Blistered Green Beans and Shishito Peppers with Crispy Bacon

October 02, 2015 by Aurel Pop in Appetizer

This past week has been the most rewarding one to date in the short history of gourmetcubicle. If you've been following me on Instagram or Facebook, or you subscribe to the Austin American-Statesman, you saw that my Savarin Cake recipe was featured in this week's Austin360Cooks section. It is the first time my work has ever been published. When I launched this blog back in April I would have never guessed that I would be featured in a newspaper. The Statesman's food editor, Addie Broyles, found my picture on Instagram via the hashtag #austin360eats and reached out to me asking for permission to feature my recipe, pictures and story in the newspaper.

The timing of the event couldn't have been more perfect either. I was losing steam and got a bit overwhelmed by the constant juggling between my demanding day job as an engineer and my passion for cooking and sharing recipes with you. It felt reassuring to have my work validated in that way—it was definitely a milestone moment for me and my blog. When I saw Addie’s comment on Instagram I admittedly got a bit giddy. Initially I didn’t know how legit it was, but soon after she also reached out to me via email. "Holy paprikash, this is real! It's happening. I'm going to be the most famous Romanian in Austin for a day!", I said to myself.

I instantly texted Roni, telling her about what was happening. First she told me how happy and proud she was, followed by "Send me your reply email first so I can review it". It took a few attempts to get a draft done, but I made sure to first send it to my favorite editor per her demand. She told me it was the cutest email she had ever read, but we needed to take the excitement down a notch and sound a bit more professional. Eventually I replied, exchanged a few emails with Addie, and then counted the days until Wednesday. On Tuesday I went to sleep filled with the same excitement of Christmas Eve.

I woke up early and went to the nearest grocery store where I bought all the copies of the Statesman that they had on the newspaper stand. The timing was perfect since next week I'm going home to Romania and I will bring my parents, my grandma, and a few of my best friends a copy of my first published recipe. If only my grandpa Bunu could see this, I would be the happiest person on Earth. He'd probably make up a story about me becoming a famous chef in America.

The idea for this recipe came a few weeks ago at a happy hour organized by the Austin Food Bloggers Alliance at The Highball. It was only my second time meeting with this fun and likeminded group of people, but I instantly felt welcomed (I also rented a karaoke room for myself where Roni later discovered me singing Oasis on my own for an hour, but that’s a whole other story…). Anyway, The Highball treated us like kings serving us at least 8 appetizers. All of them were delicious, but what got my attention was their Fried Brussels Sprouts and Shishito Peppers with White BBQ dipping sauce and candied bacon. It was everything a man can dream of while sipping on a cold beer. As soon as I saw green beans in my CSA box delivery that week, I knew I would have to make something similar. I tossed in some smoked pork bits from the pulled pork I made with my friend Guy (his personal recipe will soon be on the blog soon). It adds a nice smokey flavor, but if you don't have any that's fine, just make sure you used smoked bacon. Enjoy!

Blistered Green Beans and Shishito Peppers with Crispy Bacon

Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1/4 lb shishito peppers (about 10-12 peppers)
1 TBS oil (peanut or sunflower seed)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
8-10 slices smoked bacon
1/2 cup smoked pork bits, optional (I had some leftovers from my smoked pork shoulder)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 lb green beans
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp chili flakes, optional
1/2 TBS butter
1 lemon, juiced (about 2-3 TBS)
1/4 tsp smoked paprika

