James Beard's New Fish Cookery (48 page)

BROILED SHRIMP ITALIAN

1/2 cup olive oil

2 pounds large shrimp

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 pound prosciutto, shredded

1 cup tomato sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup red wine

Shell and clean the shrimp, leaving the tails intact. Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the garlic. Sauté it gently without browning. Add the ham and cook 2 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, seasonings, and red wine and blend well. Cool. Arrange the shrimp in a 9-by-14-inch pan and pour the sauce over them. Marinate for 2 hours. Broil in the sauce for about 7 to 9 minutes.

BROILED SHRIMP

2 pounds shrimp

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup peanut oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

1/4 cup chili sauce

Shell and devein the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Combine the other ingredients. Marinate the shrimp in this mixture for 2 hours. Broil in the sauce for 7 to 8 minutes.

VARIATION

Leave the shells on the shrimp and let them soak in the marinade for 2 hours. Arrange them in a grill or on skewers and grill over or under coals or under the broiler. They should broil in about 5 minutes. Serve with plenty of napkins and plates, of course. Heat the marinade separately to be used as a dip, and let each person shell his own shrimp and dip them in the sauce.

SHRIMP EN BROCHETTE

Any of the preceding recipes for broiling may be used for broiling
en brochette.
Remove the shrimp from the marinade and arrange them on the skewers. Brush them with oil or butter and broil for about 5 minutes. Heat the sauce separately and serve as a dip.

SHRIMP AND MUSHROOM EN BROCHETTE

Alternate large shrimp and mushrooms on a brochette. Salt and pepper and brush well with olive oil or butter. Broil about 5 minutes.

HELEN EVANS BROWN’S STUFFED BROILED SHRIMP

Shell and clean the shrimp and cut them almost in half — as for butterfly shrimp. Poach them in court bouillon (page 18). Place an anchovy fillet between the halves of each shrimp and press them together tightly. Wrap each shrimp in half a slice of bacon. Arrange 3 to 5 of these shrimp on a skewer and bake in a moderate oven or broil until the bacon is crisp. Serve as a first course with broiled tomato or with a cucumber salad.

Shrimp as a Main Course

SHRIMP IN CREAM

Shell and devein 2 pounds of shrimp and cook for 3 minutes in salted water. Prepare a shellfish velouté (page 21) or béchamel (page 23) and combine with the cooked shrimp. Heat until the fish is hot through and the flavors are blended. Serve with croustades, toast, patty shells, or vol au vent. Garnish with finely chopped hard-cooked egg.

SHRIMP WIGGLE

This dish, which used to be the delight of the chafing dish and the standby of the girls’ dormitory, can be delightful if correctly prepared.

Combine 1 large can of French peas
(petits pois),
which have been heated with 4 tablespoons of butter and 1 teaspoon of onion juice, with the recipe above for shrimps in cream. Use the liquid from the peas in preparing the velouté or béchamel.

SHRIMP SAUTÉ IN CREAM

2 pounds shrimp

Flour

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon minced onion

1 tablespoon minced parsley

1 tablespoon minced tarragon

11/2 cups heavy cream

Shell and devein the shrimp. Dredge them with flour. Melt the butter, add the oil, and sauté the shrimp until lightly browned and cooked through — about 3 or 4 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the seasonings and toss with the shrimp. Gradually pour in the cream, stirring carefully, and continue stirring until the sauce is thickened and thoroughly blended.

VARIATION

When the sauce is slightly thickened, pour the mixture into an ovenproof serving dish and sprinkle with 4 ounces of grated Gruyère or good Cheddar cheese. Run under the broiler to melt the cheese and glaze the top.

SHRIMP NEWBURG

Follow directions for lobster Newburg (pages 396–397).

SHRIMP À L’AMÉRICAINE

Follow directions for lobster à l’Américaine (page 391).

