1medium onionquartered (you can leave the skin on)
1bulb fennelcut into large chunks
3celery stalkscut into large chunks
1head of garlichalved
1lemonquartered
½bunch of parsley
2bay leaves
1Tbspblack peppercorns
Kosher saltto taste
1lb.jumbo shrimppeeled and deveined (tails left on)
Chili Crisp Louie Sauce
½cupmayo
3Tbspchopped fresh dill
1Tbspketchup
1Tbspchili crispI like Momofuku
1-2Tbspprepared horseradishmore to taste
1tspDijon mustard
1tspWorcestershire
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
To serve:
EVOO for drizzling
2Tbspfreshly chopped chives
Flake salt
Lemon wedges
Cocktail saucerecipe below
Instructions
Begin by preparing the cooking liquid. In a medium pot add water, wine, onion, fennel, celery, garlic, lemon, parsley, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Season with salt.
Simmer gently for 30-45 minutes. Make sure the liquid remains at a soft simmer, as you don’t want the liquid to boil away!
While the liquid simmers prepare the sauce. In a small bowl mix mayo, dill, ketchup, chili crisp, horseradish, mustard, Worcestershire, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Refrigerate.
Once the liquid has simmered, using a slotted spoon, remove most of the large pieces of vegetables (it's okay if you don’t get all the little pieces out).
Prepare a large bowl with an ice bath.
Bring liquid to a boil and drop in shrimp. Stir to make sure the shrimp are submerged in the liquid. Turn off the heat and cover with a lid. Cook for 3-4 minutes until shrimp are pink and cooked through. This time will vary on the size of your shrimp, just keep an eye on them! You can remove one and cut a small bit off the top to make sure they are cooked.
Once cooked, immediately transfer to an ice bath. Once cold, strain the shrimp from the water and pat dry with a paper towel.
Toss cold shrimp with a drizzle of EVOO and fresh chives. Transfer to a chilled serving dish (or over crushed ice) and sprinkle the top with a touch of flake salt. Serve with the Louie sauce, cocktail sauce, and lemon wedges.
You can make the sauce and cook the shrimp a day ahead and keep them in the refrigerator. Right before serving, toss the shrimp with the EVOO and chives.
The leftover strained court bouillon would be great as a base for a seafood soup or chowder of any kind :)