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Serves
4 as an appetizer or 2 as a main
Author Notes
This dish, which can be enjoyed as an appetizer with crusty bread or as a main dish with steamed basmati rice—will make you fall in love with Persian saffron. If you are serving it as a main dish for 4 people, I would double the recipe. You can use any herb you like—that's the beauty . Make sure to peel and eat the shrimps with your hands, without cutlery—it's more enjoyable that way! —shayma
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Ingredients
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2 teaspoons
saffron threads, crushed into powder in a pestle and mortar
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4 to 5 tablespoons
warm water
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2
leeks, whites and tender green parts only, halved, thinly sliced into half-moon shapes and washed well
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1 cup
herbs of your choice (I use cilantro, leaves and stems; Italian flat-leaf parsley, leaves only; and mint, leaves only)
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3 tablespoons
olive oil
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1 pound
shrimp, shell on, deveined, and washed
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2 tablespoons
unsalted butter
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sea salt, to taste
Directions
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Divide saffron powder in two. To one portion, add the warm water, stir, and set aside. Leave the other batch as is, in powdered form. You will use it later.
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Pat leeks dry before you begin to cook.
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Chop herbs finely and set aside.
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Place a large frying pan (I use a 12-inch) on the stove over medium heat and add oil.
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When oil is hot and glistening, add leeks and sauté till they begin to wilt a bit, just about 5 to 7 minutes. Do not brown or overcook leeks.
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Turn heat to medium-high and add shrimps and saffron water. Sauté till the shrimp shells turn pink, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add herbs, gently stir to combine, take pan off stove, and set aside.
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Working very quickly (you don’t want the shrimps to completely cool down), place a small saucepan or frying pan on high heat and add butter. As soon as butter begins to melt, add the reserved powdered saffron, stir and pour this saffron-butter over shrimps. Gently stir to combine.
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Sprinkle sea salt on top and serve immediately.
Shayma Saadat is a cookery teacher, food writer, stylist and photographer who focuses on the food of her heritage - Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran, which she refers to as Silk Route cuisine. Shayma lives in Toronto with her husband and son. You can follow her culinary journey on Instagram @SpiceSpoon.
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