CHEF JOHN ASH

John Ash: Cooking One on One:
Private Lessons in Simple, Contemporary Food
from a Master Teacher

"Teaching has come to be the thing I love most in life..." Chef John Ash

This is a simple quick dish. I suggest brining the shrimp first which gives you a more succulent tasty end product. Note that kosher salt is called for in the brine. If using sea or ordinary table salt reduce the amount of salt to 1/4 cup (but of course you should never use ordinary table salt!). Also note that I’m asking you to save the shrimp shells. They can be frozen to make a delicious shelf fish stock for use in other recipes.

Grilled Shrimp With Sangrita

Serves 6

For the Brine

• 1/3 cup each kosher salt and brown sugar
  
• 1 quart cold water

For the Marinade

• 1/4 cup olive oil
  
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
  
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
  
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine
  
  
• 1 pound large shrimp (16 – 20 per pound) peeled and deveined (save the shells!)
  
• Sangrita (recipe follows)
  
• 2 medium firm ripe avocados peeled and cut into
• 1/2 inch cubes or alternately fans

Garnish: Sprigs of cilantro

Prepare brine by stirring salt, sugar and water together until dissolved. Add shrimp and refrigerate for up to an hour. Mix the marinade ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

Remove shrimp from the brine and rinse thoroughly. Toss with the marinade to coat the shrimp and marinate for up to 1 hour, refrigerated. Grill shrimp on both sides over medium hot coals (or alternately under a hot broiler) until they are just cooked through, about 3 minutes total, turning halfway through.

To serve: Ladle a shallow pool of the Sangrita into shallow soup or pasta plates. Artfully stack the avocado cubes in the center and arrange shrimp around. Top with cilantro sprigs. Serve immediately.

Sangrita

• 2 cups tomato juice
  
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
  
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime or lemon juice (or to taste)
  
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  
• Drops of Worcestershire sauce, preferably white to taste
  
• Big dash of olive brine from a jar of green olives, to taste
  
• Hot sauce to taste
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Stir ingredients together and chill for at least one hour for flavors to marry. Taste again just before serving and adjust flavor to your taste.

Recommended wine: One of the aromatic varieties (Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Viognier or Muscat) with just a touch of residual sugar would be a nice match.

Cookbooks Authored by Chef John Ash
Winner of the Julia Child "Cookbook of the Year" from the IACP One of California's foremost chefs, in association with Fetzer Vineyards, celebrates the bounty of the garden and the vine with a collection of more than 300 recipes that pay magnificent tribute to fresh and healthy high-flavor food--plus a a helpful--and fun--approach to testing and evaluating wines. Color photos.	Winner of the 2005 James Beard Foundation Award John Ash: Cooking One-on-One: Private Lessons in Simple, Contemporary Food from a Master Teacher	American Game Cooking: A Contemporary Guide to Preparing Farm-Raised Game Birds and Meats Game farms have made exotic fowl and meats widely available to the non-hunter, and this is an excellent resource for those who want to cook on the wild side. From boar-based borscht to roast lacquered duck with muscat-tamarind sauce, the recipes contained herein are delicious.

"It's the process of cooking that's so much fun — the bonus is that you get something at the end to eat." Chef John Ash

Grilling Recipes from Around the World by Chef John Ash
These Recipes are Free to copy for personal use.

• Grilled Shrimp With Sangrita
  
  
• Moroccan Lamb Kebabs
  
  
• Spicy Grilled Squid Salad
  
  
• More Recipes

(Chef John Ash)