Saor

This shrimp thing can be a supper or a starter. It is great for parties, because you are supposed to fix it a day or two ahead of time, and just bring it to room temperature a few hours before serving. The convenience factor more than makes up for the fact that you do have to fry the shrimp in hot oil- something which I am usually not prepared to do. Quite aside from any goody-goody health concerns, I just don't like the burn and stinkout chances with lots of bubbling hot oil around. And most fried things need to be eaten as soon as they are done, to be really nice. With saor, at least, you can clear up and air out well before you eat it. And the fact is, it is fantastic, and entirely worth the trouble.

This is a centuries old Venetian recipe, and there are many versions. My current favorite is adapted from Biba's Italy, and I have not tried a better one. It makes a wonderful addition to one of those traditional Christmas Eve multiple fish meals, such as are part of both Italian and Provencal tradtions. I like it best, though, for supper, over salad greens, with crusty bread and a glass of cold Muscadet. Now that shrimp is so much cheaper than it used to be, it's an affordable indulgence.

This is what you need to serve 4 people:
olive oil
1 cup flour
1 1/2 lbs peeled raw shrimp
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 tbsp sugar
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
2 yellow onions, thickly sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt
pepper

Heat the olive oil, about an inch deep,in a heavy skillet to about 350F. Put the flour in a plastic fridge bag, toss in the shrimp, and shake it up. Extract the shrimp and drop them carefully into the hot oil. cook until done- they will cook quickly, turn pinky and curl up. Carefully remove them from the hot oil with tongs, and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle them with salt.

Pour most of the oil out of the pan and add the onions. Cook on medium low heat until quite soft, but not browing much- about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a small dry skillet. Add white wine to onions, and cook down a little. Add S and P, vinegar, pine nuts, raisins, and sugar. Stir well.
Put about half of the onion mixture in a dish, add the shrimp, and top with the rest of the onions.

Refrigerate for a couple of days, and serve to a host of grateful admirers. Or eat them all up on your own.

More recipes for the recently affordable shrimps, from the archives include:

Shrimp and Corn Chowder
Shrimp Mornay
Shrimp Bisque
Ceviche
Gemelli with Shrimpo and Three Peas.

I'm pretty sure there are some more, too, if you look around!

Comments

[Lynn D.]

This post rang a bell for me. I think I first read about saor in a Donna Leon mystery (recommended by you). Brunetti is savoring saor in a Venetian restaurant while lunching with his father-in-law. But I seem to remember it was made with sardines. I googled saor and came up with lots of recipes using a variety of fish and one from Mario B. using butternut squash. All the versions sound delicious and it's always nice to have a make-ahead dish. Thanks for bringing this technique to my attention.

[Julie]

I also just googled saor. I've never heard the term before. The things I learn by reading your posts! And while sardine saor doesn't appeal to me, this certainly does.

[Heath]

I made this last night and it was really good - the onions were especially delicious! Thanks for the recipe, as I'd never even heard of this before. It almost has a Moroccan vibe instead of Italian!

[Rebecca]

This sounds so utterly delicious, and I, too, had never heard of it before (have even read all the Donna Leon books but would have skipped over it if made with sardines). I just love foods that combine savory with sweet things, and the addition of the vinegar and onions, mmm, I'm tasting it in my mind and can't wait to try it. I agree with Heath, it's almost Sephardic-sounding, although of course with the shellfish I realize that sounds ridiculous.

[lindy]

You know, I do believe there is a traditional sephardic dish involving cold fried fish in a sweet and sour marinade. Your instincts are probably sound on that- clever, clever.

Isn't the food great in the Donna Leon books? Perhaps we should start a list of mysteries with real food? We'd have to include the Nicholas Freeling ones, both Van der Valk and Castang series. Personally, though, I always thought the haute cuisine of Fritz-chef to Nero Wolfe, sounded fake, fake, fake. Others?