With my recent dive back into sourdough (after being gifted a 150 year old starter) has me knee deep in eating sandwiches every day for lunch; while I love a sandwich - the ability to dip crusty bread in a bagna cauda style sauce while squeezing every drop of liquid out of a lemon just feels right in the middle of February.
This one is for scampi lovers (saenz white wine). It can be eaten like I eat it - draped over the kitchen counter savagely dragging bread through its juices or a little more civilized tossed with pasta and eaten with a salad.
Also, do not be aghast by the amount of fat in this recipe, it’s ok, you will be alright.
Notes on shrimp
In the United States, most if not all shrimp is freshly caught then frozen then dethawed again. Anywhere along the gulf (of Mexico) or coast has the chance to have never frozen shrimp but anywhere else, the shrimp has most likely been frozen. That’s ok. We have for some reason connotated frozen food with lower quality but it just isn't true. What you should look for instead is pricing and size; if a bag of shrimp is extremely, almost worryingly, cheap this is probably because they have been thawed and frozen several times over. What you should do, much like buying fish, is look for all of the signs of a good product. Dates, locations and a talkative fishmonger.
Shrimp is usually sold with a “U” in front of a number. The shrimp I used was U15-20 shrimp, meaning there are 15-20 shrimp per pound. The bigger the number the less shrimp you will buy. I always go for bigger shrimp, shells on or not, is a personal choice (I like shrimp shells, they taste good) but really anything works here. When I call for 2 pounds it's 2 pounds no matter the size of shrimp.
Shrimp also can have a digestive tract vein when you buy them. I will heed you to the fact that it is edible. I do not mind eating the vein of shrimp, but if that is something that is inexcusable to you, a fishmonger can devein them for you (if you ask nicely).
My perfect sourdough
I am historically anti making sourdough at home. I have enough humility to know that there are people out there who do it everyday and will forever be better than me. However, when someone gifts me starter that I have not had the privilege of killing it from my neglect, I might as well up my hubris.
My perfect sourdough is slightly sour, extra bronzed and has an intense, diverse amount of flours; All-purpose, rye and whole wheat is the perfect combination that keeps the loaf sheaf-like while making it palatable for something other than just dipping in seafood.
The ratio
700g (70%) AP flour
150g (15%) whole wheat flour
150g (15%) dark rye flour
700g (70%) water
250g (25%) young starter
20g (2%) kosher salt salt
Shrimp with brown butter and smashed garlic
serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 ½ -2 pounds of shrimp
1 shallot or small white onion
6-8 cloves of garlic
1 stick of unsalted butter
¼ cup olive oil
½ tsp - 2 tsp chili flake (optional)
⅓ cup of chopped herbs - parsley and chives
Lemon for juicing after
Instructions
In a bowl, season the shrimp with salt and pepper and set aside (1 tsp diamond crystal kosher salt per pound of shrimp).
Dice shallot and with the side of your knife smash the garlic cloves whole, then set aside.
In a large skillet over medium low heat, melt the butter slowly and cook the butter until it turns into a light amber color. Add in the olive oil and combine both fats.
Add your onion and shallot and cook until softened and slightly brown around the edges, and season with salt and pepper. Toss in the smashed garlic and
Add shrimp and toss to combine in the fat. Cook until the shrimp is pink and 30-60 seconds after it is fully pink. Taking a shrimp out to test, should be completely opaque all the way through.
Finish with a squeeze of lemon and herbs. Serve with crust bread or toss with pasta.
Hi Jack! Great read! I'd love to taste test your ancient bread. By the way, do you have a "Prison Food recipe?" Cheers!