Instructions

In a small bowl combine shishito peppers, oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Toss until the peppers are evenly coated.
Heat a stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, after about 2 minutes, add the shishito peppers and cook them until the skin gets blistered and charred, about 3-4 minutes. Toss every now and then to avoid burning them. Transfer to a plate and set them aside.
To fry the bacon, start with a different cold skillet, preferably cast iron. Lay bacon strips in the skillet without overlapping them. Make sure the skillet is at room temperature when you start. You can crowd the skillet a bit as the bacon will shrink when cooked.*
Turn the burner to medium-low and slowly cook the bacon. When it starts curling flip it over to the other side. Cook bacon for about 3-4 minutes on each side. When it is done, transfer bacon to a wire rack or a paper towel lined plate and let the excess grease drain. Do not dispose the bacon fat from the skillet.**
Up the heat to medium-high under the skillet you used for frying the bacon. Dispose some of the bacon fat, but make sure you leave at least two tablespoons worth of grease.
If using smoked pork bits, toss them in the skillet and cook them for 2-3 minutes. If you're not using any proceed to the next step.
Add crushed garlic and green beans. Stir and toss until the green beans are well coated in oil. Cook for 4-5 minutes tossing occasionally.
Season with more black pepper and chili flakes if you want to add a nice kick. Add the shishito peppers. Cook for 2 more minutes tossing every now and then.
In the meantime, cut the bacon into bite size pieces and add it to the skillet.
Add butter, let it melt then toss one more time. Remove from the heat.
Transfer to a bowl, sprinkle with fresh lemon juice and smoked paprika. Serve warm.

Notes

* To achieve a crispy and evenly cooked bacon on the stovetop, lay the strips in a cold skillet and slowly raise the temperature. The secret is to cook it over medium-low heat. This method will also help the bacon not to curl up.
** If you like your bacon extra crispy cook a bit longer flipping them over every now and then. The time it takes to cook bacon depends on the level of crispiness you want to achieve.

Moroccan Chicken with Jalapeño Garlic Yogurt Dipping

August 10, 2015 by Aurel Pop in Appetizer, Condiment

Nothing says summer like grilling and a cold beer. Grilling meats ranks very high up on the "manliest things to do" list. It's such an ego boosting experience to serve your partner or friends a perfectly cooked piece of sizzling meat. If you think about the amount of effort that goes into grilling you realize that it's the best possible return on time and skills investment. I'm not to say that grilling is the most simple type of cooking, but in all honesty, I strongly believe that any man is able to do it. Especially if there is cold beer involved.

In my opinion, the secret to perfectly grilled meat lies in the marinade or rub that you used. This recipe calls for an exotic North African mix of fragrant spices like cumin, cinnamon and coriander that will elevate the bland flavor of the chicken breast. Chicken breast is actually one of my least favorite meats to cook. It's bland and hard to cook. If you undercook it, you risk getting yourself and your guests sick with salmonella. If you overcook chicken breast, it gets dry and ends up tasting how I imagine a rubber shoe sole tastes.

Personally I prefer making these kabobs with boneless chicken thighs or lamb. If you decide to use lamb, you'll need to marinade it a bit longer, preferably overnight. As far as cooking is concerned, grilling lamb may take less than 15 minutes if you like it medium or rare. If you're afraid of the strong and bold gamey flavor, be assured that the fragrant spices in this recipe will neutralize it a bit.

I usually serve these kebobs with warm pita bread and a garlicky, slightly spicy yogurt sauce that contrasts well with the sweetness of the meat. Besseha!

Moroccan Chicken with Jalapeño Garlic Yogurt Dipping

Serves 2-3
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Inactive time: 2 hours

Ingredients

1 lb boneless chicken, cut into 1-inch cubes (breast or thighs or lamb)
1 lemon, juiced
2 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
1/2 inch ginger, crushed and finely chopped
3 TBS olive oil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili
1 tsp Spanish paprika
1/2 tsp smoked paprika, optional
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp olive oil
1/3 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
coarse sea salt, to taste

Jalapeño Garlic Yogurt Dip

1 garlic clove, crushed and roughly chopped
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp sunflower seed oil (or peanut, canola, or vegetable)
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 medium lime, juiced (juice of 3 key limes or 2-3 TBS fresh lime juice)
2 tsp sunflower seed oil (or peanut, canola, or vegetable)
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
2-3 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Instructions

