|
Baking Corner
| Regional
Foods | Cooking
Articles
|
Hints & Tips
| Culinary
Dictionary
|
Newspaper
Columns
I slightly adapted this recipe by cookbook author Julee Rosso. Julee and her husband, Bill, own the
Wickwood Inn in Saugatuck, MI.
Julee says, "This is one of my all-time favorite dishes,
and it couldn't be simpler. It began because I brush "tradizionale" (50 to 100 years old) balsamic vinegar on shrimp as we're grilling them.
But only "tradizionale" works for that because it's so extraordinary - commercial balsamic is far
too acidic. And when I'm out of the real stuff - I make Faux Aged Balsamic Vinegar - simple enough."
Check out my
Appetizer Recipes and
Shrimp Recipes for more great cooking ideas. Also check
out
Purchasing, Deveining, Cooking, Brining, and Etiquette of Shrimp.
Anytime Balsamic Shrimp
Recipe Type:
Shrimp,
Balsamic Vinegar,
Seafood Appetizer
Yields: 4 to 6 servings
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 min
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds large uncooked
shrimp, peeled and deveined
3
garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons
extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup
Traditional Aceto Balsamico (aged
Balsamic Vinegar) or Faux Aged Balsamic Vinegar (see recipe below)
Fleur de Sel salt, sea salt, or coarse
salt to taste*
1 tablespoon snipped chives, chervil leaves, or minced Italian parsley for garnish
* This is a good place to use the wonderful
Fleur de Sel salt.
Preparation:
Mix the shrimp with the garlic and olive oil in a bowl and set aside to marinate for half an hour.
Heat a skillet large enough to hold the shrimp and when it's hot, add the butter. When the butter sizzles, add the shrimp.
Using a wooden spoon, flip and toss the shrimp around in the skillet over medium to medium-high heat until they just start turning pink. Add any remaining oil
and garlic (from marinade in the shrimp bowl); stir well.
Reduce heat to low, add the balsamic vinegar or Faux
Aged Balsamic Vinegar, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring rapidly so it will
combine and coat the shrimp. Add an additional 3 tablespoon, one at a time, and continue to cook the
shrimp stirring constantly until they're coated with the balsamic glaze and done (1 or 2 minutes), but still springy to the touch.
Remove the shrimp to a serving platter and sprinkle very lightly with the
sea salt or coarse salt. Drizzle with the Balsamic Vinegar Glaze and sprinkle with the
chopped herbs. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Faux Aged Balsamic Vinegar:
Aged Balsamic Vinegar, or as it is known in Italy, tradizionale, accumulates its flavor in a variety of
wooden casks for as long as one hundred years. The result is a very
concentrated dark brown, thick sweet vinegar, and it is a great luxury. If
you don't have it in your pantry - chefs have learned to do as the Italians
so - reduce your commercial-grade balsamic vinegar with a little brown sugar. It's a good second.
1/2 cup
Balsamic Vinegar, commercial grade
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
In a small saucepan over medium to medium-high heat (depending on your stove), let mixture simmer and reduce the vinegar
for approximately 4 minutes until thickened and reduce by 1/2. Add the brown sugar and simmer an additional 2 minutes longer.
Makes 1/4 cup.
Comments and ideas from readers:
I just made the Anytime Balsamic Shrimp recipe and it came out
quite nicely. I kicked it up a notch by adding ginger paste and some sesame oil
to the marinade and then I threw in some raisins as the shrimp was cooking with
the balsamic vinegar - Mike Klein (7/03/08)
| 