SHRIMP CREOLE

2 pounds shrimp

1/3 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, cut in fine strips

2 onions, cut in fine strips

2 pounds tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped

2 green peppers, seeded and chopped

3 stalks celery, cut in fine strips

1 carrot, cut in fine strips

Bouquet garni (thyme, parsley, fennel)

1 cup white wine

1/2 cup tomato paste

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Shell and clean the shrimp and keep the shells. Heat the olive oil in a large kettle and add the garlic and onion and brown lightly. Add the tomatoes, shrimp shells, peppers, celery, carrot, bouquet garni, and wine. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Strain through a fine sieve with the aid of a wooden spoon, or put through a puree machine. Add the tomato paste and season to taste.

Return to the stove and bring to a boil. Add the shrimp and let them cook for 5 minutes in the sauce. Serve with rice prepared in your favorite fashion. This will serve 6 people.

NEW ORLEANS SHRIMP CREOLE

4 tablespoons butter

2 onions, finely chopped

3 green peppers, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 cups stewed
or
canned tomatoes

1 teaspoon paprika

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

11/2 pounds shrimp

Melt the butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Add the onions, peppers, and garlic and cook slowly until tender. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the paprika, season to taste, add the shrimp, shelled and cleaned, and cook for 5 minutes. Serve with rice.

JAMBALAYA WITH SHRIMP

I have found that a great many of the recipes for jambalaya do not specify ham. Evidently almost any type of smoked meat was considered
jambon
in the old days.

4 tablespoons butter, lard,
or
bacon fat

2 tablespoons flour

3 onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/4 pound ham, cut in strips

2 cups cooked
or
canned tomatoes

Salt

Freshly ground black paper

2 pounds shrimp

2 cups rice

3 cups liquid (water, broth,
or
fish stock)

Melt the fat in a large Dutch oven and blend in the flour. Add the onions, garlic, and ham and cook just until the onion grows translucent. Add the tomatoes and cook them down for a few minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Shell and clean the shrimp. Wash the rice well and add with the shrimp to the sauce. Pour over it enough boiling water or stock to cover 1 inch above. Cover and simmer until the rice is cooked. It may be necessary to add more liquid as the rice cooks.

VARIATIONS

1. Some recipes omit the tomatoes and use more stock or liquid.

2. Some recipes include chili powder or gumbo file.

3. I prefer to add the shrimp during the last 5 minutes of cooking time when I make this dish. It is my opinion that the seafood is overcooked in the original recipe.

POTTED SHRIMP

Melt and clarify some butter. Mix with tiny Pacific or Maine shrimp. The imported canned shrimp can be used here, if fresh shrimp are not available. Season with grated mace, a little nutmeg, a few drops of Tabasco, and a drop of lemon juice. Put the shrimp into pots, pour the clarified butter over them, and chill. When the butter has congealed, pour a little additional butter over the top to smooth it off. Serve as an appetizer or first course.

LIZ LUCAS’S SHRIMPS

3 pounds or more cooked and shelled shrimp

3 medium onions, thinly sliced

3 or 4 lemons, thinly sliced

Chopped parsley

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon Tabasco

Olive oil

3 bay leaves

Combine layers of shrimp, onion, lemon slices, and parsley in a casserole or serving dish. Add seasonings and olive oil to cover. Top with bay leaves. Marinate 6 to 8 hours or overnight. Serve in a casserole or serving dish with cocktails — or as an appetizer for a first course arranged on a bed of greens.

SHRIMP KIEV

Shell jumbo shrimp, leaving the tails on. Allow 4 to 6 shrimp per person. Split shrimp on the
inside,
flatten and pound slightly between waxed paper. Place tiny pieces of frozen butter on the inside of the shrimp and roll them around the butter. First dip the shrimp in flour, then in beaten egg — allow about one egg per person — and finally, in very fine bread crumbs. Chill well, or freeze. Deep fry at 370° until nicely browned. These may be served with mustard mayonnaise (page 34) or with lemon wedges.

SHRIMP DE JONGHE

No one seems to know where this dish originated, but it is very popular in the South and parts of the Middle West.

