- The method: perfectly poached shrimp
- Building the ice bed
- Four sauces
- Beyond shrimp
- Caring for your piece
Why we made this
In Greece, cold seafood is served without ceremony. Good product, plenty of ice, a sharp sauce, and nothing in the way. We designed this piece for that idea and built it in 304 stainless steel so it holds cold properly, lasts decades, and comes out of the cupboard often rather than once a year.
Thank you for choosing it.
The method: perfectly poached shrimp
Shrimp cook in about two minutes and turn rubbery in about three. That narrow window is the whole difficulty, and boiling water removes your control over it.
Poached shrimp, without the rubber
- Buy right16/20 count, meaning sixteen to twenty per pound. Larger overwhelms the tray, smaller disappears into the ice. Thaw slowly overnight in the refrigerator, never under running water.
- Build the liquidOne quart water, half a lemon, one bay leaf, a teaspoon of peppercorns, a generous tablespoon of salt. Simmer ten minutes so it actually tastes of something.
- Never boilTake the pot off the heat. The surface should be completely still. Then add the shrimp in a single layer.
- Watch the shapeTwo to three minutes. Ready is a loose C. A tight O means you went too far, and there is no coming back. Colour is not the test.
- Shock immediatelyStraight into ice water for five minutes. This stops the cooking and firms the texture.
- Dry completelyPat the tops dry before plating. Wet shrimp will not hold sauce and will water down your ice.
Building the ice bed
Crushed ice outperforms cubes, because cubes leave air pockets and air pockets are where a bed slumps an hour into a party. Crushed packs dense and level and holds its shape as it melts. Cubes are fine for a shorter service, and thirty seconds in a zip bag with a rolling pin turns one into the other.
Fill to just below the rim and press it flat with the back of a spoon. Then chill the assembled piece, empty, in the refrigerator for ten minutes before the shrimp go on. Cooling the metal first is the step almost everyone skips, and it is worth roughly an extra hour of service.
Arrange the shrimp tails outward, backs curled up, in a single ring rather than a heap. A pile looks generous and eats badly, because taking one disturbs six.
Built this way, the bed holds for about ninety minutes on a room-temperature table.
Four sauces
Classic cocktail. Three quarters of a cup of ketchup, three tablespoons of drained prepared horseradish, a tablespoon of lemon juice, a teaspoon of Worcestershire, salt. Rest it in the refrigerator for thirty minutes before serving. The rest is not optional, and it is why most people think they dislike cocktail sauce.
Ladolemono. Three parts olive oil to one part lemon juice, salt, dried oregano crushed between your fingers. Whisk the lemon and salt first, then add the oil in a slow stream until it thickens and turns pale. The Greek answer, and it makes the shrimp taste more like shrimp rather than covering them.
Mignonette. A third of a cup of red wine vinegar, one very finely minced shallot, cracked black pepper, a pinch of salt. Rest one hour, better after four. Built for oysters.
Remoulade. Three quarters of a cup of mayonnaise, a tablespoon of Dijon, a tablespoon of chopped capers, chopped tarragon or dill, two teaspoons of lemon juice, half a teaspoon of smoked paprika.
Serve two rather than one. One red and one not-red gives the tray a second colour and covers both the guest who wants the familiar thing and the guest who is tired of it.
Beyond shrimp
The piece is not single-purpose. Everything below works on the same crushed ice bed:
- Oysters on the half shell, shucked last and set at an angle so the liquor stays in
- Ceviche, spooned into small shells set over the ice
- Crab claws, cracked at the knuckle before they go out
- Chilled asparagus with ladolemono
- Caviar service, the bowl set on the ice rather than in it
- Cold smoked salmon, rolled into loose curls
- Watermelon, feta and mint, in high summer
Caring for your piece
- Wash by hand in hot soapy water before first use and dry with a soft towel.
- Rinse promptly after every use. Acids and oils left standing will dull the finish.
- Dishwasher safe, though hand washing preserves the mirror finish considerably longer.
- Never use steel wool or abrasive cleaners.
- Do not cut or stir directly against the surface.
- Dry fully before storing. Stainless steel will not rust, but standing water leaves mineral spots.