Dinner Tonight: Shrimp, Arugula, and Caper Mayonnaise on Brioche
I found this recipe in Wine Bar Food by Cathy and Tony Mantuano. It's a beautiful book that showcases simple recipes from wine bars in Southern Europe. It's enough to make you want to blast through a few credit cards and fly over for just a little snack. In Venice they stop for these little tea sandwiches which are called "tramezzini." Good to know. The authors also explain that the sandwiches are good for "lunch, cocktail hour, or dinner," which could be translated as any time except breakfast—probably because wine needs to be involved.
To avoid offending the authors, I drank a delightfully crisp Italian Pinot Grigio. I'm sure a glass of water would work in a pinch. The sandwich itself is perfect for any occasion. The creamy mayonnaise is balanced by the slightly sweet shrimp, peppery arugula, and toasted brioche.
If you have precooked shrimp, the only effort exerted here is in whisking together the mayonnaise and stacking everything on bread. I'm sure you could even skip the homemade mayonnaise and just use a jarred spread, but that might tip the scale from convenience to laziness. Plus, there's something really delightful about smashing the capers into the egg yolk and then whisking in a good extra-virgin olive oil. There are so few ingredients, and it's kind of inspiring what some really good ones will combine to do.
Shrimp, Arugula, and Caper Mayonnaise on Brioche
- serves 3 to 4 -
Ingredients
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup extra olive oil
12 ounces cooked, peeled shrimp
8 slices brioche, toasted
Handful of arugula
Procedure
1. Plop an egg yolk into a large bowl. Add the capers, and use a fork to break up a few of them. Pour in the lemon juice. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until thick and creamy.
2. Mix the shrimp with the mayonnaise.
3. Add a few leaves of arugula on top of half the pieces of toasted bread, then add a spoonful of the shrimp mixture. Top with a few more leaves and another piece of bread.
About the author: Nick Kindelsperger is a Chicago-based freelance writer and a co-founder of The Paupered Chef.
View other entries from Dinner Tonight.
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6 Comments:
O M G *drool*
I wanted to lick the monitor when the shrimp loaded up on my screen.
I am skeptical of the olive oil, but I will try it. I am sure it's different from the Hellman's olive oil mayonnaise...at least I hope. I made a sandwich with it once, took one bite, and threw it and the jar of mayonnaise in the rubbish.
Cassaendra at 7:09PM on 06/01/09
I'm the only person on earth who doesn't like arugula, I think. But the rest of it looks amazing. And it would look just as yummy with other greens. You know, like avocado :-)
dbcurrie at 7:44PM on 06/01/09
@dbcurrie--No, you're not. :) I think arugula is something people pretend to love because it sounds more sophisticated than just "lettuce". I mean, how boring is that?
It looks like it would be delightful with some butter lettuce, and yes, a little avocado would certainly not go amiss.
buffy at 8:02PM on 06/01/09
mmm...this is definitely one to try!
gastronomeg at 10:41AM on 06/02/09
I am ditching the fried eggplant with marinara I was planning for supper and serving this instead. I have the shrimp, arugula, and mayonaisse ingredients. A quick stop at WF will take care of the brioche. I'm salivating now.
NO_Pam at 12:10PM on 06/02/09
Now I understand my husband when I tell him about the ugly purse an attractive, leggy, large-busted brunette is carrying. I really didn't notice the arugala and the bread.
Cassaendra at 1:08PM on 06/02/09