Enjoying a superlative seafood dish at home is easier than you think.
How do you prepare a superb seafood meal without an ounce of intimidation or guilt? By starting with the right sustainable ingredients, treating them nicely, and deferring to the culinary wisdom of celebrated seafood chef Michael Cimarusti. “You don’t need to be a professional chef to make any of these dishes,” says Cimarusti. Though you might just fool your dinner guests.
Roasted Spot Prawns
(with roasted tomato, lemon vinaigrette, and salad of herbs)
(Serves 4)
Prawns
8 large spot prawns
Salt
Ice
Select the biggest prawns you can find (up to 4 ounces each). Fill a pot with water. Add salt to reach the approximate salinity of the sea, about 3½ percent by volume. Bring the water to a rolling boil, add the prawns and cook them for 30 seconds. Remove the prawns to an ice bath for 2 minutes. Remove the heads from the prawns and peel the tails. Set the tails aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. The heads can be used to make a rich, sweet, and delicious broth.
Roasted Tomatoes
2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut in half
Salt, to taste
2 branches thyme
1 bay leaf
Zest of 1 orange
Olive oil
Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Place halved tomatoes in a saucepan large enough to fit comfortably in one layer. Cover tomatoes with olive oil and season them with salt and the orange zest. Top with the thyme and bay leaf. Roast for 2 hours.
Remove tomatoes from pan, reserve the oil, and chop tomatoes coarsely. Reserve until you are ready to serve.
Lemon Vinaigrette
2 ounces lemon juice
7 ounces mild extra virgin olive oil
Pinch sugar
1 coin of peeled ginger, crushed
Salt and pepper, to taste
Combine all ingredients and allow to steep overnight. Remove ginger. This vinaigrette will hold in your refrigerator for 2 weeks.
Salad of Herbs
1 – 2 hearts of butter lettuce (leaves remain intact)
¼ ounce chervil
¼ ounce cilantro
¼ ounce tarragon
¼ ounce parsley
¼ ounce chives, finely chopped
1 bunch scallion greens, finely sliced
Salt and pepper, to taste
Mix the herbs in a bowl with the butter lettuce leaves. Season with lemon vinaigrette, salt, and pepper.
Assembling the Dish
Prepared prawns (from earlier in the recipe)
Salt
Espelette pepper
Virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Prepared tomatoes (from earlier in the recipe)
Prepared salad (from earlier in the recipe)
Warm a large skillet over high heat. Season the prepared prawns with salt and Espelette. Add enough olive oil to the skillet to film the surface of the pan. Place the seasoned prawns in the pan and
allow the pan to recover heat for a minute. Add butter to the pan and sauté the shrimp for an additional minute, tossing the prawns occasionally to ensure even cooking. Remove the prawns to a paper towel-lined tray. Save the fat in the pan.
Spoon tomatoes onto the center of each diner’s plate and top with 2 prawns. Finish the plate with the salad, and drizzle with reserved cooking fat. Serve immediately.
Recipe courtesy Michael Cimarusti, chef-owner of Connie & Ted’s and Providence in California. For more information on chef Michael Cimarusti or to make reservations at one of his restaurants, visit connieandteds.com and providencela.com.
Read our interview with the chef in the August/September 2017 issue.