Put the chicken chunks in a large ziplock bag or in a non-metalic medium sized bowl. Add lemon juice, garlic, ginger, olive oil, dried oregano, coriander, cumin, chili, Spanish paprika, smoked paprika, cinnamon, black pepper and salt. Mix them well, massaging the marinade into the meat. Put the ziplock in the refrigerator and let it rest for at least two hours.
While the chicken is marinating, mix garlic, salt and one teaspoon oil with a pestle and mortar. Crush garlic and mix until you get a smooth garlic paste. Add mustard, lime juice and remaining oil. Mix well. Move the paste into a small bowl and mix in yogurt, jalapeño, parsley, mint and black pepper. Give it one more stir, taste and adjust seasoning. Let the sauce cool in the refrigerator while you take care of the chicken.
Preheat grill to 450F (230C ) degrees. Prepare a few metal skewers or bamboo sticks. Remove chicken from the marinade. Discard the marinade. Thread an equal amount of chicken chunks on the skewers. Make sure you're not threading them too tightly, as they won't cook evenly and you don't want to serve uncooked chicken.
Place skewers on a hot grill and cook for 15-20 minutes turning them every now and then. If you have a thermometer make sure the inside temperature of the chicken reaches 162-165F (72-73C) degrees.
When done, remove the skewers from the grill, cover with aluminum foil and let them rest for 5-10 minutes.
Sprinkle with olive oil, parsley and coarse sea salt. Serve warm with garlic jalapeño sauce.

Notes

If using bamboo skewers, make sure you soak them in cold water for at least half an hour. That will prevent the sticks from burning while grilling the meat.

Sicilian Caponata with Garlic Toast

August 07, 2015 by Aurel Pop in Appetizer, Side Dish

If you're familiar with my blog, you know that I have a soft spot for stews. I grew up eating them almost weekly. Although most of the times in Romania people will eat meat-based stews it is not unheard of to make stews out of vegetables. Since I'm still sticking to my plan of eating clean in my attempt to get rid of a few extra pounds I decided to try my hand at a vegan dish.

The good news for those who love eggplant as much as I do, is that they are in season. I'm signed up for a bi-weekly delivery of fresh local vegetables from Farmhouse Delivery and the latest vegetable bushel contained these cute baby eggplants that I had no clue what to do with. They were too small for my eggplant lasagna or for my mom's eggplant spread, but too big to pickle them whole. So I looked through my notes on my phone and I found one that said "Make Caponata next time you come across fresh and cheap eggplants". I can't remember exactly where I got the idea from, but it must've been from one of the cooking shows that I've been watching lately.

Caponata is a fragrant Mediterranean eggplant dish that comes from Southern Italy- the island of Sicily to be more specific. It is a versatile summertime classic in Italy. While eggplant, celery, onions, olives, capers, tomatoes, olive oil and vinegar are main ingredients, some Sicilians will add anchovies, artichokes, peppers, potatoes, mushrooms and even chocolate to it. Depending on the region, city or household, opinions are split regarding what goes into the perfect caponata. For me the perfect caponata is one that includes the main ingredients plus a few aromatic herbs for extra flavor.

Caponata can be served warm as a side dish with grilled fish and meats or at room temperature as an antipasto. I found that a nice balance between the sweetness of the vegetables and raisins and the sourness of the vinegar is achieved at room temperature. I went as far as adding a couple of spoons in my scrambled eggs and let me tell you that it was rather delicious. Buon appetito!

SICILIAN CAPONATA WITH GARLIC TOAST

Serves 6-8
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45-50 minutes

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs eggplant, diced into large 1" chunks
1 TBS kosher salt
1 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp dried oregano
2 TBS olive oil
3 TBS olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 green pepper, roughly diced
1/2 cup parsley stems, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
1/4 cup raisins (optional)
1-2 celery stalks, finely chopped (or 1 cup celery root finely chopped)
1 cup green olives, pitted
3 TBS capers, soaked and rinsed
2 TBS balsamic vinegar
1 TBS sugar
1/2 TBS black pepper, freshly ground
kosher salt, to taste
2 TBS slivered almond, toasted
1/4 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 fresh baguette
1 clove garlic

Tomato Sauce

2 TBS olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
2-3 scallions, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and grated
4 garlic cloves, crushed and finely chopped
4 big ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
6-8 fresh oregano leaves, chopped
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

