Author Notes
This recipe is a mish-mash of favorite elements from Robert Stehling and The Lee Brothers, plus my own additions. I’ve tinkered a lot with it, finding a base of equal parts lemon, orange and grapefruit juice to be my favorite. Although vinegar and sugar are common in pickle marinades, I prefer to omit them to let the bright, citrus flavors shine. To the marinade, I like adding shallot, garlic, fennel seed, bay leaf and cayenne to complement the citrus. You can get wild and add other components, but I find that these are the important ones and all you really need. I like serving these as a simple appetizer from a shallow, wide-mouth canning jar with tooth picks. Or you serve them as a canapé with smashed avocado on toast (http://www.food52.com/recipes...). —EmilyC
Ingredients
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2 T Old Bay or other shrimp boil seasoning
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1 pound medium shrimp (about 32 to 36 count), shelled and deveined
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¼ cup fresh orange juice + finely minced zest (from 1 orange)
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¼ cup fresh grapefruit juice (from 1 grapefruit)
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¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)
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1 shallot, thinly sliced
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1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
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1 large bay leaf, torn into several pieces
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2 teaspoons fennel seed, crushed
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2 tablespoons olive oil
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1 tsp kosher salt
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¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Directions
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To a large pot of water, add Old Bay seasoning. (I find a ratio of 2 T Old Bay to 1/2 gallon of water works well.) Cover and bring to a boil. Add the shrimp and cook for about 1 minute. The shrimp will be pinkish-orange and will start to curl. Drain shrimp and lay in a single layer on a sheet pan or plate until they cool to room temperature. The shrimp won’t be fully cooked at this point, which is fine, because they’ll continue to cook in the marinade.
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In a bowl or sealable plastic bag, combine citrus juices and orange zest, shallot, garlic, bay leaf, fennel seed, olive oil, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon of cayenne (or more to taste). Add the shrimp and seal; refrigerate six hours or overnight. (The pickled shrimp should be consumed within about 24 hours from the time they're refrigerated or otherwise they'll turn mushy.)
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