Circle B Kitchen
Adapted from Alton Brown
32 shell-on (21 to 25 count) tiger shrimp (if frozen, thaw in a bowl of room temp water for ½ hour before cleaning)
For the brine:
1/4 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups cold water
For the cocktail sauce: (Adapted from Ina Garten)
Note: If you don't have prepared horseradish, Dijon mustard is a good substitute (Trader Joe's if you have it)
1/2 cup catsup
1/2 cup prepared chili sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
2 teaspoons Worcerstershire Sauce
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon Tobasco or your favorite hot sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sprinkle Old Bay seasoning
Using a sharp paring knife, make an incision down the backside of the shrimp, following the intestinal track. Eviscerate shrimp and rinse under cool water.
Place cleaned shrimp into a bowl with brine and refrigerate mixture for 20 to 25 minutes. While shrimp are brining, place tomatoes, chili sauce, horseradish, sugar, pepper, and salt in food processor and blend until smooth. Refrigerate cocktail sauce until ready to serve.
*Place a baking sheet or broiler pan under oven broiler and preheat for 5 minutes. Remove shrimp from brine and drain thoroughly. Rinse the shrimp under cold water and dry on paper towels. In a large bowl, toss shrimp with olive oil and sprinkle with Old Bay seasoning, if desired, or a little salt and pepper.
Place shrimp onto a sizzling sheet pan and return to broiler immediately. After 2 minutes, turn the shrimp with a pair of tongs. Return the shrimp to broiler for 1 minute. Transfer to a cold cookie sheet. Refrigerate immediately.
Once shrimp have chilled, arrange with cocktail sauce in a martini glass or as desired.
* I roast the shrimp in my toaster oven at 425 degrees for about 5-7 minutes or until just starting to turn pink. I turn the shrimp when they come out of the oven and let the heat from the pan finish cooking them until they are cool enough to place on your serving platter. Eat warm or you can chill them to serve later.
Yield: 4 servings or more as an appetizer