Salt the eggplant chunks generously. Use about one tablespoon kosher salt and toss well to make sure all chunks are evenly coated. Let them sit in a colander for about 20 minutes. This will help get rid of the bitterness of the eggplant and will also make it less soggy and more tender when cooked.
While the eggplant is resting prepare the tomato sauce. Heat two tablespoons olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When the oil slides easily across the skillet, add shallots, scallions and carrots and sauté for 5 minutes. Toss in garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes and oregano and bring to a boil. When it boils, reduce the heat to low-medium, cover with a lid and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. When done, taste and season with salt and pepper and give it another stir. Set aside.
Rinse eggplant under running water to wash off the excess salt. Drain eggplant and place chunks on a tray lined with paper towels. Pat them dry. This is very important because you'll fry them next and you don't want to oil to splatter everywhere.
Once dry, sprinkle coriander and dry oregano coating the eggplant evenly. In a large non stick pan, heat two tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Work in batches if you think that the eggplant won't comfortably fit in the skillet. When the oil is shimmering, add eggplant and toss to coat evenly with oil. When the eggplant chunks are golden brown on each side, about 5-7 minutes, transfer to a paper towel lined tray or wire rack.
In a large and deep stainless steel skillet heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot (it easily slides across the pan), add onions, peppers and parsley stems, stir and cook until onions are translucent, about 7 minutes.
Toss in garlic next, stir and cook for another 2 minutes, then add raisins, eggplant, celery, olives and capers. Toss and cook for another 5 minutes then pour in vinegar and sugar. When the vinegar evaporates, about 5 minute, add tomato sauce. Lower the heat to medium, cover and cook for 5 more minutes. When done remove from the heat.
Taste and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley leaves and toasted almonds.
To toast the almonds, heat a small skillet over high heat. When the skillet is hot, add almonds, toast and stir for 2-3 minutes until they become golden brown.
Cut a baguette in half lengthwise (or slice of bread), toast it and then rub one side with garlic. Top toast with caponata. You can serve it cold or warm, whichever you prefer.

NOTES

When frying the eggplant, don't overload the pan, as it will reduce the heat too drastically and the eggplant chunks will absorb all the oil making them soggy and greasy. Instead work in batches if you have to. Split the amount of oil into the number of batches that you'll cook.
Don't use a cast iron pan as tomatoes and vinegar will be used in this recipe. The acidic reaction between the metal (cast iron) and acid (vinegar and tomatoes) will not only alter the color of the tomatoes, but also may damage your pan if it's not seasoned properly.
When toasting the almonds, make sure you toss and stir often as almond shavings burn fast. When done, remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the almonds immediately to a plate as they'll keep toasting even after you removed the skillet from the heat.
Store caponata in the refrigerator in a sealed container. It will keep well for over a week.

Eggplant Spread à la Rodica

July 14, 2015 by Aurel Pop in Appetizer

This past weekend was super awesome. After several weekends abroad I finally got to be lazy. I didn't cook much and I didn't post on here. Instead I just enjoyed the good weather, had Tacodeli for breakfast, and napped every single day. We had a blast. It all started on Saturday with a brunch at Roni's parents' place. Her mom made a traditional Israeli breakfast dish, shakshuka (a secret recipe that I want to learn from her), hummus, and carrot salad. We also had a delicious Israeli chopped salad that Roni's sister made. I decided to contribute my own mom's specialty to the meal- eggplant spread à la Rodica. If you were wondering what Rodica means, it is just my mother's name.

This spread is special for several reasons: 1) it's my mother's recipe, 2) it got even Roni's mom to eat an eggplant dish even though she's not a big fan of eggplant, and 3) because it's my favorite spread from childhood.

It is very similar to baba ganoush, which is not surprising since Romanian cuisine has been greatly influenced by Ottoman cuisine. For almost 300 years Romania was under the rules of the Ottoman Empire and that's when eggplant, peppers and other nightshade fruits and vegetables made their way to Romanians' tables. Dishes like moussaka, eggplant stuffed with lamb meat, and zacusca are all based on eggplant and are very common in Romania. Of course, some recipes are a bit different from the traditional Ottoman ones but that's mostly due to the fact that some ingredients weren't available in Romania. People had to innovate by replacing those ingredients with whatever was easy to find. If baba ganoush uses tahini, my mother's eggplant spread uses homemade mayonnaise. I have never tried to make it with store bought mayo, and I recommend you not doing it either. It's just different and will taste nothing like Rodica's recipe.

