Pickled shrimp with lime
When the days are hot and muggy, chilled pickled shrimp is a lush and refreshing way to help you forget you’re roasting in a hard, cement-coated city.
Pickled shrimp, which in Spanish would be called ceviche, is simply lightly cooked shrimp soaked overnight in an acidic liquid—such as citrus juice or vinegar—that’s flavored with herbs and aromatics. Pickled shrimp is perfect for summer. And I had some at lunch recently—a bowl so bright and cooling that if I closed my eyes I could imagine that I was no longer in steamy Manhattan but instead lounging on a breezy beach by the sea.
My dining companion was a New York book editor who hails from Texas, whom I’ve had the pleasure of corresponding with for the past few months. And it was a real joy getting to know her as I always get a kick out of meeting fellow Texans; our shared love of our home state instantly creates a special bond.
Though, truth be told, I was also interested in talking to her about publishing. People have been telling me I should write a book and for someone who has loved writing her whole life, this is all very flattering.
That said, for a long time I’ve struggled with what I’d have to say in a book. Not to mention, if I wrote a book would it be a food narrative or a straight-on cookbook? I’ve been advised to do both, which just adds to my confusion.
Our conversation was constructive. But also edifying was the food, especially an appetizer of shrimp pickled in lime juice with Serrano peppers, red onions and chunks of pineapple.
Straight from the bowl we both ate the pickled shrimp, so fast there wasn’t time to layer it on warm flour tortillas also on the table (though that would have been good, too). We did, however, take the time to deconstruct the dish. While a couple of flavors and textures eluded us, it was still clear enough that I knew I could come back home and recreate something similar with ease.
And that’s just what I did.
I enjoyed my lunch and the chance to get to know a fellow Texan in New York, and I’m feeling a bit more clarity about what sort of book I’ll write. But I know I have some more pondering to do, probably because it’s my silly nature to make life difficult by over thinking things.
Fortunately, however, I didn’t have to think too long about making this bowl of pickled shrimp—its flavors came together seamlessly. And, perhaps with a bit of hard work and hope, the right idea for a book will soon come together with such ease, too.
Pickled shrimp with lime
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1 1/2 pounds uncooked medium-sized shrimp, peeled and de-veined
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1-2 Serrano chiles, sliced
- 1/2 medium red onion, cut into slivers
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- Tortillas chips, for serving
Instructions
- Add the cayenne, bay leaf and 2 tablespoons of salt to a large pot of water. Bring to a boil and then add the shrimp. Cook shrimp for one minute, drain and run cold water over shrimp.
- In a large jar or plastic food-storage bag, add the shrimp, lime juice, pineapple juice, vinegar, cilantro, Serrano chiles, red onion, garlic, and cumin seeds. Add 1 cup of water (or enough to cover the shrimp), sprinkle in a bit of salt, and marinate in the refrigerator overnight, shaking or turning occasionally.
- Serve in bowls with tortilla chips.
This is the Anon who read Molly's book….Didn't mean to be anon, just hit the key too soon!
You and your stories evoke memories, tastes and smells that draw us all in to your website. You have a gift for bringing those memories, tastes and smells to life.
My grandma always said>>>
"Don't fix it if it ain't broke!"
Your stories are unique and thought provoking. Take us all on the journey that made a Texas girl follow her dream to NYC yet left her heart and her taste buds in the Lone Star State!
YUM! I've been making a lot of grilled shrimp cocktail… this is my cue that it's time to try something else. These sound refreshing.. the perfect thing for 106 degree summer days.
Whatever you do – just write the book.
There are a bunch of people cluttering up the bookshelves with their meaningless meanderings and luke warm recipes, that will end up filling up the bargain bin at Borders and no one will even notice.
But you have something to say. You have a viewpoint. A story to tell. A love of this food, this State, this way of being that ricochets off the page.
You are different than most other food bloggers, too – a sharp, clear writer, an animated storyteller, a voice with edge, nothing too overly poetic or sentimental. No waxing melancholy about green beans or something. You have bite. You write with economy. It sets you apart. Not to mention that no one of your caliber actually writes about this area of food.
You have something special. It would be a shame not to take that and run.
Anything I can do to help you make it happen, I'm here. Just do it.
Kim
PS: Is this the writing project you said you were excited about on Twitter?
PPS: I hope you don't think I'm a freak for telling you all this, but, you know, I'm a fan 🙂
Lisa, today is HEB shopping day, so I'll be sure to get some shrimp so we can try it this weekend. I'm also thinking of trying some in a fusion dish by making a few summer rolls as well as serving the shrimp on tortilla chips.
Also, I'm a big fan of books/blogs that combine stories with recipes, so that's my vote. I recently finished _Mouth Wide Open_ by John Thorne, and I'm almost finished with Jeffrey Steingarten's, _The Man Who Ate Everything_.
I'm late to this conversation, so you may not see the comment – but here are some thoughts about the book.
Your blog is all about people and place, and I think those should be at the heart of your book. So that means stories, for sure.
Have you lived in different places in Texas? Are there family/friends in those places? Are there specific foods (and related stories) associated with those people/places?
What are the stories/foods/people associated with your life as a sort of "ex-pat"? What about returning – going back and forth between the two worlds? Has the idea of "home" changed for you? What are the foods that represent that shift? "Hybrid" foods that link your different homes?
Personally, I don't think a blog format translates well to a book – too chunky, no flow. If a book is not going to use typical cookbook structure (soup, salad, bread, blah, blah, blah), I like to see some kind of a theme or over-arching narrative that gives the thing some shape and flow and meaning. Think M.F.K. Fisher, only with more recipes. And pictures! By all means pictures – and not just of the food – pictures that carry a sense of place as well.
Just my possibly irrelevant thoughts!
Fern