A few weeks ago I made some marinated shrimp to go with a sherry appetizer. A few days later, I made more to serve as a cold pre-dinner snack. But we didn't end up eating early, then company dropped by and I needed to serve wine and finger food for four. What to do? I opened a can of black olives and added those to the shrimp. Two seemed a bit lonely so I cut a red bell pepper into strips, chopped up some parsley, moe tarragon, another clove of crushed garlic, a few dried chiles, and poured the mixture into the well of a rectangular serving platter.
The result was both beautiful and delicious, and though it was not at all anything I'd planned or labored over, company was none the wiser.
Tonight we're going to a small dinner party for a friend's birthday. I was asked to bring an appetizer. Moving a little slower this morning due to last night's chardonnay excesses that went well into the wee hours, it wasn't until about noon that I started thinking about what to take. Beef Kebabs are going to be the main course, so the field was wide open.
Then I remembered the shrimp from the other night. PERFECT. Who doesn't feel spoiled when served a pile of shrimp? (Well, Stuart for one, but I meant among omnivores.)
So I threw a half a bag of IQF'd U-20's in the sink to defrost. A few hours later, while they poached in salted water, I emptied a can of black olives, a jar of alcaparras (whole capers on stems), some celery chunks and an orange bell pepper into a bowl with olive oil, wine vinegar, several cloves of pressed garlic, bay leaves, lots of dried basil, fresh tarragon, salt and pepper into a bowl. When the shrimp were done I shocked them in ice water and added them to the mix. By the time I leave for the party, the flavors will have blended nicely.
I figure as long as I keep the freezer stocked with shrimp, as long as I don't serve the identical mixture to the same crowd too often, I can get away with this all summer long! Quick to make, beautiful to look at, luxurious and tasty, good with wine and easy to improvise from things one has in the pantry and the fridge.
Sure, shrimp isn't cheap, but you can buy bags of peeled, tail on shrimp at places like Smart and Final (or Cash & Carry in my neighborhood) for $6-7 a pound (though you must buy 3 lbs) and that's not bad. Shucks, a bag of chips and a jar of store bought salsa will set you back $7--by comparison, about $12 for a healthy platter like the one I'm taking to Lynette's tonight seems like a bargain.