This shrimp cocktail offers a different twist on an old favorite. Cooking and soaking the shrimp in liquid seasoned with pickling spices gives them a subtle and unexpected flavor.
24 large (16 to 20 count) shrimp in shells, about 1 ¼ pounds
½ cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
2 heaping tablespoons pickling spice
1 ½ cups cold water, or enough to cover the shrimp
2 ½ teaspoons salt
Place the shrimp in a medium pot. Add the mirin, pickling spice, cold water and salt. Bring just to a boil.
Cover the pot and cook over low heat only until the shrimp turn pink and lose their translucence, about 2 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat and let the shrimp cool in the liquid. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more mirin or salt as needed. Refrigerate until very cold.
Drain the shrimp with a slotted spoon and pile them high in a bowl, leaving your guests to peel the shrimp themselves.
Or peel the shrimp, leaving the tails intact, and arrange them on a decorative plate.
Makes 6 servings; 4 shrimp per serving.
From "Christmas 1-2-3: Three Ingredient Holiday Recipes" by Rozanne Gold (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $16.95).
Tested by Susan Selasky for the Detroit Free Press Test Kitchen.
Per serving: 111 calories (14 percent from fat), 2 grams fat (0 gram sat. fat), 2 grams carbohydrate, 19 grams protein, 357 mg sodium, 144 mg cholesterol, 50 mg calcium, 0 grams fiber.
© 2002, Detroit Free Press.
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
