A Skillet Supper - Warm Shrimp and Escarole Salad

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I occasionally have the good fortune to stumble onto a really good recipe that could easily be overlooked. This simple warm shrimp salad is one of them. I first saw the recipe in Bon Appetit magazine and while it sounded interesting, I was too busy at the time to test it. Fortunately, I clipped and stored it to try another day. It came out of hiding one evening when I had a bunch of escarole that had to be used and it has been a menu regular ever since. The skillet entree takes about 20 minutes to prepare and it relies on some very ordinary pantry ingredients. Unless I have a plan to use the entire can, I use two teaspoons of anchovy paste, rather than whole anchovies, to make this dish and I usually omit the radishes you see in the ingredient list. I also remove the shrimp from the skillet before I add the escarole. It is very easy to overcook the escarole and while that will not affect flavor of the dish, it negatively affects its appearance and texture. I really like this dish and I hope you will give this simple recipe a try. It is a delicious novelty that I suspect will become a regular at your table. Here is how this unusual salad is made.

Warm Shrimp and Escarole Salad...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Bon Appetit magazine

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons drained capers, chopped
8 radishes, trimmed, quartered
1 1/4 pounds large shrimp, peeled, deveined
1 head of escarole, torn into large pieces (about 10 cups)
3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

Directions:
1) Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add anchovies and cook, mashing with the back of a spoon, until anchovies dissolve and a paste forms, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and capers; cook, stirring constantly, until garlic is fragrant but not brown, about 1 minute.
2) Increase heat to medium-high. Add radishes and cook, tossing often, until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add shrimp; cook, tossing occasionally, until just cooked through, about 4 minutes.
3) Add half of escarole and toss until beginning to wilt, about 1 minute. Add remaining escarole and toss until wilted, about 1 minute more. Remove from heat. Yield: 4 servings.

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Peruvian Salt Roasted Shrimp with Pimenton Aioli

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I had planned to do a lot of Peruvian cooking before our October Amazon adventure began, but it seems the universe, or at least the clock, has conspired against me. I've only made a few of the dishes I intended to try, but, hopefully, they'll give the Silver Fox and me a real sense of what's to come. The recipe I'm featuring tonight came from an article written by John Broening for The Denver Post. The recipe, and the unusual technique used to cook the shrimp, was given to him by an uncle who lives in Peru, where the dish would be made with langoustines. In order to make this dish, you'll need a cast iron skillet, large unpeeled shrimp and a boatload of Kosher salt. The shrimp go into a hot skillet to which no oil has been added. They are covered with kosher salt and allowed to cook for several minutes on each side. As they cook, the salt forms a crust that keeps the shrimp super moist and flavorful. The shells, which remain on the shrimp as they cook, keep them from becoming too salty. Once they are cool enough to handle, the salt is brushed off and the shrimp are peeled. They are served with a fabulous quick-fix aioli that I know you will enjoy. This is a wonderfully flavorful dish that almost had my socks going up and down. I am withholding that accolade only because peeling the cooked shrimp is a real bother. I liked this dish enormously and I'll fix it again. I think those of you who try the shrimp will like them as much as I do. Here's the recipe.

Peruvian Salt Roasted Shrimp with Pimenton Aioli...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of John Broening and the Denver Post

Ingredients:
Pimenton Aioli
Juice of 1 lemon
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
1 teaspoon hot sauce
Salt and pepper
1 cup canola oil
Salt Roasted Shrimp
2 pounds jumbo shrimp, unpeeled, intestine removed
2 cups kosher salt
Lemon wedges

Directions:
1) To make aioli: Purée lemon juice, egg yolks, garlic, paprika, hot sauce, and salt and pepper in a food processor. Add canola oil slowly with processor running to emulsify. Refrigerate aioli, covered, until ready to use.
2) To make shrimp: Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, add enough shrimp to fill pan so the pan is full but the shrimp are not touching. Generously sprinkle exposed surface of shrimp with salt and cook for three minutes. Turn, and sprinkle with a little more salt. Cook 2 minutes and remove to a platter. Repeat procedure until all shrimp are cooked. Serve family-style with smoked paprika aioli and lemon wedges. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

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Scallops Provencal

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I love scallops. Of all the things we take from the sea they are my hands down favorite. They have a history that dates back to Marco Polo who talked about them being sold in the markets of China. Not only are they rich, sweet and tender, they're also affordable. The name, by the way, comes from the French word escalope which means shell. Scallops need to move in order to stay alive, so we won't find them in their shells at the fish market. The part we are sold is actually the "adductor" muscle. Their color can range from pale beige to pink and they should look moist and smell fresh. They should never look pure white. White scallops usually have been sitting in water which causes them to lose nutrients as well as color. To assure freshness, I actually prefer to buy them flash frozen at the market and thaw them in the refrigerator. There are three basic sizes of scallops. The sea scallop is the largest; it's followed in size by bay and, finally, the tiny calico scallop. They have the advantage of cooking quickly and adapting themselves to various sauces. This recipe comes from Ina Garten. I think you'll enjoy this dish.

Scallops Provencal...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
1 pound fresh bay or sea scallops
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour for dredging
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup chopped shallots (2 large)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 lemon, cut in half

Directions:
1) If you're using bay scallops, keep them whole. If you're using sea scallops, cut each one in half horizontally. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss with flour, and shake off the excess.
2) In a very large sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of butter over high heat until sizzling and add a single layer of scallops. Lower the heat to medium and allow scallops to brown lightly on one side without moving them, then turn and brown lightly on the other side. This should take 3 to 4 minutes total. Melt remaining butter in the pan with scallops; add shallots, garlic, and parsley and sauté for 2 more minutes, tossing the seasonings with the scallops. Finally, add wine and cook for 1 minutes longer. Pan sauce will thicken slightly. Adjust seasoning to taste to salt, pepper and lemon juice. Serve immediately: Yield 3 to 4 servings.

Recipe adapted from the Barefoot Contessa in Paris by Ina Garten.