds, then flame;
stir shrimps briskly until flames die. Reduce heat and cook very gently until all liquid is absorbed
by the shrimps.
Meanwhile, combine
olive oil, tomato paste, salt, pepper, Cayenne and water, and blend for 5 minutes over
low heat.
Finally, pour this sauce over shrimp, add parsley and scallions, simmer for a final 5 minutes.
Remove to serving plates, sprinkle with the lemon juice, and serve.