This spread reminds me of hot summer days at my parents’ lake cabin at Mujdeni, Romania. It was beautiful and we loved spending time there. The scenery was gorgeous too as the whole lake is surrounded by hills and forests. Although the cabin had two stories, it wasn't very big. On the bottom floor we had the kitchen and living room with a big queen size bed. Usually my parents slept there. To get to the upper level you had to climb a ladder, so that was reserved for the kids. There were two smaller rooms upstairs with a twin bed in each. Normally you'd think that only my parents, my sister and I would sleep there, but sometimes we had cousins or family friends over for days. We slept on the floor on mattresses or in sleeping bags outside on the deck. It was so much fun and it never felt like the house was too small.

For outdoorsy kids like my cousins and I it was heaven on earth. We got to spend all day outside, swimming, sunbathing, playing soccer, badminton, volleyball or fishing. The adults loved it too. They would make the kids collect firewood from the forest so they could cook traditional dishes like Gulyás (goulash), Pörkölt (Hungarian stew) or Halászlé (a hot paprika based fish soup) all made in a bogrács, which is a traditional Hungarian enamel cauldron. Then they would grill all kinds of traditional Romanian meats (mititei, carnati de casa (homemade sausages) and slanina (bacon)) and veggies on a plow disc cooker simply called disc in Romanian. It was a feast and it always felt as if we were celebrating something.

All these dishes took a long time to cook though, so my mom always had to think ahead and prepare some "snacks" for the hungry kids who spent all day swimming in the lake or running and jumping in the sun. On a scale of 1 to 10 we were constantly at 10 in terms of hunger. Every 2 hours we'd get hungry and my mom would always have something for us. Something as simple as bread with homemade apricot or strawberry jam or bread and butter with cured meats and fresh tomatoes, onions, radishes and hard boiled eggs. Another favorite was her eggplant spread. My cousins and I went crazy over it. Mom would make it out of 10-12 eggplants and we'd finish it within a day or two. We would eat thick loaves of fresh crispy bread loaded with a thick layer of the spread with a side of Telemea cheese (Romanian feta) and fresh tomatoes and cucumbers.

We were never bored there. We always found something to do. At night we'd play cards, tell stories or sing by the candlelight. The kids would sip on their homemade elderberry or sour cherry syrup mixed with club soda, while the adults would drink homemade wine or beer. We never complained about having to use the outhouse, not having electricity, or having to walk every morning to the spring for water for drinking, cooking and washing dishes. We were all so happy there.

Eggplant Spread à la Rodica

Serves 4-6
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Inactive time: 1 hour

Ingredients

3 large eggplants
2 egg yolks, pasture raised
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/2 cup sunflower seed oil (or peanut oil)
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 TBS white wine vinegar
1 small red onion (or 1 medium shallot)
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped
1 tsp black pepper, freshly cracked
salt, to taste

Instructions

Preheat grill to 450F (230C). Alternatively you can use a flattop cast iron grill (plancha) on medium-high heat. My mom swears by the latter.
Using a fork, pierce the eggplants. Place them on the grill rack (or on the plancha) and roast them until the skin blisters. I prefer charring them a bit, for that extra umami flavor. This should take about 35-40 minutes. Turn them every 10-15 minutes.
Once the eggplants are grilled, put them in a colander, cover with aluminum foil and let them rest for about 10-15 minutes. This will help get rid of the bitterness of the eggplant.
Peel eggplants and chop them roughly.
You have two options now: a quick one, where you combine all the ingredients and using a hand mixer, mix them together until you get a smooth spread; or a longer one where you make the mayonnaise separately using the egg yolks, salt, mustard, white pepper, lemon juice, vinegar and oil and only then using a hand mixer to mix it with the eggplant, onion and garlic. My mom never bothered making the mayo separately, so I will leave it's up to you to decide which route to take. I tried both options and honestly neither I, nor my taste tester, Roni, was able to tell the difference.
Taste and adjust seasoning.
Let the spread rest for at least 45 minutes in the refrigerator before serving.
Serve it on toast with feta cheese and paprika sprinkled on top or simply use it as a dip with pita bread. It goes really well with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes and peppers.

