Although this may sound odd, it is a wonderful flavor booster. Essentially, you are seasoning an oil for cooking or flavoring by cooking raw shrimp shells and aromatics and gently infusing oil with the flavors and aromas of a dish of sautéed shrimp. Use this oil to season fish before cooking, flavoring seafood soups and stews, pasta dishes, etc. It goes wonderfully with saffron and corn, and is at the base of a wonderful sauce of pureed fresh corn and saffron. If you only cook a few shrimp at a time, put the few shells into a zipper bag and force out all the air before stashing them in the freezer until you have enough to make the oil.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup shrimp shells 1 large shallot, minced 1 sprig fresh thyme ½ teaspoon coriander seeds 10 black peppercorns 1 ounce brandy ½ cup dry white wine -Optional- 5 to 10 threads saffron 1½ Grapeseed, or other neutral flavored oilMETHOD:
Heat a very small (3 cup) sauce pan over medium-high heat. When hot, film the pan bottom with oil and add the shrimp shells. Stir, pushing down, to cook the shells so they all turn pinkish and opaque, and become fragrant.
As soon as most of the shells have transformed, lower the heat to medium-low, make a space in the center and add the shallots, coriander seeds, peppercorns, and saffron if you are using it. Cook until the shallots are fragrant and translucent. Add the thyme.
Add the brandy, and warm up. When you can smell it, very carefully ignite the brandy. Cook, shaking or stirring until the flames subside (Flambéing the brandy gives a further nutty flavor to the oil).
Add the wine and cook until it is reduced entirely. As soon as it evaporates, pull the pan from the heat and add the remaining oil to the pan.
Lower the heat to low and return the pan to the burner. Keep on a low heat. A few pinpoint bubbles and a faint shimmer of the surface is all you want to see. Infuse the oil like this for at least an hour. After an hour, taste by dipping a piece of bread in some. The oil should have a definite shrimp/nutty flavor to it that stands out. If not. Cook longer, checking every half-hour.
When the oil is flavorful. Remove from the heat and allow to cool off. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a clean jar with a tight fitting lid, allowing the contents plenty of time to drain. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week, or store in the freezer a month or 3.
Chef’s Notes:
Use this oil in seafood soups and stews, on grilled fish and shellfish, for pastas, sauces, and wonderful risottos.
Yield: Around 1¼ cups
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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