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Fish/Seafood: Party Shrimp

Source of Recipe

Beat That! Cookbook


List of Ingredients

BRINE:
5 pounds jumbo shrimp, unpeeled
3 cups kosher salt
3 cups boiling water
6 cups cold water

POACHING WATER:
10 cups water
2 lemons, cut into chunks
1 large onion, cut into chunks
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon sesame oil

SAUCE:
1 1/2 cups canned tomato puree
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 large garlic clove
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolve in 1 tbl. water
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
salt to taste


Recipe

BRINE SOLUTION: Peel shrimp and devein them. In a large nonreactive pot, add the salt to boiling water. Stir until you've dissolved as much salt as possible; then add the cold water and stir until you've dissolved ALL the salt. If it's a very hot day, part of the cold water may be replaced with ice cubes. Put the shrimp into the water and let stand for 45 minutes -- NO LONGER. Drain and rinse well under cold running water.

POACHING WATER: Rinse out the pot. Into it, place the poaching ingredients. Bring the liquid to a boil and boil it hard for 5 minutes. Stir in the shrimp and lower the heat so the shrimp are just simmering gently. Cook the shrimp for 3-5 minutes, or until they are pink and curled. Drain them again, dry them with paper towels if needed, and put them in the fridge to chill.

SAUCE: In a medium nonreactive saucepan, stir together the tomato puree, brown sugar, garlic, lime juice and rind, and cayenne. Bring these ingredients to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. When they're boiling, stir in the cornstarch-water mixture. Stirring constantly, cook the sauce until it has thickened slightly. (Remember that it thickens more once it's cooled.) Take the sauce off the heat and cool it completely. Stir in the cilantro. Cover and chill the sauce until you're ready for it. Serve as for shrimp cocktail. Serves 20.