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Irish Creamed Shrimps on Butter-Grilled Toast Recipe | |
Irish Seafood | |
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Ingredients:
2 tbsp buttera good scraping of nutmeg pinch of ground mace 2 tbsp Irish whisky, Jameson's preferably 1 scant tsp anchovy essence 5 ox double or heavy cream 1/2 lb peeled brown (or other) shrimps 4 slices of bread, taken from a plain white loaf squeeze of lemon juice 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley cayenne pepper
Directions:
Using a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the spices and Irish whisky. Bring up to a simmer and ignite the mixture; there will be a small flame and, as you swirl the pan around, it will soon be extinguished. Now introduce the anchovy essence, allow to bubble for a few seconds and then stir in the cream. Bring up to a simmer and allow to thicken slightly and reduce. Tip in the shrimps, thoroughly heat through but do not overcook; the shrimps should be nicely coated with the sauce. Keep warm. To make the buttered toast, take four slices of white, crustless bread and thinly butter on both sides. Place under a broiler and toast on both sides until crisp and golden.Finally, stir a little lemon juice and the parsley into the creamed shrimps, pile them on the toast and lightly dust each serving with cayenne pepper. serves 4, for a sweet little Sunday supper
The "Irish" in the name, here, simply refers to the whisky. However, I could easily envisage eating something like this in a cozy bar on the Galway coast, preceded, perhaps, by a plate of their excellent native oysters. Irish whisky, furthermore, is the only one that 1 enjoy; Scotch is too assertive for this Sassenach, and I particularly avoid a malt—however legendary its provenance or age. An occasional glass of Jameson's, however, is one that I love. Note: it is now relatively easy to purchase packages of freshly peeled shrimps from good fishmongers, delicatessens and occasional supermarkets.
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