From Scratch

I suspect the old saw that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach came out of the decades-ago beliefs that women needed to know how to cook and had to “catch” a man. Nowadays those attitudes are relics, at least among most people, and cooking is not gender-specific except with Neanderthal men.

What hasn’t changed — and I hope never does – is that cooking for others truly is an act of love, whether for a  parent, a child, a spouse, a dear friend or a lover. And if this succulent dish doesn’t say You’re special, I don’t know what does. Like so many wonderful dishes, a few good ingredients, simply prepared and perfectly seasoned, add up to a sum that is greater than its parts.

This recipe, from a 1984 cookbook, is officially called Shrimp on a Bed of Salicornia, a sea vegetable which can be as difficult to find now as it was then. I used baby arugula, which I never tire of; another recommended substitution is watercress. If you are fortunate to find salicornia, by all means use it but omit salt as it’s quite salty on its own. If using one of the other greens, you’ll want to add a bit of salt to the bowl with the other seasonings.

You can see the aluminum foil I baked it in. The first time I made this I tried individual heart-sharped parchments, for a classic en papillote, but this really is too “juicy” for that. I do continue to make them individually and not in one big packet as the recipe specifies. The recipe comes from The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins. Their shop was in my neighborhood and it was a sad day indeed when it was shuttered for good.

Shrimp on a Bed of Salicornia

12 large shrimp
2 cups salicornia, ends trimmed *
4 ripe plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
6 TB fresh lemon juice
2 large shallots, finely chopped
1 1/2 TB chopped fresh dill
1 1/2 tsp. dried tarragon
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
[Salt, to taste, if needed]
1 unwaxed large cucumber
2 TB unsalted butter
1 lemon, quartered

* Arugula or watercress can be substituted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Remove half the shell from each of the shrimp, leaving the shells attached at the tail end. Devein the shrimp.

Center a piece of aluminum foil that is about 2 1/2 longer than a cookie sheet on the cookie sheet. Arrange the salicornia in a bed on the foil. Arrange the tomato slices in a round pattern in the center of the salicornia.

Combine the lemon juice, shallots, dill, tarragon and pepper to taste in a medium-size bowl. Add the shrimp and toss to coat.

Using a melon baller, cut balls from the unpeeled cucumber so that the dark peel is on one side. Try to avoid the seeds.

Arrange the shrimp on top of the tomatoes, pouring an extra juice from the bowl over the shrimp. Place the cucumber balls on top of the shrimp. Dot evenly with the butter. Gather the ends of the foil, folding the edges together to seal the package securely.

Bake 15 minutes. Serve immediately with lemon quarters.

4 appetizer portions or 2 main course portions

From The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook
Copyright © 1984 Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins

Cooking Notes: I used an English cucumber to avoid the wax and seeds issues. Most shrimp now are sold deveined and Black Tiger shrimp, also called E-Z peel, (would it kill the food industry to spell the word?) have thin enough shells that they can be torn if you don’t want to snip them. I forgot, as I often do with any recipe, to dot with butter, but when I remember that step I use a vegetable peeler or Microplane grater to “shave” some butter on top. That works especially well with apple pies. When I remember.

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Tags: entertaining, shrimp, tomatoes