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon each of chopped parsley, chopped chervil, chopped shallots, chopped tarragon

Salt

Pinch each of nutmeg, mace, freshly ground black pepper

1/4 pound butter

2/3 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup dry sherry

2 pounds shrimp

Gradually work the garlic and other seasonings into the butter. Work in the crumbs and sherry.

Shell and clean the shrimp and cook in boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Butter 6 to 8 ramekins or individual baking dishes. Arrange layers of the shrimp and the herbed crumb mixture alternately in the ramekins. Top with buttered crumbs and bake in a 400° oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

PAIN DE CREVETTES — SHRIMP LOAF

For this recipe you will need 1 pound of shelled raw shrimp, which should be about 11/2 pounds of shrimp before shelling.

1 pound shelled shrimp

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups cold, thick sauce béchamel (page 23)

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 whole egg

2 egg yolks

Pinch of nutmeg

Clean the shrimp, grind them twice, and pound them in a mortar or work them with a heavy wooden spoon. They must be thoroughly mashed and as smooth as possible. Add the salt, pepper, béchamel sauce, cream, egg, egg yolks, and nutmeg. Blend thoroughly and force through a fine sieve.

Pour the mixture into a buttered mold, place it in a pan of hot water, and bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the mixture is set. Unmold on a hot platter, decorate with whole cooked shrimp, and serve with a Hollandaise sauce (pages 25–26) or a shrimp sauce (page 21).

This recipe will serve 6 people amply.

SHRIMP POLENTA

Polenta is an Italian version of our old-fashioned corn-meal mush. It is actually a European adaptation of an original American dish with a Creole and perhaps a Mexican background.

2 pounds shrimp

2 slices salt pork

6 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

2 tablespoons butter

4 cups boiling water

1 cup yellow corn meal

11/2 teaspoons salt

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons chili powder

2/3 cup grated Cheddar or Jack cheese

Shell and devein the shrimp. Try out the salt pork until crisp. Cook the tomatoes with the butter for 25 to 30 minutes.

Stir 1 cup of the boiling water into the corn meal; when it boils add the remaining 3 cups and salt to taste. Let it simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly to keep it smooth. Add the salt pork, onion, green pepper, tomatoes, and chili powder and cook over hot water for 20 minutes.

Butter an earthenware casserole well. Place a thin layer of the polenta in the bottom, then a layer of shrimp and a slight sprinkling of cheese. Repeat this pattern until all the ingredients are used, but be sure that the top layer in the casserole is polenta. Sprinkle with cheese and dot well with butter. Bake in a 350° oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with a well-seasoned tomato sauce, spiked with additional chili.

SHRIMP CURRY

2 pounds shrimp

Court bouillon (page 18)

1 onion, finely chopped

1 green pepper, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon cumin

Beurre manié (page 475)

Shell and devein the shrimp and keep the shells to use in the bouillon. Prepare a court bouillon, add the shells and shrimp, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the shrimp and reduce the broth by half.

Sauté the onion, pepper, and garlic in the butter until just soft, but not browned. Add the curry powder and cumin and blend well. If the curry powder is too bland, spike it with a little cayenne or Jamaica ginger.

Strain the bouillon and add it to the curry mixture. Taste for seasoning. If you wish a thickened sauce, add beurre manié. Add the shrimp and cook just long enough to heat through. Serve with rice pilaf, crisp fried onions, and chutney.

SHRIMP AND MUSHROOM SAUTÉ POLONAISE

1 pound shrimp

1 pound mushrooms

4 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 to 8 shallots, chopped

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup sherry
or
Madeira

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Paprika

1 cup sour cream

Shell and devein the shrimp. Remove the stems from the mushrooms.

Melt the butter, add the oil, and sauté the shallots for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté gently for 10 minutes, tossing them frequently. Add the parsley and wine. Let it come to the boiling point and add the shrimp. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the shrimp turn pink. Season to taste with the salt, pepper, and paprika. Stir in the sour cream and heat thoroughly but do not boil. Serve with a rice pilaf or with kasha.

VARIATION