Fine Dining Shrimp Starter

Parker Hallberg

Butter roasted shrimp with meyer lemon, fennel and shrimp crumble

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 1

Total Time 2

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Servings 4 people

Calories 275 kcal

Trim the ends of the lemons off and quarter. Mix with 10 percent by weight in salt. Pack into a jar, I like to use a 16 oz jar but larger will work too. Leave out at room temperature for ten days, refrigerating after.

Drain from the brine and remove all the pith and peel from the lemons. Save 5 grams for the vinaigrette. To a blender, add 60 grams of the preserved lemon zest with 50 grams of water. Once blended, add in crème friaîche . Then drizzle in the olive oil slowly and once emulsified, add in the butter. Pass and store in the refrigerator. It needs to stay cold, or it will start to break.

Cut off the ends of the lemons, and fallow the curve of the fruit with the knife to remove all the peel and pith. Cut in between the lateral lines starting on the right side of the segment. Then cut to the left of the segment, but this time, use a scraping motion to pop the segment out. Place into a bowl and squeeze the remaining juice from the lemon over the segments to prevent them from drying out. Save 10 ml of lemon juice for the vinaigrette.

Mix together the Meyer lemon juice with dijon, and preserved lemon haché (finely chopped) then drizzle in the olive oil to emulsify. Season with salt and white pepper.

Separate the fennel into the bulb, stocks and fronds. Quarter the bulb, then peel off the outer layer. Trim up the root and cut it so the the length of the bulb from root so stock is 1.5 inches. Shave on a mandolin as thin as you can while keeping the pieces whole. Shave with the root end down . Set in a bowl, cover with water and store in the refrigerator.

Pick the fronds into bite sized pieces. Place in a bowl with water and store in the refrigerator.

Shave the fennel stocks as thin as possible on a mandolin while keeping whole. Into a small pot, add 50 ml of Pernod and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and use a lighter to flambé. Once the flame dies out, place back on the stove and reduce to 1/4. Add in the shaved fennel stocks, add a pinch of salt and just barely submerge in extra virgin olive oil. Simmer until tender, about 6-8 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the pot and store in the oil.

Pinch just behind the head and twist off to remove. Use your index finger to scrap from the head towards the tail to remove the legs. Peel off the shell and be sure to save for stock or shrimp butter. Using some tweezers, poke a little hole on the back of the shrimp and pull the vein out. I like to go in the middle, then down by the tail to be sure to get it all out. Flip the shrimp over and insert a skewer under the tail. Using your fingers and palm, hold the shrimp straight while you insert. Season both sides with salt and lay cubes of butter on the back.

Place the panko in a motor and pestle and make the crumbs even in size. Add four shrimp heads to a pan with the butter. Sauté the heads and squeeze them to release the hepatopancreas. Once the butter turns red and the heads are fully cooked, strain the butter and squeeze the heads to release all the butter. Back in the pan, add the butter and panko. Cook on medium low heat until the panko is crispy again and season with old bay and salt.

Turn your broiler on high, and place the shrimp on the top rack under. Cook the shrimp untill all the grey is gone which will be close to a minute for the top, then rotate and cook each side for about 30 seconds each. Pull from the oven and remove the skewers. Trim up the area behind the head and the tail.

Place a large ring mold on to a room temperature plate. Place a tablespoon of puree on the bowl, and use the back of the spoon to spread. Next, lay down the shrimp alternating the direction that they face. Place down 4 segments of Meyer lemon, on the puree. Remove the shaved fennel from the water and shake of the excess water. Dress with the Meyer lemon Vinaigrette and season with salt. Lay three pieces of shaved fennel on the shrimp. Next, place 5 pieces of fennel confit on top or to the side of the shrimp. Be sure to remove the excess oil or it will run on the plate. Place the shrimp crumbs down the middle of the plate, but be careful not to get the crumbs every where. Last, place down the fennel fronds, making sure to shake off the excess water.