Marcella Hazan describes an Italian delicacy, Gambretti all’Olio e Limone. The delicate shrimp of the Northern Adriatic are poached in a court bouillon, then marinated in olive oil and lemon juice for an hour at room temperature.

I have never cooked shrimp quite this way, but took a lesson from the recipe. That is, cooked shrimp are at least not harmed, and may possibly be improved, by steeping in a vinaigrette at room temperature. They may thus be prepared ahead, not left to frantic last minute treatment.

For the shrimp available on my normal shopping route, extreme delicacy is not an issue. A mild court bouillon makes little impression on them. My favorite technique is to cook them directly in vinegar, then stir in olive oil.

These are best if served within 30 minutes. The shrimp may be refrigerated, but will lose a bit of their quality.

Just before cooking, peel and devein shrimp. Cover bottom of pan with vinegar and bring to a strong simmer (important for color).

Add shrimp. Season with salt, if desired. Cook a minute or two on each side. Cooked shrimp will be orange in color and, importantly, curl somewhat tightly within themselves.

Remove shrimp to a plate. While they are warm, stir in olive oil to coat. Serve immediately, or within 30 minutes.

This is extremely simple, once you have browned the onions. These take about 40 minutes, but can be done ahead. They can even be refrigerated or frozen.

Serve the shrimp with its sparse, thin sauce over a mound of rice on a platter. For a nice touch, stir into the rice a little cooked, chopped spinach seasoned with galangal (Laos powder).

After cooking, the shrimp can be held 30 minutes without appreciable loss of quality.

Serves 4

Cut onions in thin wedges. Simmer them gently uncovered in the olive oil until browned, about 40 minutes.

(May be done ahead to this point.)

10 minutes before serving, reheat onions if they have cooled. Stir balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and optional garlic into onions. Taste sauce and correct seasoning.

Add shrimp and cook 2 or 3 minutes on each side until they curl. Add tablespoons of water if sauce is reducing too much.

Variation
Scallops may be used in place of shrimp.

This is delicious and makes a dramatic presentation. Colorful pink shrimp and green peas appear on a bed of fragrant basmati rice and whole spices.

The dish is simple to prepare, once you have collected the spices. The only touchy point is the rice. It should be tender, yet dry and fluffy, neither glutinous nor soggy. My solution is to cook it in an excess of water. If you are not familiar with basmati rice, long-grained white rice works well, but lacks the special fragrance of basmati.

Black cardamom is available by mail from Penzeys and others, and is also used in garam masala.

The rice may be prepared well ahead, the shrimp up to an hour ahead.

Spinach, asparagus, green beans, or a salad complete the meal. Or, try one of the spinach and yogurt raitas (see index), flavored with orange-juice, or roasted cumin.

Serves 4

To prepare spices and rice

Begin thawing peas. Measure spices and crush coriander and cumin.

Heat oil in pan over medium heat. When hot but not smoking, add all whole spices and heat 10 to 20 seconds until they begin to expand and change color.

Add the raw rice and crushed spices. Cook, stirring, for a minute or two so that rice is well-coated.

(Maybe be prepared ahead of time to this point.)

To cook rice

Heat a quantity of water, double the volume of the rice, in the large sauté pan.

When it comes to the simmer, add the rice and spices. Salt to taste. Cook just below the simmer until rice is tender, about 12 minutes.

Drain rice well. Set aside until needed. See Rice section for a discussion of basmati rice. 

(May be prepared ahead to this point.)

To cook shrimp

Peel and devein the shrimp. Place vinegar in pan to cover the bottom well. Bring vinegar to an active boil and add shrimp. Cook a very few minutes uncovered on each side until the shrimp are heated through, turn orange-pink, and curl. Remove to a side plate and discard cooking vinegar. Let shrimp cool a few minutes then coat with a little olive oil. These are best soon off the fire, but can be held up to an hour.

To serve

Just before serving, turn rice onto a large platter with a fork, taking care to keep grains whole. Spread peas on top. Place shrimp among the peas.

Warn your guests that they will encounter whole spices.

Variations

Replace half the shrimp with cooked halibut or sea bass. Or use scallops, crab, or any shellfish. Some shrimp is desirable for color.