Notes

The size of the eggplant will impact the grilling time, so if you have smaller eggplants it will take less.
Don't be surprised by the amount of salt you'll need to use. It's normal when working with eggplant.
If you don't have a hand mixer, use a food processor, but be aware that making it this way you'll get a much smoother and silkier spread. I like the hand mixer version, because the spread will be a bit chunky.

Pickled Shrimp

June 15, 2015 by Aurel Pop in Appetizer

I flew in to Hungary a few days ago and I seem to have arrived at the perfect time, because the cherry trees are loaded with gorgeous crisp cherries. Watermelons, raspberries and strawberries are all also in season which makes me even happier.

I’m spending the first couple of days with family at my sister’s home in a small town near Budapest, mostly eating and beating the jet-leg.

I asked my mom and dad to bring my two favorite cheeses, Burduf and Telemea from Romania as well as some Kabanos sausage when they came to pick me up from the airport in Budapest. I've been eating that with fresh tomatoes and peppers from my sister's in-laws' garden for the last couple of days. I love everything about the Eastern European cuisine, even though I can't eat as much as I used to while I lived there. Although delicious, Eastern European food is very heavy and filling. If you're following me on Instagram you've seen what I'm talking about. If you're not yet, now it's the right time to start doing it.

Hungarians and Romanians seem to be on a reverse eating pattern than Americans. Here we eat more for breakfast, less for lunch and even less for dinner. Typical breakfasts consist of amazing cured meats, sausages, liver pâté and boiled eggs served with freshly slices onions, peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers, loafs of fresh crusty bread and lots of cheeses. It's heaven on earth!

One thing that’s missing in our cuisine is seafood, although freshwater fish dishes aren't rare at all. The Hungarian Halászlé (Fisherman's Soup), Harcsapaprikás (Catfish Paprikash) and the Romanian Grilled Trout and Grilled Zander are just a few of the most famous ones. I plan on posting recipes for all these here in the future.

Most saltwater fish are frozen, and not as fresh as in other parts of the world. You can find frozen salmon, cod, and other fish, but shrimps, crabs or lobsters are very difficult to come by. I ate shrimp for the first time when I studied in Virginia during college. I loved its sweet and briny flavor as well as its firm and crisp texture.

I came up with this recipe when I made Cucumber and Avocado Gazpacho for a few friends that we had over for dinner. I wanted to surprise (impress) them with something that they most likely haven't had before and I needed a protein to accompany the creamy and sweet gazpacho. It turned out great and the dinner was a huge success. It also makes for a great appetizer or party snack on its own.

I usually store the pickled shrimp in mason jars in the refrigerator where they will keep for a long time. I love to eat the pickled onions and garlic, too. Enjoy!

PIckled Shrimp

Yields 8 servings
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Inactive time: 1 day

Ingredients

Boiling mixture

1 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 cups water
3 bay leaves
4 cloves, whole
1 tsp coriander seeds, whole or ground
1 tsp red chili flakes, dried
1 tsp mustard seeds, whole
2 cardamom seeds, whole
1 tsp black peppercorns, whole
2 tsp salt

1 cup ice
2 cups water
1 1/2 pound shrimp (16/20 count size), peeled and deveined

Pickling mixture

1 cup rice vinegar
1 cup apple cider
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic, halved
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp peppercorns, whole
1 tsp red chili flakes, dried
2 tsp salt

Instructions

In a medium sauce pan combine all the boiling mixture ingredients and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Pour hot liquid over shrimps and keep them in the marinade until they turn pink around 3-4 minutes. Remove them with a sieve from the hot liquid and drop them in an ice-bath (1 cup ice, 2 cups water). Make sure you don't keep the shrimp in the hot liquid for more than 4 minutes, because it will overcook.
Remove the shrimp from the iced water. Peel and devein if you didn't do it at the beginning.
In a 24 oz mason jar combine all the ingredients for pickling mixture. Put the lid on the jar and shake vigorously until all the ingredients are well combined. Add shrimp to the mason jar, put the lid on and refrigerate for at least a whole day.

NOTES

Serve with olive oil and smoked paprika sprinkled on top. Pickled shrimp goes really well with the Cucumber and Avocado Gazpacho that I posted not long ago. It keeps for weeks in the fridge sealed in a mason jar.