Test Kitchen: Shrimp - Part I

Shrimp is a go-to fast and easy dinner in our house.  Even when you haven’t planned ahead, you can have shrimp from freezer to table in no time at all.  It’s quick to defrost and quick to cook.  It’s versatility allows you to do just about anything with it…shrimp can be roasted, boiled, sautéed, or barbecued.  Put it in a breakfast frittata, in a salad for lunch, or skewer and grill it for dinner.  

I’ve been in test kitchen mode over the last week or so, focusing on coming up with some new shrimp appetizers.  And since it is such a versatile ingredient, I wanted to try to come up with a few ideas that were all very different from each other, both in flavor and presentation. 

Sometimes test kitchens don’t go so well.  Sometimes the dish is just unsalvageable and goes in the garbage. Sometimes it’s edible but something you wouldn’t make again.  But then there are those times when you eat something and you say to your normally very critical self, “genius!”  Then, while patting yourself on the back, you proceed to eat the rest of the dish so quickly that you promptly find yourself on the couch in a food coma with two cats and a dog taking advantage of your placidity by sprawling all over you.  (Not that I know this from experience or anything.) 

It’s those times that make test kitchens completely worth it.

So here is the first of three winners…parts 2 and 3 to follow.

(Disclaimer: These are all still in pretty rough form and I need to make them again so I can write actual measurements and recipes, but I wanted to share to see what everyone thought.)

Shrimp Mousse on Homemade Potato Chips

shrimp

garlic

shallots

white wine

salt and pepper

cayenne pepper

heavy cream

gelatin

lemon juice

chives

potato chips

Prepare gelatin by adding a little white wine to about a teaspoon of powder.

Meanwhile, sauté garlic and shallots in olive oil, then add shrimp, salt, pepper, cayenne and some white wine to deglaze the pan and let reduce. When shrimp are done, put contents of pan in a food processor and puree until smooth.  Add gelatin, lemon juice and chopped chive and incorporate into mixture.

Whip heavy cream into stiff peaks and fold into shrimp puree. 

Refrigerate for a couple hours to allow the mousse to set up.

Pipe onto potato chips and garnish with snipped chives.

Let me just say right off the bat that I wouldn’t make my own potato chips again.  It was a pain and the potatoes didn’t fry uniformly.  Some refused to get crispy, others went too fast and burned.  I might try baking them next time, but I will more likely just buy a bag of really good potato chips.

The mousse was excellent though.  It was fluffy and light, and not the least bit grainy.  The flavors are very delicate, but the shrimp comes through just enough to let you know it’s there.  Pairing it with the salty, crunchy chip works nicely.

Next up: Shrimp Curry Bruschetta