A mixture of white wine and white wine vinegar, plus a host of spices and vegetables, infuse these shrimp with tangy, fragrant flavor. Serve them as a cocktail party hors d'oeuvre or toss them into a salad.
Ingredients
1 medium carrot, cut into thin rounds
1 medium bulb fennel, thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini, cut into half moons
3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more for blanching
1 red onion, julienned
1 red bell pepper, julienned
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons whole coriander
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon caraway seed
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 cup olive oil, divided
1 cup white wine
1 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons thyme leaves
2 pounds shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed
2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Directions
Blanch vegetables: In a large pot of boiling, salted water, blanch carrots, fennel and zucchini until firm-tender, 1 minute. Use a slotted spoon to remove vegetables and plunge directly into an ice-water bath. Remove and dry on paper towels. In a medium bowl, toss blanched vegetables with 1 teaspoon salt. Chill in refrigerator until you are ready to assemble dish.
Make pickled vegetables: In a sauté pan over medium-low heat, heat 1/2 olive oil and sweat the onion, pepper, garlic, spices and 1 teaspoon salt until soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in wine, vinegar and thyme. Remove from heat and let stand 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring salted water to a boil in a large pot, then turn off heat. Stir in shrimp and let cook until firm but still slightly translucent in the center, 1-2 minutes depending on size of shrimp. Place cooked shrimp in a nonreactive dish and sprinkle with remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Then pour pickled vegetable mixture over shrimp.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Before serving, stir in blanched vegetables and remaining 1/2 cup olive oil. Adjust seasoning, adding more salt and vinegar if needed. Garnish with parsley.
